Claire Thompson’s next move is coming into focus

Hockey or medical school? With the new PWHL season approaching, Thompson’s biggest decision remains the one she has not announced.

Claire Thompson said in April that she needed time away from the rink before choosing what came next. Months later, there is still no public announcement that the star defender has signed for the 2026–27 PWHL season—and no confirmation that she has returned to medical school.

That means the honest answer is that Thompson’s decision is not public yet. Her previous contract is over, and she entered the offseason as a free agent. At Vancouver’s end-of-season media availability, Thompson said she would think about what she wanted the next year—and the next five or ten years—to look like.

Both paths are real. Thompson previously paused her studies at NYU Grossman School of Medicine to return to elite hockey, win a Walter Cup with Minnesota and play for Vancouver. She told Reuters before the 2026 Olympics that watching the PWHL’s first season from the sidelines helped convince her to put school on hold and come back.

The timing now makes every quiet week more noticeable. PWHL training camps open November 18, but Thompson remains without a publicly announced destination. Until she or a team confirms the next step, a return to hockey is possible—not settled. So is a return to medicine.

Corrections & editorial policy