The Seattle Torrent will finish their inaugural PWHL season without one of their key forwards after placing Hannah Bilka on long-term injured reserve following an upper-body injury she had sustained during the Olympics.

The 24-year-old forward’s season came to an abrupt end while wearing the stars and stripes in Milan, where she delivered one of the tournament’s most impressive performances before Team USA’s gold medal victory. The injury occurred during Olympic play, cutting short what had been a career-defining stretch for the Coppell, Texas native.

Olympic glory comes at a cost for Hannah Bilka

Bilka’s Olympic debut couldn’t have gone much better on the scoresheet. She matched the tournament’s goal-scoring leaders with four tallies and finished with seven total points across seven games, earning forward All-Star recognition in the process.

Bilka bringing the gold out for @SeattleKraken Women in Hockey Night! 🥇 pic.twitter.com/hbh1iLuowf

— Seattle Torrent (@PWHL__Seattle) March 11, 2026

Before heading to Milan, Bilka had been a steady contributor for the expansion Torrent, posting nine points through 14 games.

Her last appearance in a Seattle jersey came back on January 28, nearly six weeks ago.

Enter UConn standout Jada Habisch for the Torrent

As for the contingency plan, Seattle promoted Jada Habisch, a 23-year-old rookie they had selected in the fourth round of last summer’s draft and kept on their reserve list throughout training camp.

For Habisch, the call is both an opportunity and a homecoming of sorts. The Buffalo, Minnesota product spent five years developing her game at the University of Connecticut, where she built an impressive resume as one of the program’s most prolific scorers.

Roster Update 🌀

The Seattle Torrent has placed Hannah Bilka on LTIR. In a corresponding move, forward Jada Habisch has been activated from the Reserve Player List.
📰 https://t.co/9588WTeMMa pic.twitter.com/rPK0fG4JZA

— Seattle Torrent (@PWHL__Seattle) March 10, 2026

Habisch’s collegiate career numbers are of a pure goal scorer. She notched 64 goals during her time with the Huskies, placing her third on the program’s all-time list. Her 99 career points rank sixth in school history.

The consistency stands out most. Habisch led Connecticut in goals in each of her final three seasons, including a career-best 16 during her senior campaign when she served as team captain. That performance earned her Hockey East Third Team All-Star honours and helped the Huskies claim consecutive conference regular season titles.

There’s also familiarity within the Torrent locker room. Habisch spent two seasons playing alongside current Seattle forward Natalie Snodgrass at UConn, which should help smooth her transition to PWHL hockey.