Michela Cava

{{Infobox ice hockey biography

| name = Michela Cava

| image = Michela Cava 2024.jpg

| caption = Cava with PWHL Minnesota in 2024

| image_size =

| alt =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|3|26}}

| birth_place = Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 134

| position = Centre

| shoots = Right

| league = PWHL

| team = PWHL Vancouver

| former_teams = {{ubl|Minnesota Frost|Toronto Six|KRS Vanke Rays|Luleå HF/MSSK|Brynäs IF|Modo Hockey|Toronto Furies}}

| played_for =

| sex = f

| ntl_team =

| career_start = 2012

| career_end =

}}

Michela Cava (born March 26, 1994) is a Canadian ice hockey centre for PWHL Vancouver of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

Playing career

Along with goaltender Danika Ranger, Cava is one of only two players to have won a gold medal at the Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship and the U18 Canadian women’s nationals.{{cite web|last=Graves|first=Wendy|date=January 8, 2017|title=A league of her own|url=http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/2016-17-nwu18t-ranger-in-league-of-her-own|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119121931/http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/2016-17-nwu18t-ranger-in-league-of-her-own|archive-date=January 19, 2017|accessdate=January 24, 2017|website=|publisher=Hockey Canada}} Cava was the first, winning the Esso Cup with the Thunder Bay Queens in 2010 and with Team Ontario Red at the 2011 nationals.

=College=

Cava played college ice hockey her first two seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies. Prior to her junior season, she transferred to the University of Minnesota Duluth to join the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey program. In her final NCAA season, she recorded 38 points in 37 contests, including 12 multi-point games.{{Cite web|last=Staffieri|first=Mark|date=January 2, 2017|title=Michela Cava Making Key Contributions on Furies Offense|url=https://womenshockeylife.com/michela-cava-making-key-contributions-on-furies-offense/|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=Women's Hockey Life|language=en-US|archive-date=September 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926173552/https://womenshockeylife.com/michela-cava-making-key-contributions-on-furies-offense/|url-status=live}}

= Professional =

Cava was selected by the Toronto Furies in the third round of the 2016 CWHL Draft.{{cite web|last=Graves|first=Wendy|date=August 23, 2016|title=The next chapter: For the fourth straight year, a National Women's U18 Championship alumna went first overall in the CWHL Draft|url=https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/u18-nationals-alumnae-highlight-2016-chwl-draft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202020029/https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/u18-nationals-alumnae-highlight-2016-chwl-draft|archive-date=February 2, 2017|accessdate=January 24, 2017|website=|publisher=Hockey Canada}} She made her debut on October 14 against the Boston Blades. Cava recorded a five-game scoring streak, starting on October 30 and lasting until November 20. She was selected to compete in the 2017 CWHL All-Star Game.{{cite web |url=http://www.thecwhl.com/32-players-named-2017-cwhl-star-game |title=34 Players Named to 2017 All-Star Game |publisher=CWHL |date=December 19, 2016 |accessdate=January 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116151054/http://www.thecwhl.com/32-players-named-2017-cwhl-star-game |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

After just one year in Toronto, Cava left the league to move to Sweden, signing with Modo Hockey in the SDHL.{{Cite web|last=Foster|first=Meredith|date=May 25, 2017|title=Michela Cava, Sidney Morin sign in Sweden|url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2017/5/25/15694506/michela-cava-sidney-morin-umd-cwhl-sdhl-modo|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=The Ice Garden|language=en|archive-date=September 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926042740/https://www.theicegarden.com/2017/5/25/15694506/michela-cava-sidney-morin-umd-cwhl-sdhl-modo|url-status=live}} She would score 55 points in 36 games in her first season in Sweden, leading Modo in points and finishing 5th in the league in scoring.{{Cite web|last=Foster|first=Meredith|date=April 19, 2018|title=Cava, Tougas return to MODO Hockey|url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2018/4/19/17258064/cava-tougas-return-to-modo-hockey-sweden-sdhl|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=The Ice Garden|language=en|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018063545/https://www.theicegarden.com/2018/4/19/17258064/cava-tougas-return-to-modo-hockey-sweden-sdhl|url-status=live}} The next year, she would score 64 points, finishing the season as the SDHL's leading scorer.

In 2019, Cava left Modo to sign with Brynäs in Gävle, seeking a new challenge and wanting to move to a bigger city.{{Cite web|last=Rönnkvist|first=Ronnie|date=September 2, 2019|title=Poängdrottningen jagar nya mål – och matupplevelser|url=https://hockeysverige.se/2019/09/02/poangdrottningen-jagar-nya-mal-och-matupplevelser|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212191641/https://hockeysverige.se/2019/09/02/poangdrottningen-jagar-nya-mal-och-matupplevelser|archive-date=February 12, 2023|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=HockeySverige|language=sv}} She would score 45 points in 36 games for Brynäs, finishing fourth in club scoring, as the club advanced to the SDHL semi-finals for the first time in seven years. She would sign with Luleå ahead of the 2020–21 SDHL season.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=June 22, 2020|title=Luleå vann kampen om Brynässtjärnorna|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/OpwQgO|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128162453/https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/OpwQgO|archive-date=November 28, 2020|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=Aftonbladet|language=sv}}

On October 6, 2021, Cava signed with the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation.{{Cite web |last=Levine |first=Josh |date=October 6, 2021 |title=Toronto Six Make Free Agent Splash, Sign Forward Michela Cava For PHF's Seventh Season |url=https://toronto.premierhockeyfederation.com/news/toronto-six-make-free-agent-splash-sign-forward-mi |access-date=December 8, 2021 |website=Premier Hockey Federation |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208205556/https://toronto.premierhockeyfederation.com/news/toronto-six-make-free-agent-splash-sign-forward-mi |url-status=live}} She would be named the Playoff MVP for the 2022–23 season, leading the Six to win the Isobel Cup.{{cite web |last1=Kennedy |first1=Ian |title=PHF's Toronto Six Beat Minnesota Whitecaps To Win Isobel Cup |url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/phfs-toronto-six-beat-minnesota-whitecaps-to-win-isobel-cup |website=The Hockey News |access-date=December 10, 2023 |language=en |date=March 27, 2023}}

Cava was drafted in the 12th round of the 2023 PWHL Draft by PWHL Minnesota.{{cite web |last1=Wegman |first1=Josh |title=PWHL Draft results: Minnesota takes Heise with top pick |url=https://www.thescore.com/pwhl/news/2717313 |website=theScore |access-date=December 10, 2023 |language=en |date=September 18, 2023}} During the 2023–24 season, she recorded five goals and three assists in 24 regular season games. During the playoffs she tied Taylor Heise for the team lead in scoring with four goals and four assists in ten games, and helped Minnesota win the inaugural Walter Cup.{{cite news |url=https://www.startribune.com/pwhl-minnesota-wins-walter-cup-championship-title-boston-womens-hockey/600369584/ |title=PWHL Minnesota lifts Walter Cup as league's first champion with Game 5 win over Boston |newspaper=Star Tribune |first=Rachel |last=Blount |date=May 29, 2024 |access-date=June 21, 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5521052/2024/05/29/pwhl-minnesota-walter-cup-championship/ |title=PWHL Minnesota wins first-ever Walter Cup championship |work=The Athletic |first=Hailey |last=Salvian |date=May 29, 2024 |access-date=June 21, 2024}} On June 21, 2024, Cava signed a one-year contract extension with the Frost.{{cite web|url=https://www.thepwhl.com/en/pwhl-minnesota-re-signs-cava-krizova-schepers |title=PWHL Minnesota Re-Signs Cava, Křížová, Schepers |website=thepwhl.com |date=June 21, 2024 |access-date=June 21, 2024}} During the 2024–25 season, she recorded nine goals and ten assists in 30 regular season games. During the 2025 PWHL playoffs, she recorded three goals and two assists in eight games to help the Frost win their second consecutive Walter Cup. On June 17, 2025, she signed a two-year contract with PWHL Vancouver.{{cite web|url=https://www.thepwhl.com/en/news/2025/june/17/pwhl-vancouver-signs-forwards-michela-cava-and-tereza-vanisova |title=PWHL Vancouver Signs Forwards Michela Cava and Tereza Vanišová |website=thepwhl.com |date=June 17, 2025 |access-date=June 17, 2025}}

Personal life

Cava has been in a relationship with her PWHL Vancouver teammate Emma Greco since October 2022.{{cite web |last1=de la Cretaz |first1=Frankie |title=The Teammates-to-Dating Pipeline in Women’s Sports Is Very Real—And Very Cute |url=https://www.self.com/story/pro-female-athletes-dating |website=SELF |access-date=November 24, 2024 |language=en |date=February 14, 2024}} The two were also teammates on PWHL Minnesota and the Toronto Six.

Career statistics

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:75%"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! colspan="5" \| Regular Season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! colspan="5" \| Playoffs
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2012–13	UConn Huskies	NCAA \| 34	10	7	17	16 \| —	—	—	—	—
2013–14	UConn Huskies	NCAA \| 35	10	17	27	14 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2014–15	UMD Bulldogs	NCAA \| 32	3	3	6	8 \| —	—	—	—	—
2015–16	UMD Bulldogs	NCAA \| 37	19	19	38	10 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2016–17	Toronto Furies	CWHL \| 24	6	8	14	10 \| —	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Modo Hockey	SDHL \| 36	25	30	55	26 \| 5	1	2	3	2
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2018–19	Modo Hockey	SDHL \| 36	27	37	64	30 \| 6	6	5	11	4
2019–20	Brynäs IF	SDHL \| 36	23	22	45	26 \| 5	4	2	6	0
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2020–21	Luleå HF	SDHL \| 36	29	37	66	22 \| 9	5	5	10	4
2020–21	KRS Vanke Rays	ZhHL \| —	—	—	—	— \| 3	0	3	3	0
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2021–22	Toronto Six	PHF \| 11	4	3	7	6 \| 1	0	0	0	0
2021–22	KRS Vanke Rays	ZhHL \| 12	3	13	16	4 \| 8	6	11	17	8
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2022–23	Toronto Six	PHF \| 24	9	12	21	8 \| 4	3	3	6	0
2023–24	PWHL Minnesota	PWHL \| 24	5	3	8	4 \| 10	4	4	8	4
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2024–25	Minnesota Frost	PWHL \| 30	9	10	19	10 \| 8	3	2	5	4
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| CWHL totals ! 24 !! 6 !! 8 !! 14 !! 10 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! —
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| SDHL totals ! 144 !! 104 !! 126 !! 230 !! 104 ! 25 !! 16 !! 14 !! 30 !! 10
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| ZhHL totals ! 12 !! 3 !! 13 !! 16 !! 4 ! 11 !! 6 !! 14 !! 20 !! 8
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| PHF totals ! 35 !! 13 !! 15 !! 28 !! 14 ! 5 !! 3 !! 3 !! 6 !! 0
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| PWHL totals ! 54 !! 14 !! 13 !! 27 !! 14 ! 18 !! 7 !! 6 !! 13 !! 8

Sources:{{cite web|url= http://www.uscho.com/stats/player/wid,9419/michela-cava/|title= Michela Cava career stats|publisher= USCHO|accessdate= February 7, 2017|archive-date= February 8, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170208033717/http://www.uscho.com/stats/player/wid,9419/michela-cava/|url-status= live}}{{cite web |url= http://www.thecwhl.com/player?playerId=116&season=15 |title= Michela Cava |publisher= CWHL |accessdate= February 7, 2017 |archive-date= February 8, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170208034538/http://www.thecwhl.com/player?playerId=116&season=15 |url-status= live }}{{cite web |title=Michela Cava, Player Statistics |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/370285/michela-cava |website=Elite Prospects |access-date=October 10, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=October 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011015007/https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/370285/michela-cava |url-status=live }}

Awards and honours

2012 Esso Cup MVP
CWHL First Star of the Game (October 16, 2016){{cite web |url= http://www.thecwhl.com/game-summary?game_id=7 |title= Game Recap: Game #7 |publisher= CWHL |date= October 16, 2016 |accessdate= January 24, 2017 |archive-date= February 2, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025134/http://www.thecwhl.com/game-summary?game_id=7 |url-status= live }}
CWHL Second Star of the Game (October 30, 2016){{cite web|url=http://www.thecwhl.com/game-summary?game_id=13|title=Game Recap: Game #13|publisher=CWHL|date=October 30, 2016|accessdate=January 24, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202024431/http://www.thecwhl.com/game-summary?game_id=13|url-status=live}}
SDHL Top Point Scorer, 2018–19 season
SDHL Champion, 2020–21 (Luleå HF/MSSK)
ZhHL Champion, 2021–22 (KRS Vanke Rays)
PHF Playoff MVP, 2022–23 (Toronto Six)
PHF Isobel Cup Champion, 2022–23 (Toronto Six)
PWHL Walter Cup Champion, 2023–24, 2024–25 (Minnesota)