Proctor/Hermantown's Jane Eckstrom selected 2025 Class A Herb Brooks Award recipient
Posted: Saturday, February 22, 2025 - 7:09 PM
Proctor/Hermantown senior forward Jane Eckstrom was selected as the Class A recipient of the Herb Brooks Award on Saturday, Feb. 22 during the Girls Hockey State Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center.
When the Proctor/Hermantown Girls Hockey Team needed student-led guidance and direction, they knew where to turn: Senior forward Jane Eckstrom.
“She is the fun personality that give the locker room that needed balance between focus and composure,” Mirage head coach Emma Stauber said. “She keeps the room from getting too tense, especially in important games, and finds ways to positively encourage the team through the tough moments when things aren’t going our way.”
Those leadership skills were honed as a four-year varsity player that was instrumental in Proctor/Hermantown’s four consecutive appearances in the Class A field of the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Hockey State Tournament.
For her exceptional leadership balanced with one-ice proficiency, Eckstrom was selected as the 2025 Class A recipient of the Herb Brooks Award.
The annual award is presented to a state tournament participant that strongly represents the values, characteristics and traits that defined Brooks, a St. Paul native who gained international fame as a hockey coach. The award commemorates the unending influence that Brooks had on the sport of hockey, not just in Minnesota, but throughout the world.
Stauber says Eckstrom’s passion for hockey is unrivaled.
“The game of hockey is everything to Jane, this is what she lives for day in and day out,” Stauber said. “She is one of the first on the ice and last to leave, soaking in all the time she can. She plays other sports, but hockey is her priority. She is the one looking to learn and develop more knowledge to be the best she can and help her teammates improve as well, she had to desire to truly understand the game.”
Eckstrom’s on-ice prowess is attributed to her deceptive skill and unique playing style. Stauber said she is difficult to defend because of her unique skating pattern.
“She plays in all scenarios due to her capabilities,” Stauber said. “She has speed, can close down gaps very quickly to cause turnovers, she has top end puck control for this level and the knack to find the back of the net with her shot. Combine that with her hockey IQ, and she is a huge threat.”
Eckstrom plans to play collegiately at Hamline University.
