On Aug. 5, forward Jillian Dempsey announced she will retire from playing professional hockey. She spent the last two seasons playing in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). She announced her retirement on her personal Instagram.
Dempsey has had a long, storied career in hockey. She began her career playing at the collegiate level for Harvard University. In her four years at Harvard, she played 129 games and recorded 148 points via 76 goals and 72 assists. In her final year at Harvard, Dempsey earned the honor of captain of the team as well.
Following her collegiate years, Dempsey began playing in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). She played for the Boston Blades for two seasons, 2013-14 to 2014-15. She played 46 games and recorded 47 points via 23 goals and 24 assists.
After playing in the CWHL for two seasons, Dempsey went on to play in the inaugural season of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) for the Boston Pride. In the first season, 2015-16, she recorded 14 points in 18 games. Dempsey continued playing for the Boston Pride from the 2016-17 season until the 2022-23 season. She played 124 games and recorded 132 points via 63 goals and 69 assists. She was made captain from the 2017-18 season until her final season with the Pride. Both the CWHL and the NWHL are no longer active.
For the start of the PWHL, Dempsey played in Montreal. She played 24 games in the 2024 season and recorded four points. Montreal did not re-sign her, and Boston took their opportunity, extending her a training camp invite. Although she started the 2024-25 season as a reserve player, Dempsey ended up signing a full-standard player agreement in the middle of the season. She played nine games for the Fleet and recorded two assists.
As a Massachusetts native, Dempsey has had a long, storied career in the city that she has called home. Wishing Dempsey the best of luck in all of her future endeavors!
