Jesse Scanzano-Vujasic

Playing Career

Jesse Scanzano (born October 15, 1988) is from Montreal, Quebec and is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward. She grew up playing rep boys hockey until she was 15 years old. Scanzano was then granted a special card to be able to play for the Montreal Axion, in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) as the youngest player in the league, at 15 years old. In 2005, she won the National Women’s Hockey League championship with the Montreal Axion. She also appeared at the Esso Nationals in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, she was the leading scorer with 46 points.

In 2007, Scanzano accepted a full scholarship to play for Mercyhurst University (NCAA D1) where she earned multiple accolades and still currently ranks number 2 in all-time career points (225) in College Hockey America history. Scanzano finished top ten in NCAA scoring all four years of playing. In her Junior year with Mercyhurst, Scanzano led the NCAA in points, with 65.

Scanzano was a member of Team Canada’s Under 22 National Junior Team from 2006-2011 and played for the 2011–12 Canada Women’s National Hockey Team and appeared in the 2011 4 Nations Cup and Eight Nations tournament.

Montreal Axion

Scanzano joined the Montreal Axion of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) as a 15-year-old. Prior to playing for the Axion, she played Bantam boys’ hockey in the Lac St. Louis Hockey Association with the West Island Royals. She won the NWHL championship with the Axion in 2005–06. The following season, she was the leading scorer for the Axion as she had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 35 games.

Mercyhurst University

In her rookie season with the Mercyhurst Lakers women’s ice hockey program, Scanzano appeared in 37 games with 13 goals and 29 assists. She was second on the team in assists and third in points. She had nine multiple-point games and ended the season with a seven-game scoring streak. Nationally, she was fifth in points per game by a rookie (1.08), and fourteenth in assists per game (0.73). For her efforts, she was named to the CHA All-Rookie Team and was a six-time CHA Rookie of the Week.
As a sophomore, Scanzano led the team with a .191 shooting percentage while ranking second on the team in goals, assists, points, and power-play goals (11). For her efforts, she was named to the All-CHA Second Team. Scanzano’s numbers were the fifth-best single-season offensive numbers in program history. She averaged 2.25 points per game during 16 conference games and was second in conference scoring behind teammate Meghan Agosta. Overall, she ranked sixth in the nation in points scored, and eighth in NCAA Division I in goals and assists^.Scanzano earned CHA Tournament MVP honors as a sophomore in 2008-09 with seven points on two goals and five assists as Mercyhurst outscored Niagara and Wayne State, 14-3, en route to the league’s postseason crown. In the NCAA tournament that season she recorded three assists in the Lakers’ semifinal win over Minnesota, in the Frozen Four.
As a junior, Scanzano was named to the 2009–10 Preseason All-CHA team and was also tabbed as the 2009–10 Preseason CHA Player of the Year. She was a Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 finalist and earned AHCA All-America honours as the Lakers captured the CHA regular season and postseason titles and reached Frozen Four for the second consecutive season. During the 2009–10 season, Jesse Scanzano led the NCAA in most shorthanded goals with 4. In addition, she led the NCAA in points per game, with an average of 1.97 and top point getter. She registered a team-high 65 points on 20 goals and 45 assists. She dished out three assists in the 2010 NCAA quarterfinals to help Mercyhurst down Boston University, 5-1, to advance to the Frozen Four.
In her final season with the Lakers, Scanzano netted three hat tricks including back-to-back three-goal games against St. Lawrence and St. Cloud State in December and January and recorded her 200th career point in a two-goal, two-assist performance against Brown on Jan. 14. 2011. She finished top ten in the nation in scoring and was named to the CHA team. Scanzano finished her career with 225 points, which makes her number 2 in College Hockey America’s all time point getter.

CWHL

Scanzano was the fifth overall selection in the 2011 CWHL Draft. For 2011–12 season, she played with the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). On November 2, 2011, Scanzano was on loan from the Toronto Furies, as she appeared in one game for the Brampton Thunder. The game was an exhibition contest versus her alma mater, the Mercyhurst Lakers. In the second period of said contest, Scanzano scored the game-winning goal as the Thunder defeated the Lakers by a 3-1 tally.

Team Canada

In 2005, Scanzano participated for Team Quebec at the Canadian Under-18 Hockey Challenge.
In 2007, she participated in the Air Canada Cup for Canada’s Under-22 Team. In the first game of the tournament, against Japan, Scanzano had three assists.
She represented Team Canada’s Under-22 team at the 2008-2010 Air Canada Cup
Scanzano was one of six Mercyhurst players who won a gold medal with the Canadian National Women’s Under-22 Team at the 2010 MLP Cup. In the gold medal game, Scanzano had a goal and an assist.
In March 2011, she was invited to the Canadian women’s national ice hockey team selection camp to determine the final roster for the 2011 IIHF Women’s World Championships.
She travelled to Bratislava, Slovakia to participate in the 2011 IIHF High Performance Women’s Camp.
Scanzano was named to the Canadian roster that competed in the 2011 IIHF Eight Nations Tournament. In the first game of the 2011 IIHF Eight Nations Tournament, Scanzano scored two goals in a 16–0 victory over Switzerland. In the third game of the tournament, she scored two goals in an 11–0 shootout over Slovakia.
Scanzano competed in the 2011 4 Nations Cup and scored a goal versus Finland on November 9, 2011.