The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has 43 seniors and graduate players among its eight Division I women’s hockey programs.
Only two of them play for Bemidji State.
The Beavers have a seven-player freshman class. They have seven more sophomores and 10 juniors, comprising the bulk of their 2025-26 roster.
Then there’s Raely Carney and Heid Strompf.
BSU head coach Amber Fryklund hasn’t shied away from her group’s youth. Bemidji State is not only one of the youngest teams in its conference, but also in all of college hockey, putting an even stronger emphasis on the existing senior leadership.
Carney is the Beavers’ lone four-year senior. The Wasilla, Alaska, native has played in 102 games at forward for BSU, scoring eight goals and four assists. She was named an alternate captain for the 2025-26 season.
“It’s a big deal to me,” Carney said of being named an alternate. “I got to watch one of my classmates wear a letter last year, and she really stepped up into that role. I think this year, for me, my goal was to step up into that role, too, really take it on.”
Bemidji State’s Heidi Strompf (17) controls the puck during the second period against St. Thomas on Nov. 15, 2024, at the Sanford Center.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Carney has played more games than any other current women’s hockey player at Bemidji State. She had a career-best five goals and two assists during her junior season last year.
“She’s had her own challenges with injuries,” Fryklund said. “That’s another component of that – her perseverance through injuries. She’s put a lot of work in. She’s certainly someone we and her teammates rely on for leadership.”
Fryklund noted that, despite some injury setbacks, Carney has grown immensely in her skating ability and her physicality.
“For me, it’s experience,” Carney said. “Kind of seeing how this league plays for three years, I go into every game knowing what to expect. I have that experience piece now.
“We’ve had a lot of good leaders on our team since I’ve been here. Watching them and seeing what they do has made it easy for me to embody who I want to be as a leader.”
Strompf is also a senior, but an untraditional one. This is only her second year playing college hockey.
The defenseman from Ingolstadt, Germany, enrolled at BSU after spending five seasons with ZHK Sarisanka Presov in Slovakia. She’s also played internationally for Germany since 2019.
Bemidji State’s Raeley Carney (10) celebrates a first-period goal against Wisconsin on Feb. 22, 2025, at the Sanford Center.
TJ Rhodes / Bemidji Pioneer
“Everything felt so overwhelming at first,” Strompf said of coming to BSU last season. “The first few months were just one new thing after another. Oftentimes, I felt a little bit lost or behind. But after that, the girls became like family. They were really forthcoming and helpful, even when I felt like I was being quite the burden at the time. They made the transition much easier.”
While she was listed as a junior, Strompf grew close to Bemidji State’s freshman class last season. However, she had her first leadership moment in the Beavers’ second series.
BSU traveled to Moon Township, Pennsylvania, to play against Robert Morris in early October. Trailing in between periods, Strompf spoke up in the locker room.
“Honestly, I felt like that moment was right,” she said. “Our seniors were a little too quiet for how we were playing at that time. It was a good moment to speak up and introduce more aggressiveness and veracity into our team.”
It was a moment that was thrilling to hear about for the BSU coaching staff.
“For her to come in without that much experience (in college hockey) and to speak up in the locker room, it’s great,” she said. “I’ve seen that out of her on numerous occasions.
“Whether you’re a senior, freshman, captain or not a captain, everybody has to be a leader in their own way. I see that out of her a lot of times. The team listens because they have that respect for her.”
In 37 games last season, Strompf scored one goal and four assists. It came with adjustments to the collegiate game and the American hockey culture.
Bemidji State’s Heidi Strompf (17) controls the puck during the third period against Minnesota State on Feb. 1, 2025, at the Sanford Center.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
“It was just a process to get to one day, waking up and not feeling like you’re in a foreign place, but in a space where it could be home,” Strompf said. “I’m surrounded by people who know how I behave and tic, and how they behave and tic.”
Coupled with junior captain Hailey Armstrong and sophomore Alternate Morgan Smith, Carney and Strompf share the sentiment of leadership in the Beavers’ locker room. Regardless of which players wear letters on their jerseys, leadership can come in all shapes and sizes.
“I think it’s a product of the environment our team creates,” Fryklund said. “It’s really important for us as a staff to make sure our players feel confident in this program. Our team in the locker room does a great job of creating a space where people have a voice.”