Olivia Zafuto

Olivia Zafuto
Zafuto with the Boston Pride in 2022
Born (1997-01-25) January 25, 1997 (age 27)
Niagara Falls, New York, US
Height 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
PWHL team
Former teams		 Boston Fleet
Playing career 2021–present

Olivia Zafuto (born January 25, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman who is signed as a reserve for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She has previously played for PWHL New York, the Boston Pride, Linköping HC, and HV71, and in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).

College career

Zafuto played her college hockey at Colgate. Her junior and senior seasons, she ranked third-most nationally for points by a defenceman. She graduated with the most points (104) by a Colgate defenseman in program history.[1]

Professional career

In 2019, Zafuto was drafted by the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) but many players left to form their own league through the Professional Women's Hockey Player's Association (PWHPA). Zafuto played in Buffalo and Minnesota for two seasons. She then played for HV71 in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) for 11 games before signing a contract with Linköping Hockey Club.[2]

After a season-and-a-half, she returned to the United States to play in the rebrand of the NWHL, the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), for the Boston Pride.[3] She was an All-Star selection for the 2022-23 season.[4] After one season with the Pride, Zafuto signed a 1-year $63,000 contract with the Metropolitan Riveters.[5] However, the PHF was acquired by the Mark Walter Group in 2023 and a new, unified league was set up: the PWHL.

Zafuto was drafted by New York in the twelfth round, sixty-ninth overall, in the inaugural PWHL draft. She signed a one-year contract and played in thirteen games for New York during the 2023–24 season, recording one assist.[6] She signed a reserve player contract with the Boston Fleet for the 2024–25 season.[7]

Zafuto has also worked as a coach at Nichols and Thayer Academy.[8]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Colgate University ECAC 39 7 15 22 18 — — — — —
2016–17 Colgate University ECAC 35 7 9 16 28 — — — — —
2017–18 Colgate University ECAC 41 11 22 33 56 — — — — —
2018–19 Colgate University ECAC 37 8 26 34 74 — — — — —
2020–21 HV71 SDHL 6 3 0 3 2 5 1 2 3 8
2021–22 Linköping HC SDHL 35 10 10 29 20 7 1 1 2 6
2022–23 Boston Pride PHF 22 5 5 10 29 2 0 0 0 0
2023–24 PWHL New York PWHL 13 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
PWHL totals 13 0 1 1 4 — — — — —

References

  1. ^ "Olivia Zafuto". Colgate Athletics. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Sabato, Nick (November 29, 2022). "Niagara Falls' Olivia Zafuto found a home in Boston after traversing the globe as women's hockey reboots". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Cornetta, Kat (November 2, 2022). "The Boston Pride and the PHF were too good to pass up for hockey players Olivia Zafuto and Loren Gabel". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Doherty, Matt (January 17, 2023). "Boston Pride place a league-high nine players on PHF All-Star roster". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  5. ^ "Riveters Sign Fratkin, Zafuto, and Brand From Pride". The Hockey News. May 18, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Healy, Emma (November 29, 2024). "The Boston Fleet's roster is set for the start of the new season. Here's a closer look at the players". Boston.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  7. ^ "BOSTON FLEET ANNOUNCE 2024-25 ROSTER". The PWHL. November 29, 2024. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Kraus, Joe (July 5, 2023). "Niagara Falls' Olivia Zafuto weighing options, hopeful to continue career after professional women's hockey shakeup". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2024.