Emma Nonnenmacher creates balance in a fast-paced life
The first-year women’s hockey player discusses her call-up to the French Olympic Team
Emma Nonnenmacher is used to exceeding expectations.
The first-year forward for the Concordia University women’s hockey team broke into the French national team at just 14 years old, and she moved to Canada at 18 to play in what she calls the “country of hockey.”
A call-up to the French national team to play at the 2026 Winter Olympics seemed like the next logical step—and even that news didn’t faze her.
“I felt so grateful to be a member of the team,” Nonnenmacher said. “[...] I was just so happy and a bit surprised. I just went directly to my parents, and they were so proud.”
Born in Haguenau, France, Nonnenmacher fell in love with hockey after watching the French national team compete at the 2013 IIHF Division 1 Group B Women's World Championship. While competing with the French U18 team at multiple world junior championships, she opened the door to the next frontier: Canada.
“I had the chance to get recruited while playing with the U18s,” Nonnenmacher said. “I did not even know what I wanted to do after high school, but I could not miss this opportunity.”
After three seasons with the Dawson College Blues, another decision reared its head: where to attend university. Nonnenmacher chose Concordia, a recent national champion and perennial contender in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec.
Concordia goaltender Jordyn Verbeek can empathize with Nonnenmacher’s workload.
The fifth-year starter balanced a university career with national team competition when she represented Canada at the Fédération internationale du sport universitaire (FISU) Games in 2025. Verbeek expressed her confidence in her teammate’s ability to handle the pressure.
“It's not easy, especially for her,” Verbeek said. “She's a first-year, but I think she's done an incredible job balancing everything."
Throughout her first season, Nonnenmacher has appeared in nine games for the Stingers. The psychology major has learned to balance the life of an athlete with that of a student.
“I think I'm in the best place because our coach went to the Olympics a lot of times,” Nonnenmacher said. “I'm just so happy that they chose me, because it means a lot.”
Now in just her first season, Nonnenmacher will head to Milano Cortina with the first-ever French women’s team to qualify for the Olympics. And the moment has never gotten too bright for her.
Ekaterina Pelowich, another one of Nonnenmacher’s teammates who also competed for Canada at the FISU Games, shared the advice she gave Nonnenmacher in anticipation of the Olympics.
“I've talked to her a lot about it, and I just said to make sure she takes it all in,” Pelowich said. “Just being able to really take in everything that she's going to be experiencing and just having fun, and [that] it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 8, published January 27, 2026.
