Claire Thompson, a 28‑year‑old Canadian defender, announced her retirement on Instagram and in an interview with The Athletic.

She won Olympic gold at the 2022 Beijing Games and silver at the 2025 Milan Games, setting an Olympic record for points by a defender – 13 in Beijing and 17 total.

Thompson played two seasons in the PWHL. She won the Walter Cup with Minnesota Frost in 2025 and then joined the Vancouver Goldeneyes as the franchise’s first player and an alternate captain.

In the 2024 PWHL draft she was selected third overall. In 2025 she was a finalist for the league defender‑of‑the‑year award.

She paused her medical studies for two years to play hockey. Now she is returning to medical school at New York University to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Thompson said a career in medicine has always been her main goal and that now is the best time to leave hockey.