Anissa Gamble

Anissa Gamble (born May 21, 1993) is a Canadian ice hockey player, currently affiliated with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). She is to date the first female to have played professional ice hockey in North America while living with Type 1 diabetes.

Anissa Gamble
Gamble in 2019
Born (1993-05-21) May 21, 1993
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Height 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 77.1 kg (170 lb; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
PWHPA team Independent
Played for GTA West (PWHPA)
Toronto Furies
Calgary Inferno
Robert Morris Colonials
Playing career 2012–present

Playing career

Gamble played on youth boys' teams in the Maritimes until the age of 15, when she left home to attend Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario. During her time at Appleby, she played in the Provincial Women's Hockey League with both the Oakville Jr. Hornets and the Burlington Jr. Barracudas.

After finishing high school, she moved to the Greater Pittsburgh Region of Pennsylvania in the United States to study at Robert Morris University and play with the Robert Morris Colonials of the NCAA Division I ice hockey conference College Hockey America (CHA). Across the next four years at the university, she scored 12 points in 118 games.[1]

After graduating from Robert Morris in 2016, she took a year off hockey to focus on her master's degree. In the 2017 CWHL Draft, she was selected 54th overall by the Calgary Inferno.[2]

In 2018, she left Alberta to sign with the Toronto Furies. She would play 19 games with the Furies during the 2018–19 CWHL season, picking up two assists. She recorded her first professional point in a 2-0 victory against the Markham Thunder in November 2018.[3]

After the collapse of the CWHL in May 2019, she joined the GTA West section of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), deferring her admission to dentistry school to take an active role in the organisation.[4] She participated in the first PWHPA Unifor Showcase event in Toronto in September 2019 as a member of Team Knox (named after team captain Liz Knox). In the Secret Showcase in January 2020, she played for Team Spooner (named after team captain Natalie Spooner). She was one of the players chosen to take part in a Dream Gap Tour Showcase against the Japanese national team in Tokyo in March 2020, before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In August 2020, she announced her intention to continue with the PWHPA as an independent member for the 2020–21 season.[6]

Personal life

Gamble was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 8.[7][8] In addition to focusing her clinical research on diabetes treatment, she is active in the diabetic community and is involved with the non-profit organization Connected in Motion, for people living with diabetes, as well as the Alberta Diabetes Institute and Diabetes Hockey Camp.[9][10]

Gamble obtained her bachelor's degree in biology with a concentration in pre-med and minor in chemistry from Robert Morris University in 2016, and went on to complete her master's degree in experimental surgery at the University of Alberta in 2019.[11] During her time at the University of Alberta, her clinical research was largely focused on evaluation of islet cell transplantation, an experimental treatment for Type 1 diabetes, under the supervision of advisor Dr. James Shapiro, leader of the clinical team that developed the Edmonton protocol.[12]

Gamble continued her studies at the University Health Network in Toronto, where she studied digital health and worked as a research analyst with the University Health Network, focusing on diabetes eHealth management. Today, she is currently attending Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry for dentistry while researching oral health barriers for people living with diabetes.[13]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2010–11 Oakville Hornets PWHL 30714214 31012
2011–12 Burlington Jr. Barracudas PWHL 2815122741 62134
2012–13 Robert Morris Colonials NCAA 200006 –––––
2013–14 Robert Morris Colonials NCAA 303144 –––––
2014–15 Robert Morris Colonials NCAA 341458 –––––
2015–16 Robert Morris Colonials NCAA 342132 –––––
2017–18 Calgary Inferno CWHL 00000 –––––
2018–19 Toronto Furies CWHL 190222 20000
2019–20 GTA West PWHPA ––––– –––––
CWHL totals 190222 20000

Sources:[1][14]

References
  1. "Career Statistics: Anissa Gamble". USCHO.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  2. "Inferno Select 13 Players in CWHL Draft". NHL. August 21, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  3. Staffieri, Mark (April 12, 2019). "Toronto Furies' Anissa Gamble spreads diabetes awareness". Women's Hockey Life. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  4. Pingue, Frank (September 21, 2019). "Gamble defers dental school to fight for women's hockey". Reuters. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  5. Staffieri, Mark (May 28, 2020). "PWHPA Spotlight: Anissa Gamble". Women's Hockey Life. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  6. Tokarski, Anne (August 9, 2020). "PWHPA Player Roundup: August 8". The Ice Garden. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. Barlott, Caroline. "Portraits of Diabetes - Anissa". Alberta Diabetes Institute. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  8. Gamble, Anissa (July 5, 2017). "Finding My Thumbs Up". Beyond Type 1. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. Szto, Courtney (March 31, 2020). "Interview with Anissa Gamble: Hockey + Type 1 Diabetes". Hockey In Society. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  10. "Anissa Gamble joining DHC on-ice staff". Western Pacific Sports Academy. May 7, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. Bendel, Joe (April 20, 2017). "Where Are They Now? Anissa Gamble". Robert Morris University Athletics. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  12. Wisneski, Andrew (December 5, 2018). "Thumbs Up! Anissa Gamble making a difference for diabetics". Pittsburgh Hockey Digest. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  13. McGran, Kevin (April 12, 2020). "All-star Anissa Gamble encourages diabetics with women's hockey on hold during the pandemic". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  14. "Player Profile: Anissa Gamble". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
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