Rory Guilday

Rory Guilday
Guilday with the Ottawa Charge in 2025
Born	(2002-09-07) September 7, 2002 (age 23) Chanhassen, Minnesota
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
PWHL team	Ottawa Charge
National team	United States
Playing career	2021–present
Medal record World Championships 2023 Canada 2022 Denmark 2024 United States World U18 Championship 2020 Slovakia

Rory Susanna Guilday (born September 7, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman for the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She played college ice hockey at Cornell.

Early life

Born in Chanhassen, Minnesota to Sarah and Landon Guilday, Rory was raised with her two sisters and brother. ^[1] She began playing hockey at age 5. ^[2]

In 2016, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor that led to optic nerve glioma and was sidelined from contact sports for nearly a year while undergoing chemotherapy. Despite losing most of her vision in her right eye and having to rebuild her muscle strength and balance, she eventually returned to the ice. ^[2]

Guilday attended Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where she was a two-time captain, and twice earning all-state, all-conference and all-Metro team honors. ^[3] As a senior in 2021, she recorded eight goals and 11 assists in 23 games. She was subsequently named a top-five finalist for the Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award, and was awarded the Class AA Herb Brooks Award. ^{[4] [2]}

Playing career

College

Guilday began her collegiate career for Cornell during the 2021–22 NCAA season, where she recorded seven goals and 11 assists in 28 games. She made her debut on October 22, 2021, in a game against Mercyhurst and recorded her first collegiate point, an assist in the third period. ^[5] She scored her first collegiate goal the next day in a 4–0 victory over Mercyhurst. ^[6] She was subsequently named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week for the week ending October 25, 2021, after she recorded two points and eight blocked shots during the weekend series. ^[7] She ranked second on the team in blocked shots with 63, and ranked fourth on the team in points. Following the season, she was named to the All-Ivy League second team, ECAC Hockey All-Rookie team, and the USCHO All-Rookie team. ^{[8] [9]} She became the first Cornell player to earn a national all-rookie honor since Micah Zandee-Hart in 2016. ^[10]

Professional

Ottawa Charge, 2025-present

On June 24, 2025, Guilday was drafted fifth overall by the Ottawa Charge in the 2025 PWHL Draft. ^[11] On July 25, 2025, she signed a three-year contract with the Charge. ^[12] In her professional debut, Guilday recorded two assists on November 26, 2025, in a 5–1 victory over the Vancouver Goldeneyes, becoming the first Charge defender to record a point that season and the first rookie defender in the PWHL to find the scoresheet. ^[13] She subsequently recorded assists in three consecutive games, leading all PWHL rookies in scoring with seven points in her first 10 games. ^[14]

International play

Youth

Guilday represented the United States at the 2020 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship where she recorded one goal in five games and won a gold medal. ^[15]

Senior

World Championships

On August 14, 2022, Guilday was named to the roster for the United States at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship. ^{[16] [17]} The United States won the silver medal at the tournament. ^[18] Guilday was part of the United States roster at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ontario, where the Americans defeated Canada 6–3 in the gold medal game to win their first World Championship since 2019. ^{[19] [20]}

Guilday returned to the United States roster for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship held in Utica, New York. ^[21] The United States earned the silver medal after falling to Canada 6–5 in overtime in the gold medal game. ^[22]

Olympics

On January 2, 2026, Guilday was named to team USA's roster to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. ^[23]

Personal life

Guilday was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 that led to optic nerve glioma and she was sidelined from any contact sports for a year due to chemotherapy. As a result, she lost the majority of eyesight in her right eye. ^[24]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017–18	Minnetonka	MSHSL		25	2	4	6	6		2	0	0	0	0
2018–19	Minnetonka	MSHSL		25	3	15	18	12		6	0	2	2	0
2019–20	Minnetonka	MSHSL		19	2	16	18	16		6	1	1	2	6
2020–21	Minnetonka	MSHSL		23	8	11	19	16		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Cornell University	ECAC		28	7	11	18	16		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Cornell University	ECAC		15	1	7	8	4		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Cornell University	ECAC		32	6	11	17	18		—	—	—	—	—
2024–25	Cornell University	ECAC		30	5	4	9	22		—	—	—	—	—
NCAA totals				105	19	33	52	60		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2020	United States	U18			5	1	0	1	0
2022	United States	WC			7	1	3	4	2
2023	United States	WC			7	0	1	1	4
2024	United States	WC			7	0	1	1	4
Junior totals					5	1	0	1	0
Senior totals					21	1	5	6	10

References

1. "Rory Guilday". cornellbigred.com. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
2. "Minnetonka's Rory Guilday selected Class AA Herb Brooks Award winner". mshsl.org. April 3, 2021. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
3. "Rory Guilday". cornellbigred.com. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
4. "Ms Hockey Finalists Announced". mghca.com. April 7, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
5. "#10 Women's Hockey Topped By Mercyhurst, 3-2". cornellbigred.com. October 22, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
6. "#10 Women's Hockey Blanks Mercyhurst Saturday, 4-0". cornellbigred.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
7. "ECAC Hockey Tabs Rory Guilday Rookie of the Week". cornellbigred.com. October 25, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
8. "ECAC Hockey recognizes half-dozen players from five schools on 2022 women's all-rookie team". USCHO.com. February 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
9. "Women's Hockey Fivesome Earns All-Ivy League Recognition". cornellbigred.com. March 3, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
10. "Rory Guilday Named To USCHO All-Rookie Team". cornellbigred.com. April 7, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
11. McNally, Jane; Fastiff, Eli (June 24, 2025). "Women's Hockey's Rory Guilday '25 Selected with No. 5 Pick in 2025 PWHL Draft". The Cornell Daily Sun . Retrieved June 24, 2025.
12. "Ottawa Charge secure first-round pick Rory Guilday for three years". thepwhl.com. July 25, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
13. "Jenner delivers four points in Charge's 5-1 win over Goldeneyes". thepwhl.com. November 26, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
14. "Ottawa streak reaches four with 5-2 win over Minnesota". thepwhl.com. January 3, 2026. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
15. "Team USA: Rory Guilday". USA Hockey . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
16. "U.S. Roster Announced for 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship". USA Hockey. August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
17. "Quartet of Former, Current Big Red Women's Hockey Players Gear Up for World Championships". cornellbigred.com. August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
18. "Canada defeats Team USA in women's hockey world championship final". ESPN.com . September 4, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
19. "Guilday Earns Gold at IIHF World Championship". cornellbigred.com. April 18, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
20. "Team Canada wins silver at IIHF Women's World Championship". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
21. "2024 U.S. Women's National Team Roster Announced". USA Hockey. March 31, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
22. "Canada beats U.S. in OT, wins gold at women's hockey worlds". ESPN.com . April 15, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
23. "U.S. women's hockey roster reworked; Knight set for 5th Games". ESPN.com . January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
24. Leighton, Tim (April 5, 2021). "Minnetonka's Rory Guilday selected Class AA Herb Brooks Award winner". herbbrooksfoundation.com. Retrieved August 27, 2022.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com , or  ThePWHL.com
• Rory Guilday at Team USA
• Rory Guilday at Milano Cortina 2026
• Rory Guilday at InterSportStats
• Rory Guilday on Instagram