When we last checked up on Team USA's Jincy Dunne back in June, we saw a wide-eyed girl having just celebrated her 16th birthday, trying to make a national team that had just won the world championship. No one could blame her for the deer-in-the-headlights demeanor. Fast forward to September and the daily grind of training for USA's "Bring on the World" tour and you see something entirely different, the unmistakeable look of a confident woman.
"Hey, my coaches have put me here for a reason, they must have seen something," said Jincy after a recent 2-hour practice. It was media day of sorts, and due to her being the youngest, Jincy is never neglected when the media comes calling on the USA women. Nickelodeon was filming her every move, and Dunne appeared entirely comfortable. USA Hockey's media manager Rob Koch has dug deep and come up with the ultimate list of youngest American Olympians (scroll down for list below), and if Jincy makes this squad, she will stand alone as the youngest woman hockey player ever to march in the Opening Ceremonies. And she has found at least one reason why being sweet 16 is an asset in this often grueling process.
"It's more of a strength that I'm 16, my body will recover faster, which it did. Because everyone was sore on Wednesday, and I was too, but Thursday I felt fine and other people were really sore." She trusts in higher powers, whether it be her coaches, her family or God. That unswerving faith has manifested itself into a woman who carries herself as a woman destined for greatness, which is impossible to ignore.
A seasoned journalist threw out a comparison of Jincy to one of the world's greatest women's hockey players, the puck-rushing defenseman, swashbuckler Tara Mounsey.
"I see a lot of similarities in Jincy and Tara," said head coach Katey Stone.
"To me Tara was one of the best to play the position...I see a lot of Tara in Jincy. She handles the puck well, she has great composure, she plays with her head up. We don't need our D to lead the rush. If they can spot a hole and jump into it, that's pretty great for us." To use a couple of NHL Hall of Famers as examples, Stone doesn't want a Bobby Orr, she wants a Brian Leetch, and Dunne is the goods.
USA hasn't had that kind of pure rush jumper from the back line since, well, since they last won the Olympic gold with Mounsey. Going back three months to Lake Placid, the women were in an insanely high tempo first scrimmage, fighting for spots on the national team, barely a month after winning the worlds. Dunne found herself on the ice in overtime with Kendall Coyne, unofficially the world's fastest woman hockey player, and decided to follow her up the ice.
"My team was telling me 'Go! Jump, jump,' and Kendall made a great play." Coyne left the puck in scoring position for a 16 year old defenseman who had sailed 170' from her own net, wind flapping in her jersey, to put herself in position to pot the GWG in OT. In her first scrimmage with Olympic hopefuls. It's the stuff of legend, and now she is being compared to one.
"Obviously that's an honor to be even thought of, to think of me like her (Mounsey), oh awesome. That's definitely something I can do (joining the rush)... My heart just tells me to play. I just think He (God) has really just blessed me as an offensive presence."
Less than four years ago Jincy was watching the women's gold medal game from Vancouver, and made up her mind that playing in the Olympics would be her destiny. She did some math and figured 2018 would be the year, except here she is 4 years ahead of schedule, on the cusp of being the youngest USA hockey Olympian ever, and she is ready. Now.
"I'm definitely set for it. God put me here and I'm gonna go for it. I'm gonna do everything I can to make the team and help Team USA win a gold medal." Boom.
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| Dunne (far right) entirely comfortable with legendary vets. |
"It's more of a strength that I'm 16, my body will recover faster, which it did. Because everyone was sore on Wednesday, and I was too, but Thursday I felt fine and other people were really sore." She trusts in higher powers, whether it be her coaches, her family or God. That unswerving faith has manifested itself into a woman who carries herself as a woman destined for greatness, which is impossible to ignore.
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| The Electrifying Tara Mounsey |
"I see a lot of similarities in Jincy and Tara," said head coach Katey Stone.
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| Jincy Dunne, the Next One |
USA hasn't had that kind of pure rush jumper from the back line since, well, since they last won the Olympic gold with Mounsey. Going back three months to Lake Placid, the women were in an insanely high tempo first scrimmage, fighting for spots on the national team, barely a month after winning the worlds. Dunne found herself on the ice in overtime with Kendall Coyne, unofficially the world's fastest woman hockey player, and decided to follow her up the ice.
"My team was telling me 'Go! Jump, jump,' and Kendall made a great play." Coyne left the puck in scoring position for a 16 year old defenseman who had sailed 170' from her own net, wind flapping in her jersey, to put herself in position to pot the GWG in OT. In her first scrimmage with Olympic hopefuls. It's the stuff of legend, and now she is being compared to one.
"Obviously that's an honor to be even thought of, to think of me like her (Mounsey), oh awesome. That's definitely something I can do (joining the rush)... My heart just tells me to play. I just think He (God) has really just blessed me as an offensive presence."
Less than four years ago Jincy was watching the women's gold medal game from Vancouver, and made up her mind that playing in the Olympics would be her destiny. She did some math and figured 2018 would be the year, except here she is 4 years ahead of schedule, on the cusp of being the youngest USA hockey Olympian ever, and she is ready. Now.
"I'm definitely set for it. God put me here and I'm gonna go for it. I'm gonna do everything I can to make the team and help Team USA win a gold medal." Boom.
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| Youngest Women's Hockey Olympians* |
Jincy Dunne (2014?) – 16 years, 8 months, 24 days
Lyndsay Wall (2002) - 16 years, 8 months, 27 days
Sandra Whyte - (1998) - 17 years, 5 months, 15 days
Angela Ruggiero (1998) - 18 years, 1 month, 8 days
Natalie Darwitz (2002) - 18 years, 3 months, 30 days
Sarah Parsons (2006) - 18 years, 6 months, 15 days
* Courtesy Rob Koch, USA Hockey
If and when Dunne makes the club, she goes to the top of the list.
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