Torrent Defender Lyndie Lobdell Is Playing the Only Way She Knows How: Passionately
By Charles Hamaker
Northgate, WA - Any hockey practice will feature a range of energy and noise, from the joy of winning a drill, the loud thuds of pucks hitting walls and windows, and shouting of all kinds. If you were to keep your eyes locked on Seattle Torrent rookie defender Lyndie Lobdell for an entire practice, you’d see a vast array of emotion and hear her voice clearly.
Lobdell, a well-rounded defender who is Penn State’s all-time program leader in points by a defender, brings her all every day and is not shy about expressing her emotions on the ice. Whether that’s literally jumping for joy after a successful drill, being the voice that cuts through the rest during play on the ice, or acknowledging the media members at practice with a smile or puck to the glass in front of them. The story of the rookie Torrent defender is one of living freely and playing with plenty of passion.
Seattle Torrent rookie defender Lyndie Lobdell during the team’s inaugural home game at Climate Pledge Arena, a defeat against the Minnesota Frost on Friday, November 28th, 2025. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
For some, energy and expression aren’t always natural. That’s not the case for Lobdell, who is seemingly always encouraging her teammates during practice or from the bench during games, and waving to anyone who crosses her path at the practice rink. The motor is always on for Lyndie, who credits her vibrant personality to a “loud and crazy” family back home in Aurora, Illinois.
That family includes her father, David Lobdell, who walked on at Western Michigan University to play and later earned the captaincy with the Broncos in his senior season. Perhaps a lesson from her father and very first coach, Lyndie tries to use each shift to set the tone, so it should be no surprise that her energy is always evident.
“That’s just part of who I am. That’s something that’s come naturally to me my whole life, like in college too. You’re told to play your role, come in, get comfy, and don’t be too loud or obnoxious when you get there. But like, that’s just not how I am. Like, I’m not gonna overstep and cross boundaries and whatnot, but I’ll always be who I am, be loud, and be supportive. It’s just like second nature. And my family is, like, loud and crazy, so it comes easy.”
Seattle Torrent rookie defender Lyndie Lobdell during the team’s first-ever win in franchise history, coming against the New York Sirens on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025, at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Lyndie’s hockey career really began to take off during her time at Penn State, helping transform the program into what it is today. But, Lobdell doesn’t get to that point without time playing with the Chicago Mission, considered one of the premier youth hockey programs in the country, and the Team USA U18 National team that won gold in 2020.
Lyndie’s experience with that USA U18 team helped prepare her for the next stages of her hockey career, including playing alongside some of the sport’s all-time greats. While representing your country on the international level can be daunting, Lobdell shared that the experience put things into perspective.
It could’ve easily come with more stress than it did, but Lyndie was playing on a U18 roster that featured some of her childhood teammates, which made the tournament feel more natural than anything else. Lobdell played alongside young stars like Caroline Harvey, Haley Winn, Abbey Murphy, Rory Guilday, and Emma Gentry, amongst others, as Team USA beat Canada by a final score of 2-1 in overtime.
“Playing on the big stage and going international, that helped prep me for college, and this, in a sense, like, there’s a lot more riding on it. You’re putting everything into something way bigger than yourself.”
The next stop after winning gold in Slovakia with the USA U18 team was college, where Lobdell chose to attend a Penn State program that had been struggling. It wasn’t an easy decision to pick a Nittany Lions program that had been attempting to reach the .500 mark, but Lyndie’s father encouraged her to be part of the change for the better. Lobdell went on to do much more than help the program, becoming one of Penn State’s best defenders in program history as the Nittany Lions women’s hockey team had a winning record for the five years of her collegiate career.
The achievements at Penn State came as a team and individually for Lobdell, as her time as a Nittany Lion saw her transform from a largely offensive-minded blueliner to a top two-way defender in the nation. Her fifth and final season capped things off in a big way, leading Penn State in blocked shots, finishing the year with a single-season program record for a defender of a +36 rating, and ending her collegiate career with 84 points, the most by any blueliner in Nittany Lions history.
She did all of that while wearing an alternate captain’s “A” on her jersey, doing whatever she could to provide an extra spark for her team on and off the ice. Whether that's kicking the boards in support, helping move opponents out of the slot, or taking on the hard battles along the wall, the same energy and enthusiasm those around the Torrent see today is clearly nothing new for Lyndie.
It wasn’t always accolades and achievements at Penn State for Lobdell; she shared that she faced many forms of adversity that forced her to learn from mistakes early and often. While difficult early on, those teaching moments helped her grow in different areas, on and off the ice. Lobdell and the Nittany Lions made things work despite not being in the best conference and not having the best schedule, and that resiliency paid off in the end as the program took new steps each year.
“It was just a lot of perseverance in that, a lot of self-reflection and learning as I went through how to be a good teammate to others, how to be as nice as I can to myself, and things like that. So I’m still learning that and all those things.”
Lobdell’s strong collegiate career made her an enticing choice in the most recent PWHL draft. Strong offensive upside thanks to her passing ability and skating skills that help her collapse into the zone from the blue line, paired with being a more physical defender than most of her contemporaries, helped make her someone that the Torrent wanted to draft with one of their choices ahead of the inaugural season getting underway in Seattle.
The Emerald City isn’t perhaps a place Lobdell ever thought she’d end up, but Lyndie’s father told her that it’s “one of the coolest places you could have ended up.” For a few reasons, Seattle has been a strong landing spot for Lobdell. Whether it’s because she likes rain and seafood, playing alongside her idols in Hilary Knight and Cayla Barnes, or becoming teammates with someone that she models her game after, Anna Wilgren. The same supportive attitude Lobdell has is evident in Wilgren, and it’s something Lyndie strives to emulate.
“Even after she takes a big hit, she’s there for the team. She does what she needs to do, she’s all smiles after the game, and that’s just the kind of person I want to be for my teammates. Someone to look at and be a good example, not necessarily just vocally and all those things, because she is in that front too, but she’s just a great example, a good teammate, a good hard player, and very calm and collected.”
In addition to learning about her new teammates, like Wilgren, when playing on an expansion team in its inaugural season, there is also learning about a new area of the country. While the first month of the season hasn’t provided many moments to explore the city of Seattle for Lobdell, she’s more than eager to get to know the area and the people who call it home. That includes encouraging fans who see her out and about to come and introduce themselves to her.
While those moments of exploring the city haven’t come yet for Lobdell and the Torrent, Lyndie shared that she’s happy with the balance of rest and social time she’s getting in the early months of her rookie season.
“It’s hard in this first month or so, because we’re so gassed after the days. All of us are big on rest; we come home, we chill out, but we all find time to be together, go do things, go explore, and get our own time. I’m huge on alone time, too, so a good mix of both. Like, I love being around people, being loud, crazy, and fun with my friends, but I’m someone who has a social battery, right? So that will run out, and I’ll be like, okay, gotta go, I’m out of here. I need to reset because a lot of it comes out here, too, so I’ll go home and rest. Be like, okay, let’s have dinner, let’s watch a movie.”
It’s still early in Seattle’s inaugural season and Lobdell’s professional career, but she looks comfortable at this level already, given that her playstyle fits it perfectly. The game is physical, and so is Lyndie, as she shared that aspect of the sport is her favorite thing about it. A strong skating ability and a physical presence on the ice, Lobdell has already fit in well for the Torrent when they’ve needed her due to the injury Aneta Tejralová suffered in Vancouver.
The friendliness of Lobdell, who aims to be the perfect teammate, doesn’t translate to whoever her opponents are on the ice, even if she has a history with them. It ties back to her love of the physicality in hockey, where her vibrant personality and “loud” play on the ice make Lyndie someone you can’t miss.
“You go up against your best friend, you’re still gonna put them through the wall, and I love that. You can giggle after, but then, during the play, all the games are done. I love that. At the same time, you look over and see someone who just put their best friend through the wall, and then you see them giggling like, I love that. That’s my favorite part.”
There will be uncertainty after this season about who will remain on the Torrent roster. With the PWHL looking to continue its expansion, with several cities stating their case for a team in the league, more drafts will result in players being selected from existing teams, and more opportunities for ice time will arise. Lobdell makes an excellent case for a player that the Torrent will want to hold onto, whether it be her physical yet skillful play on the blueline, the sort of teammate she strives to be, or her beaming personality that’s sure to be part of a great group in the locker room.
Lyndie has the tools to be a key piece to the puzzle for Seattle, and you can bet she’ll make her mark with a smile.
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