Bobcats prepare to compete in the Olympics

Quinnipiac will be well represented on the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics next month in Italy.

First-year forward Jade Barbirati '29 will represent Team France, and Devon Toews ’17 will represent Team Canada. 

“This is an incredible moment for Quinnipiac,” said Greg Amodio, Quinnipiac’s director of athletics. “Jade and Devon represent the very best of what it means to be a Bobcat — passionate and talented individuals who pour their hearts into everything they do. They perfectly personify the type of student-athletes we recruit and develop, and seeing them selected among the world’s best is a tremendous point of pride for our entire Bobcat community.”

Women's ice hockey assistant coach Brent Hill has also been named to the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey staff.

Barbirati, a native of Savoie, France, has appeared in eight games representing the Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team this season, recording three goals and four assists.

She has represented Team France at the IIHF World Championships, helping France earn a gold medal during the 2021-2022 season and a bronze medal in 2023-2024.

Learn more about Barbirati's Olympic aspirations

Toews ’17, who once helped lead the Bobcats as assistant captain and later helped the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup victory, hails from British Columbia.

He represented Quinnipiac for three years in Hamden, with his best coming in his third and final year when he earned 30 points in 40 games.

Toews was drafted by the New York Islanders during his second year on the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team.

After a few years of playing for the Islanders, he made the cross-country move to join the Colorado Avalanche in 2020. During the historic 2022 season, the team advanced to the highly coveted Stanley Cup playoffs and brought home the win.

Learn more about Toews' Olympics aspirations

Hill returned to USA Hockey as an assistant coach for the 2025 U.S. Women's National Team, which captured the world championship in Czechia with an overtime win over Canada. He served in the same role in 2024 and for the gold medal–winning 2023 U.S. Women's National Team.

Now in his sixth year at Quinnipiac, Hill works primarily with the Bobcats' forwards and leads the program's power play.

Learn more about Hill's role with Team USA

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