Carly Wickenheiser

Carly Wickenheiser arrives at North Carolina Courage on the back of a title-winning season in Sweden, having lifted the Damallsvenskan with BK Häcken before a buyout clause in her contract cleared the way for the move to the NWSL. The transfer was announced on 31 January 2026, and she signed a guaranteed two-year deal through 2027, reuniting with head coach Mak Lind, under whom she played at Häcken.

Her path there was not a straight line through the traditional American college-to-pro pipeline. After four years at Texas Tech, where she captained the Red Raiders in her final two seasons and kept up academic honours, she took her career to Sweden rather than staying stateside. A first spell at Morön BK was disrupted when COVID-19 travel restrictions turned her return for the 2020 season into a saga, denying her entry to the country four times before she finally got through. She moved up to the Damallsvenskan with KIF Örebro DFF, then joined Kristianstads DFF as captain, where she scored her first league goal for the club in September 2024.

Wickenheiser holds dual eligibility for Canada and the United States but chose to represent Canada, making her senior debut in February 2025 against China at the Pinatar Cup as an injury replacement for Bianca St-Georges. She was part of the Canadian squad that won gold at that tournament. Her father, Doug Wickenheiser, played in the NHL, and she is the cousin of Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser.