UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-The Penn State women's ice hockey's program has a lot to be proud of in its international superstar freshman defenseman, Jessica Adolfsson.
The native of Linkoping, Sweden, Adolfsson was recently in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan representing her home country in the Four Nations Cup at the SaskTel Centre.
The Four Nations Cup is a women's ice hockey tournament that features some of the best national teams in the hockey world: the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
For Adolfsson, the experience was incredible.
"I'm just so humble, so grateful, so honored to represent my country. And it's just amazing," Adolfsson said.
Despite the initial adjustment after being in America for a few months, Adolfsson was extremely happy to be able to reconnect with her friends and be back in a familiar environment.
"It took me three days to get back to my Swedish and after that it was just nice to see my friends again, nice to catch up on life, and just hang out and have a blast to be honest," Adolfsson said.
While playing for her country's national team was a huge honor for Adolfsson herself, assistant coach Allison Coomey described the importance that Adolfsson's honor brought to the program here.
"It was huge to have somebody from Penn State. And there aren't a lot of programs in general I think that have national team players or current players playing for their national teams. So for her to represent us and for her to go out there and do well for Team Sweden, I think was huge for our program," Coomey said.
Adolfsson was one of only five out of the 23 members on the Swedish team currently playing for an NCAA Division I hockey program.
For Adolfsson's Penn State teammate, junior forward Brooke Madsen, Adolfsson's play on the national stage is something that she hopes will set the tone for the program.
"It's awesome to have a player from Penn state compete at the National team level. She's definitely paving the way for future Nittany Lions. As our team continues to grow I think more girls will definitely get the opportunity to represent Penn State at the National team level in the near future," Madsen said.
Prior to the Four Nations Cup, Adolfsson had played in 30 total games with the Swedish Women's National Team since 2016 and had tallied two goals and four assists. She also played 33 games for the Swedish U18 WNT between 2014-16 and scored 22 points on nine goals and 13 helpers. Before coming to Penn State, Adolfsson played for Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) during the 2017-18 season.
Adolfsson's strong play has continued at Penn State, as she is already off to a great start with two assists on the year in addition to being one of the top shot blockers on the team in her freshman season.
Although Adolfsson had familiarity in Sweden, a small piece of that will continue this weekend when the Nittany Lions take on RPI.
One interesting aspect of the matchup will be RPI's goaltender Lovisa Selander. Selander and Adolfsson played on the Swedish National Team together in the Four Nations Cup, but Adolfsson is in game mode and won't let their friendship affect her play.
"It's like, 'Hey we can be buddies outside of the ice, but once we're on the ice all that matters is hockey and I'm going to score some goals on you right now,'" Adolfsson said. "I hope she brings her best game. I hope she has an amazing game because she pushes me to be better … I hope they bring their best game; I'm going to be better than that."
This competitive mindset is very evident by Adolfsson's routines and training.
"She's an incredibly hard worker on and off the ice. She's doing everything she can 24/7 to be a better hockey player. She's always doing extra work outs, shooting in the shooting room, working on mobility, eating healthy, and always preparing herself to be ready to play hard on the weekend," Madsen said.
Madsen had a lot of praise for her teammate.
"Jess is always competing hard, and pushing the pace but also always has a great time with a smile on her face. She loves to be at the rink. I think she's the first one there and the last one to leave every night. Honestly, I think if she was allowed to sleep at the rink she would do it in a heartbeat," Madsen said.
Although the adjustment from Sweden to the United States was not easy, Adolfsson has been very happy with the resources and friendships Penn State has provided her with.
"Well first of all, they've been amazing and very welcoming and understanding," she said. "My teammates especially have been amazing and they're inviting me for dinners and just taking great care of me."
She also noted the support and understanding that she has received from her coaches as she adjusts to the different style of coaching and of playing here in the United States.
She is very grateful for the resources that Penn State provides the team with, and hopes to utilize them as well as the potential she knows the team has to turn it into success.
Adolfsson and the Nittany Lions are in Troy, New York this weekend as they face RPI beginning Friday night at 6 p.m.
