Buckeyes Add Clair DeGeorge for 2021-22 Season
4/8/2021 10:45:26 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Clair DeGeorge is coming to Ohio State to finish her collegiate eligibility, bolstering the Buckeyes with her experience and point production on the ice, while also setting herself up for success long after her hockey-playing days are over.
DeGeorge is a native of Anchorage, Alaska and was a member of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team. She participated in the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship where she won a gold medal.
She’s also been a member of the 2016 U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team at the Under-18 Series vs. Canada and the 2018 U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team at the Under-22 Series vs. Canada. DeGeorge participated in the 2018 U.S. Women’s National Team Evaluation Camp.
The decision to spend her fifth season at Ohio State had as much to do with academics as athletics. She will graduate from Bemidji State with her degree in nursing and then enroll in Ohio State’s Masters of Bioethics program. Her aspirations include being a neonatal nurse practitioner one day.
“I really wanted to make sure I’d have a great combination of academics and athletics,” said DeGeorge, who was an AHCA Division I Krampade All-American Scholar in 2019-20. “So this was really a decision that was about the next 3-5 years of my life and what I want to do once hockey is over. The more I looked at the medical field in Ohio, the opportunities that I’d have at Ohio State and the access to such great resources, it became clear this was the place.”
DeGeorge competed in high school for one of the nation’s elite programs at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and helped the team win four-straight national championships from 2014-17. While she was there, DeGeorge also earned the Dobbin Scholarship for the highest GPA at Shattuck St. Mary’s. She will be one of three Shattuck-St. Mary’s alums on the 2021-22 Ohio State roster.
In four years at Bemidji State, DeGeorge was a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and veteran of 128 games. She had 23 points as a freshman (seven goals, 16 assists) to earn WCHA All-Rookie honors and followed that up with consecutive 22-point seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20. This past season, she scored five goals and added seven assists in 20 games.
“The coaches here do an incredible job of creating a great culture,” said DeGeorge, who played against the Buckeyes 14 times while at Bemidji State. “It’s awesome to see what they’ve done and where they’re going. I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”
