Carly Jackson

When the Toronto Six hoisted the Isobel Cup in 2023, Carly Jackson was in net for six of the championship run's games, posting a .926 save percentage as the team claimed the title. It was a moment that capped a years-long journey from Amherst, Nova Scotia, through the University of Maine, and into the professional ranks — a journey that nearly ended more than once along the way.

Jackson, who wears number 70 and catches left, was born June 23, 1997, and grew up in Amherst before heading to Maine to play for the Black Bears from 2016 to 2020. The early signs of what the program would see from Jackson came in the sophomore season, when they broke the Black Bears' single-season wins record with 17. The junior year was more expansive still: Jackson set program records in wins, saves (3,029), save percentage (.923), shutouts (12), and goals-against average (1.90). As a freshman, Jackson made 25 starts and earned a spot on the Hockey East All-Academic Team. By the time they left Orono, Jackson had graduated as Maine's all-time leader in each of those categories. Their final two seasons at Maine saw them appear in 28 and then 32 games, finishing with a best career save percentage of .934.

Before collegiate hockey, Jackson represented Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Women's Under-18 Championship, where the team took home a silver medal.

The professional path began when the Buffalo Beauts selected Jackson third overall in the 2020 NWHL draft. That first season was a condensed one, cut short by COVID-19, but Jackson led all goaltenders in saves and faced the most shots of any netminder in the league. The second season in Buffalo brought a larger role: Jackson started 17 regular-season games, posted a .903 save percentage, and served as an alternate captain. They also received the Beauts' NWHL Foundation Award that year and were voted to the Fans' Three Stars of the Season — an honour that reflected the following Jackson built through their personality, advocacy, and fashion sense, as much as through their play. A third NWHL/PHF season followed with the Toronto Six, and the Isobel Cup came with it.

After the PHF merged into the PWHL, Jackson spent two seasons with PWHL Toronto before signing with the expansion Seattle Torrent on July 9, 2025.

InGoal Magazine has covered Carly Jackson in two podcast appearances.

After the Six's championship run, Jackson joined InGoal Radio episode 211 alongside Elaine Chuli to discuss the Isobel Cup ^[1]. Then, in January 2025, Jackson sat down with Kevin Woodley for episode 286 alongside Sandra Abstreiter to talk about the PWHL's growth and the technical work happening inside their game ^[2].

On that episode ^[2], Jackson described the league's evolution in concrete terms — the full-time goalie coaches, medical staff, and consistent resources that weren't always available before. "It's like you have people that are pouring a hundred percent back into this league," Jackson said, "and that wasn't the truth before where we were all spread out between either another job or other things where you had to support yourself some other way." Jackson also holds certification as an athletic trainer in the United States, a background that came into play during a conversation at the Vancouver event with performance specialist James Wendland — a meeting Jackson described in detail on the episode ^[2].

The technical discussion in that same appearance ^[2] centred on a stance adjustment Jackson had been developing with goalie coach Brad Kirkwood — a shift toward a narrower, taller, more rhythmic approach to crease movement. Jackson described working through the discomfort of that change: "I had to let go of my ego a little bit," they said. The full conversation, including how Jackson visualized the adjustment and how it translated to game situations, is available on InGoal Radio ^[2].