Each Wednesday for a six-week period from June 4 to July 2, one of the newly minted inductees to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame will be profiled. In our second installment for the Class of 2025, read about hockey player Katia Clément-Heydra (BA '14).
 
Born Nov. 2, 1989 and raised in St. Bruno de Montarville, Que., Clément-Heydra was recruited out of the Quebec CEGEP league after leading Collège Edouard-Montpetit to a championship in 2010 and went on to become one of the most decorated players in Martlets hockey history. Her five-year tenure at McGill, from 2010 to 2015, redefined excellence, blending scoring prowess, leadership, and championship pedigree. Graduating in 2014 with a bachelor's degree, majoring in industrial relations, she earned Academic All-Canadian status and left an indelible mark as the program's third-leading point-scorer all-time and was a cornerstone of its golden era.

Recognized early on with a Quebec Foundation recruitment bursary, she won a plethora of accolades that underscored her as a generational talent. From her first season, the 5-foot-7 centre dazzled. Named McGill's female freshman of the year in 2010-11 and earning RSEQ and CIS all-rookie honours, she accented a brilliant collegiate career in 2013-14 by winning the prestigious Brodrick Trophy as CIS player of the year in women's hockey and McGill's Gladys Bean Trophy as female athlete of the year.

Having never missed a regular-season game, she amassed 75 goals and 103 assists for 178 points over 100 contests, with just 16 penalty minutes.  Including non-conference and post-season play, she appeared in 206 games overall at McGill and still ranks second on the team's all-time list for most games, fourth in goals (121), second in assists (177) and third in points (298). Her most productive season with McGill was in 2012-13, her junior year, when she registered a stellar 24-21-45 record in 20 contests. She finished among the conference's top three scoring leaders in each of her five seasons and won the RSEQ scoring title in her senior year with a 13-27-40 record in 20 games. Her standout performances included a six-point outburst (three goals, three assists) in an 8-1 rout of Carleton on Nov. 25, 2012, and a four-goal haul in a 10-0 win over the same opponent on Jan. 28, 2013.

Clément-Heydra's leadership was equally impactful. She was the inaugural recipient of the University's Bunny Sabbath Athletic Award, presented to an individual who demonstrates a good balance of athletics and academic skills that bring pride and accomplishment to both themselves and their alma mater. Serving as team captain for two seasons and meriting Team MVP honours, she guided McGill to three RSEQ conference titles and a pair of CIS national championships (2011 and 2014). A three-time league all-star and two-time All-Canadian, she embodied consistency and clutch play. Her international flair shone at the 2013 FISU World University Winter Games in Trentino, Italy, where she led all scorers with 18 points (five goals) in seven games, helping Canada's CIS all-star team claim gold.

Beyond McGill, Clément-Heydra's hockey journey continued to impress. Drafted in the second round, eighth overall, by Montreal in the 2015 Canadian Women's Hockey League draft, she played four seasons with Les Canadiennes, posting 28 goals and 77 points in 102 games en route to helping her squad win the Clarkson Cup championship in 2016-17. She also skated for Modo in Sweden's Svenska Dam Hockey Ligan, recording six goals and 14 points in 25 games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2020. Her post-playing career including a return to her alma mater team as a skills coach (2017-2019) and associate coach (2021-2023), contributing to recruiting and player development. In 2023-24, she was appointed manager of team services and game operations for the Professional Women's Hockey League's New York Sirens before taking maternity leave to start a family.

Clément-Heydra's legacy at McGill extends beyond statistics. Her leadership, work ethic, and ability to elevate teammates cemented her as a program icon. As she steps into the Hall of Fame, her journey—from a Quebec Foundation bursary recipient to a national champion and professional trailblazer—reflects a career defined by excellence and impact.

The five other laureates in the McGill induction Class of 2025 include Dr. Donald Taylor (DDS '66), a football and hockey player from Lachine, Que., and NFL starting offensive lineman Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (MDCM '18) of St. Hilaire, Que. Selected in the builder category is rowing coach Dr. Philip Hedrei (MDCM '01) from the Town of Mt. Royal, Que., and Abigail Tannebaum-Sharon (BA '00), a lacrosse player-coach from Bethesda, MD. Picked in the team category is the 2015 men's lacrosse squad that posted a perfect 15-0 record in league and playoffs en route to capturing the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association championship.
 
The McGill pantheon now has 186 honoured members, 31 of them Olympians. Founded in 1996, it will be celebrating its 30th induction class this year and is located inside Tomlinson Hall at the Sir Arthur Currie Gymnasium at 475 Pine Avenue West. This year's induction luncheon is slated for Friday, Oct. 24, as part of McGill Homecoming 2025, and will be held at 1909 Taverne Moderne, next to the Bell Centre on Avenue des Canadiens. Ticket information will be announced in early September and posted on the McGill Athletics and Homecoming 2025 websites.

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell)
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca