Kendra Woodland

Kendra Woodland arrived at the University of New Brunswick in 2018 as a freshman from Kamloops, British Columbia, and by the time she left six seasons later, she had rewritten what sustained excellence at the Canadian university level could look like. Over five full seasons with the UNB Reds, she finished with a 53-35-0 record, a 1.68 goals-against average, and a .941 save percentage — the kind of numbers that underpin three Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championship titles and three First All-Star Team selections in AUS U Sports competition, in 2018-19, 2021-22, and 2022-23.

The accolades came early. In her first season, Woodland earned AUS Rookie of the Year honours, a spot on the All-Rookie Team, and recognition on the National All-Rookie Team. A second-team AUS all-star nod followed in 2019-20, and the trajectory continued upward from there. Her final season at UNB brought the program's highest honours: AUS Most Valuable Player, U Sports Player of the Year via the Broderick Trophy, and a runner-up finish for the 2023 U Sports Female Athlete of the Year award — recognition that placed her at the top of the Canadian university game.

Her international résumé runs alongside that university record. Woodland won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2018 IIHF Women's U18 Championship, then returned to the international stage at the 2023 World University Games (Universiade), where she posted a 0.25 goals-against average and a .984 save percentage with three shutouts in four games as Canada won gold.

Graduating from UNB without immediately landing on a PWHL roster, Woodland spent the following year working to maintain her game outside the structure of a team environment. That grind paid off when the Ottawa Charge signed her, making her, by the account of Kevin Woodley on InGoal Radio, the first goaltender out of U Sports to earn a spot on a PWHL roster. Woodland joined Ottawa wearing number 70. InGoal Radio episode 334, recorded ahead of a game day, captures that full story of the year between university and professional hockey — what it takes to keep sharp without regular team practices and how Woodland navigated that stretch ^[1].

Away from the ice, Woodland has been a Hockey Gives Blood (HGB) player ambassador since 2021, promoting blood and stem cell donation within the hockey community. During her time at UNB she helped organize and host blood drives twice a year, along with HGB- and Canadian Blood Services-themed games. She has donated blood ten times herself. In 2022, she was runner-up for the Dayna Brons Award through HGB — a distinction notable in part because she was the only female ever included in the award category before it transitioned to a CHL-specific award.

InGoal Magazine has covered Kendra Woodland in one podcast appearance.