Bismarck native and Olympic gold medalist Britta Curl-Salemme says she always wanted to be a hockey player. “I set my eyes on the Olympics when I was probably eight years old,” she says. “There wasn’t really a professional hockey league back then, but I was drawing the Olympic rings in my notebook when I was in class and dreaming about it.”
The now 26-year-old professional hockey player’s dream came true in February when she competed in the Olympics for the women’s USA Hockey team and won gold in Milan, Italy.
Growing up in North Dakota
Bill and Gretchen Curl, both born and raised in Cando, raised Curl-Salemme and her three siblings in Bismarck. “We love Bismarck and all it offers. All four of our kids were born here,” says Bill, noting the kids attended St. Mary’s Catholic High School.
“Both Gretchen and I grew up in farm families,” he says. “Britta is a fourth-generation North Dakotan. I like to think North Dakotans are raised a little tougher. We don’t make excuses. We keep our heads down and work. We’re willing to endure more than others. Britta brings all of that to the ice.
“I always hoped our kids would play hockey – it’s such a great sport,” he continues. “Britta was on skates at two years old. She started preschool hockey at three and organized hockey at age four.”
Curl-Salemme says her dad encouraged her and her siblings to skate. “He would build a rink in our backyard in the winter, so ever since I can remember, I was skating.”
“The climate in North Dakota is perfect for outdoor ice for several months,” adds Bill. “Being able to go outside every night and compete against her siblings was huge for her development.”
Curl-Salemme says she was inspired by Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux, twin sisters from Grand Forks, whose many achievements include winning women’s hockey gold at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. “I followed their career closely. They really opened my eyes to see what opportunities I had,” she says.
Curl-Salemme credits her family and home state with helping her develop strong values. “I think the character and the way that I’ve been raised really represents North Dakota,” she says. “My family, the loyalty, the community that I’ve grown up with, just instilled a lot of strength, perseverance, those types of values in me, and I think that is a testament to where I’m from.”
High School Career
“Britta was always ultra-competitive, even at a very young age,” says Bill. “She played on all-boys youth teams, and her skills fit in well.”
Curl-Salemme played youth hockey until eighth grade when she joined the Bismarck Blizzard, a girls co-op team combing all of Bismarck’s high school players. During her five seasons with the Bismarck Blizzard, Curl-Salemme recorded 189 goals and
116 assists. In addition, her team won four consecutive state championships and she was captain for three of those seasons. She was also North Dakota’s top scorer in both her 2016 sophomore and 2017 junior seasons. In her 2018 senior season, she was the state tournament’s most valuable player.
It was when she attended all-girls USA Hockey camps in her early teens, she really began to stand out, notes Bill. “That’s when she got on the national radar.”
College Career
From 2018-2024, Curl-Salemme played collegiate hockey at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. During her time as a Badger, she played 183 games and had 86 goals, 93 assists and 12 game-winning goals. The team played in four national finals and won three national championships in five seasons. She was team captain during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, and she is the school’s all-time leader in games played.
Curl-Salemme says some of her favorite hockey memories are from her college days. “Winning the national championships my freshman year was really, really cool,” she notes. “It was a really tight team and getting to do something like that my first year in college was awesome.”
International Career
Curl-Salemme has played for the Minnesota Frost since 2024. Photo by PWHL
In 2018, Curl-Salemme played for the U.S. in the International Ice Hockey Foundation (IIHF) U18 championship in Dmitrov, Russia, where Curl-Salemme had four assists and scored four goals. Two of those goals came in the gold medal game, when the U.S. defeated Sweden.
In 2021, she played at the senior level at the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where she scored three goals during the tournament. The team lost to Canada in the championship and received the silver medal.
That same year, Curl-Salemme stepped away from playing for the University of Wisconsin to prepare for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Originally, Curl-Salemme didn’t make the team, however, after an injury to an U.S. player during the team’s first Olympic game, she was selected to replace the injured player. During processing, Curl-Salemme tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to attend.
She was then selected to compete for the U.S. in the 2023 IIHF World Championship in Ontario, 2024 championships in New York and 2025 championships in the Czech Republic. The U.S. won gold, silver and gold, respectively, with three assists from Curl-Salemme in 2024.
“I love that hockey is a never-ending challenge,” notes Curl-Salemme, who now plays left forward. “There are so many areas to improve. I can never become a perfect hockey player, so there’s not a day where I can’t find something to get better at. I love that challenge and the fun of it.”
In June 2024, Curl-Salemme was drafted ninth overall in the second round by the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) Minnesota Frost. Her first professional season finished with nine goals and six assists in 28 games. Curl-Salemme continues to play for the Minnesota Frost and has signed a contract through the 2027-2028 season.
Britta Curl-Salemme proudly represented team USA at the 2026 Olympics. Photo courtesy of USA Hockey
Olympic Career
The selection process for the 2026 Women’s USA Hockey team began in Aug. 2025 with 30 players trying out for the team. Curl-Salemme said the candidates attended week-long camps each month. “It’s a process of competing and even before the camps, the four years prior, you’ve been trying to make a name for yourself and get on this roster,” she says. “I finally got a personal call in December 2025 from the general manager of Women’s USA Hockey saying I made the team, and it was just such a relief, and I was so, so grateful and proud to be on that roster.”
In the quarterfinal game of the Milan-Cortina Olympics, against the host nation of Italy, Curl-Salemme had one assist and her first Olympic career goal when the U.S. team beat the Italians 6-0.
Team USA didn’t stop there. On Feb. 19, the team won the gold medal game against Canada 2-1 in overtime. “Winning gold was really,
Britta Curl-Salemme (center) with her parents Bill and Gretchen Curl at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy.
really cool. I still can’t really put words to the feeling, but just standing on the ice, looking around at all my teammates, hugging each other, and looking in the stands, seeing my family, it was a dream come true,” says Curl-Salemme. “It’s pretty emotional just thinking back to my journey to get here and the ups and downs that I’ve had. Everything was worth it.”
Curl-Salemme is thankful she was able to celebrate the gold medal moment with those closest to her. In attendance were her parents, her brothers, her husband, Andrew Salemme, as well as extended family. “I had a pretty big showing,” she says.
Additional Achievements
“It’s always fun to watch your kids – whether it’s a concert, a play or a sporting event,” says Bill. “We certainly feel a sense of pride. I still get chills when I see her come out on the ice, especially knowing where she came from and the enormous effort it took to get there.”
“I feel joy knowing that hockey is something she truly loves,” adds Gretchen, noting she still gets a little apprehensive when Curl-Salemme is in the penalty box.
However, being a great hockey player is not the whole of Curl-Salemme’s identity, notes Bill. “She doesn’t let hockey define her. I think her greatest achievement is keeping her faith as the most important part of her life and sharing that faith by example.”
For the past 12 years, Curl-Salemme has competed on a championship hockey team. “I don’t follow my own stats, but my dad talks about this one a lot,” she notes.
In 2024-2025, Curl-Salemme was voted to the All-Rookie team by the PWHL selection committee. The achievement honors the best rookie players over the season. Curl-Salemme is also one of nine members of the Triple Gold Club. This honor goes to players who have won an Olympic gold medal (2026), a World Championship gold medal (2023, 2025) and the Walter Cup (2024-2025 season), given to the PWHL Champions.
Curl-Salemme says she plans to continue to play hockey in the future. “As long as I still love it and continue to have the opportunity. I would also love to go back to the Olympics,” she says.
A Love of North Dakota
“Oh, where to begin. The first thing that comes to mind is the people. I just think about Bismarck and the families that I grew up around,” says Curl-Salemme about her love of her home state.
Curl-Salemme returns to North Dakota often, she says, and is hosting a hockey camp in June in Bismarck.
She says she misses some North Dakota staples while away. “I would give a shout out to Frieds Family Restaurant in Mandan,” she says. “Whenever I’m home, we go there for lunch and have knoephla soup. People I play hockey with don’t know what knoephla soup is, and I find that so odd.”
“It’s amazing how much support the entire state of North Dakota has shown for Britta,” says Bill. “I had over 120 texts after the gold medal game from people all over the state. We received so many messages. I always knew North Dakota was special, but that just confirmed it for me. It’s a wonderful state.”
Curl-Salemme says she appreciates the familiarity and support that comes with being from North Dakota. “You can’t really go anywhere without seeing a smiling face and someone kind,” she adds. “I think we support our own. We stand together, and I think that’s really unique to North Dakota.”