Brooks, Lobdell Become First Women's Hockey Duo Drafted to PWHLBrooks, Lobdell Become First Women's Hockey Duo Drafted to PWHL

Brooks, Lobdell Become First Women's Hockey Duo Drafted to PWHL

Recent graduates Brianna Brooks and Lyndie Lobdell became the first two Nittany Lions drafted to the PWHL on Tuesday night

OTTAWA, Ontario – Recent graduates Brianna Brooks (Whitby, Ontario) and Lyndie Lobdell (Aurora, Ill.) became the first two members of the Penn State women’s hockey team to be drafted to the Professional Women’s Hockey League during the third-annual PWHL Draft held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Ottawa on Tuesday night.

Brooks became the first-ever Nittany Lion selected after being taken by Vancouver in the fourth round (No. 32) while Lobdell went to Seattle just eight picks later in the fifth round. Both will lace ‘em up for the two expansion teams once the 2025-26 season rolls around this fall.

“We are so proud of Bri and Lyndie being the first Penn State players drafted into the Professional Women’s Hockey League,” stated head coach Jeff Kampersal. “With Bri, Vancouver is getting a big-game player, clutch in critical moments while Seattle is getting a complete package defenseman in Lyndie, someone they can trust in all situations.”

"Bri and Lyndie each positively impacted our program in different ways. We are grateful to have been able to develop them and spend quality time with them. They will both be Nittany Lions for life and we are looking forward to watching them at the professional level. WE ARE!”

Head Coach Jeff Kampersal
Bri

While earning the distinction of Penn State’s first-ever draftee, Brooks is also the first Atlantic Hockey player to be selected in the PWHL draft. The Whitby, Ontario native skated in all 38 games this season finishing sixth on the team with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists.

Brooks didn’t miss a game in her two seasons at Penn State after transferring from UNH appearing in all 76 registering 56 points on 25 goals and 31 assists including career highs across the board in 2023-24 with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points. In total, Brooks played 164 NCAA games scoring 46 goals with 63 assists for 109 points.

Lyndie

Lobdell, a 2025 Second Team All-AHA selection, had a career-high 21 points on four goals and a career-best 17 assists this past season while becoming Penn State’s all-time leader for defenseman scoring graduating with 84 points in 168 games. Her career games played is also a new Nittany Lion standard along with her 20 career goals from the blueline while her 64 assists are the second-most all-time by a Penn State defenseman.

Lobdell was named the AHA Defensive Player of the Month in October and earned AHA Defensive Player of the Week on four occasions this past season. Her nine goals a season ago remain a single-season defenseman record for the Blue & White. The Aurora, Illinois native also finished her career with a plus-94 rating, currently the best mark all-time at Penn State, while her plus-36 this season is a new single-season record.