Lake Forest College

The 2025-26 season was the second for Amy Budde as the head coach at her alma mater.

The Foresters finished fourth in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association standings with a league mark of 9-9-0 in 2025-26. They also advanced to the semifinals of the NCHA Slaats Cup Playoffs for the 12th consecutive full season. Lake Forest is now 25-28-3 overall and 17-16-3 in the league in Budde's two years as head coach.

Lake Forest continued to be successful in the classroom in 2025-26 with a program record 21 of 26 players earning NCHA All-Academic Team honors. In addition, three Foresters received Academic All-District® accolades from College Sports Communicators. Members of the team have now been named to the NCHA All-Ademic Team 33 times and Academic All-District® six times in the last two seasons.
 
As a player at the College from 2015-19, Budde earned All-NCHA honors three times after being named to the league's all-freshmen team in her first season. She was voted the Foresters' Most Valuable Player twice, captained the team as a junior and senior, and was a Second Team West All-American selection by the American Hockey Coaches Association after her final year. She ranks second in program history with 70 assists and third with 61 goals and 131 points. 
 
Accomplished off the ice as well, Budde earned numerous accolades throughout her time at Lake Forest College. She was honored with the prestigious Nicholas J. Wasylik Senior Athletic Award and the Jane Forester Spirit Award, while also serving as Athletic Council President and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee representative for women's hockey. Additionally, Budde was selected as a Gummere Fellow, gained valuable experience through multiple internships, and participated in the Midwest Conference Female and Ethnic Minority Mentorship Program.

After graduating from Lake Forest with a degree in communication in 2019, Budde played professionally for five years, beginning with two seasons in the top women's league in Sweden. She also spent two years competing for the Buffalo Beauts of the Premier Hockey Federation and one for a team in Villach, Austria, playing in the top league across Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Poland, and Kazakhstan. 
 
In addition to playing hockey, Budde was well-connected with the game in various other capacities. She served as a coach with the Minnesota Ice Cougars, a player consultant with Hecate Sports Group, a communications manager for Sniper's Edge Hockey in Minneapolis, and in marketing and customer success with Helios Hockey.