Alina Müller (born 12 March 1998) is a Swiss ice hockey forward for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and a member of the Switzerland women's national ice hockey team. She played college ice hockey at Northeastern. At the age of 15, she became the youngest ice hockey player ever to win an Olympic medal, scoring the game-winning goal for Switzerland in the bronze medal game at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[1]

Alina Müller
Müller with PWHL Boston in 2024
Born (1998-03-12) 12 March 1998 (age 26)
Lengnau, Switzerland
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight 63 kg (139 lb; 9 st 13 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
PWHL team
Former teams
Boston Fleet
ZSC Lions
National team   Switzerland
Playing career 2013–present
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sochi Team

Playing career

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2014 Sochi Olympics

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Müller at the 2014 Olympics

Müller represented Switzerland at the 2014 Winter Olympics and helped them win a bronze medal after scoring the game-winning goal to defeat Sweden in the bronze medal playoff. This resulted in her becoming the youngest ice hockey player to ever win an Olympic medal, at the age of 15.[1][2]

2018 PyeongChang Olympics

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During the Swiss opening match against the United Korean team at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Müller tied the Olympic record for most goals scored by a woman in an Olympic game.[2] She scored a hat trick in the first period, and a fourth goal in the second.[2] Müller helped Switzerland place 5th overall at the 2018 Olympics.[3]

PWHL

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On September 18, 2023, Müller was selected in the 1st round, 3rd overall by PWHL Boston at the 2023 PWHL Draft, becoming the first European player affiliated with a PWHL team.[4]

In the inaugural season of the league, Müller helped her team reach the Walter Cup Finals, and she would score a double overtime winner in Game 4 against PWHL Minnesota to force a decisive Game 5. Unfortunately, Müller and Boston would be shut out on home ice, losing the Finals.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 ZSC Lions LKA 2 1 2 3 0 4 2 2 4 0
2013–14 ZSC Lions LKA 3 3 2 5 0 2 2 0 2 0
2014–15 ZSC Lions SWHL A 3 0 0 0 0
2017–18 ZSC Lions SWHL A 17 33 24 57 12 6 17 6 23 0
2018–19 Northeastern University NCAA 37 21 30 51 34
2019–20 Northeastern University NCAA 38 27 39 66 12
2020–21 Northeastern University NCAA 25 12 26 38 10
2021–22 Northeastern University NCAA 21 11 28 39 2
2022–23 Northeastern University NCAA 38 27 33 60 12
2023–24 PWHL Boston PWHL 24 5 11 16 6 8 2 1 3 0
PWHL totals 24 5 11 16 6 8 2 1 3 0

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2013 Switzerland U18 D1   5 3 4 7 2
2014 Switzerland OG   6 1 2 3 6
2014 Switzerland U18 D1   5 9 3 12 4
2015 Switzerland U18 7th 5 5 0 5 4
2015 Switzerland WC 6th 4 1 0 1 4
2016 Switzerland U18 7th 5 7 2 9 10
2016 Switzerland WC 7th 3 1 1 2 0
2017 Switzerland OGQ Q 3 3 5 8 2
2017 Switzerland WC 7th 6 4 4 8 2
2018 Switzerland OG 5th 6 7 3 10 4
2019 Switzerland WC 5th 5 1 1 2 4
2021 Switzerland WC 4th 2 1 0 1 2
2022 Switzerland OG 4th 7 4 6 10 4
2022 Switzerland WC 4th 3 1 1 2 2
2023 Switzerland WC 4th 7 4 6 10 8
2024 Switzerland WC 5th 6 2 2 4 4
Junior totals 20 24 9 33 20
Senior totals 56 30 31 61 42

Awards and honors

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  • 2018 Swiss Ice Hockey Woman of the Year[5]
  • 2018-19 CCM/AHCA First Team All-American
  • 2019 Swiss Ice Hockey Woman of the Year[6]
  • 2019-20 CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American
  • 2020-21 CCM/AHCA First Team All-American[7]
  • 2020-21 All-USCHO.com First Team[8]
  • 2021 Hockey East Scoring Champion (31 points)[9]
  • 2021 NCAA All-Tournament Team
  • Hockey Commissioners Association Women’s Player of the Month (February 2021) [10]
  • 2022 Swiss Ice Hockey Woman of the Year[11]
  • 2023–24 PWHL All-Rookie Team[12]

Personal life

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Alina Müller is the younger sister of professional hockey player Mirco Müller, a former member of the New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "ATHLETE PROFILE - ALINA MULLER". olympic.org. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Blinn, Michael (10 February 2018). "Alina Muller Ties Olympic Ice Hockey Mark With Four Goals in Swiss Win Over Korea". si.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  3. ^ Gallagher, Jack (20 February 2018). "Switzerland edges Smile Japan to place fifth-place finish". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  4. ^ "PWHL Draft Tracker: Round-by-round recap of all 90 selections". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Alina Müller Wears the Innovation". Aycane. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Gewinner 1997-2021". www.sihf.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Five Hockey East Players Players Named CCM/AHCA Women's All-Americans - NCAA #1 seed Northeastern boasts four players on the two teams". hockeyeastonline.com. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Women's Division I College Hockey: 2020-2021 All-USCHO Teams". uscho.com. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  9. ^ "HOCKEY EAST NAMES WOMEN'S PRO AMBITIONS ALL-ROOKIE TEAM: Five Other Award Winners Announced for 2020-21 Season". hockeyastonline.com. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Northeastern's Mueller, Frankel, Wisconsin's Eden tabbed HCA women's hockey award winners for February". uscho.com. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Swiss Ice Hockey Awards 2022". www.sihf.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Ian (11 June 2024). "PWHL Hands Out Year End Awards, Spooner Named MVP". The Hockey News. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  13. ^ Hascup, Jimmy (10 February 2018). "Alina Muller, sister of NHL's Mirco, shines in Switzerland's rout at Winter Olympics". USA Today. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by WHEA Tournament
Most Valuable Player

2020
Succeeded by
Preceded by WHEA Tournament
Most Valuable Player

2022 & 2023
Succeeded by
Incumbent