Fresh off a national championship with Red Deer, steady D Stewart brings winning pedigree to Griffs
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With a national title now on her resume, Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs defenceman Olivia Stewart is set to bring a championship pedigree to the MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team in 2026-27.
Part of the squad that captured the Esso Cup (U18AAA women's championship) last month – contributing two goals and three points in seven tournament games – Stewart knows what it takes to win and that's an incredibly valuable trait to bring into the U SPORTS level.
"That's huge," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "They obviously found success through multiple avenues. They had a pretty solid, skilled team, but it didn't just happen for them. You watch that team play and they played the right way. They didn't cheat the game, they were detailed and there are a lot of those elements I see in her game as well."
Hailing from Edmonton, via Balgonie, Sask., where she was born, Stewart recorded three goals and seven points in 19 games for the Chiefs this past season before helping them on a legendary playoff run to the national title, achieved after a 4-3 overtime win over the Stoney Creek Sabres on April 25.
Along the way, they beat the defending national champion Edmonton Junior Oilers in the semifinal of the Alberta Female Hockey League and knocked out the St. Albert in the final. Stewart contributed two goals and three points in eight games.
To get to nationals, they topped the Greater Vancouver Comets in a three-game series. Stewart potted two assists in a 3-1 Game 3 win that punched Red Deer's ticket to nationals.
"They beat the Junior Oilers, so that was a bit of a changing of the guard here from the past couple of years," said Leeming. "They've been consistently a strong team.
"Olivia's a steady, consistent defender. She plays physical, she's quick, she's got really good awareness – she's always pre-scanning before first touch. She can shoot the puck, be physical in front of the net and she's pretty difficult to play against all over the ice."
That's going to play well at the Canada West level where the physicality is often the biggest learning curve for players coming out of U18AAA.
"She's somebody that takes it pretty seriously and is committed to getting better and playing at the next level," said Leeming. "I was really impressed with just how effective she is overall. Our league is physical and she doesn't back down from anything like that.
"She's a strong, steady defender that plays a physical brand of hockey and can contribute offensively with her ability to shoot and transition pucks through the neutral zone."
Stewart also played briefly with the Weyburn Gold Wings in 2022-23 (four games) and was a difference-maker for the Edmonton Pandas U18AA squad in 2023-24, while also earning a call-up in nine games to the Edmonton Junior Oilers. She made the move to the Red Deer Chiefs in 2024-25 (12 points in 27 games) and finished her minor hockey career off with a championship.
Now, she has a promising university career ahead of her with the Griffins, who have open minutes on the blueline.
"After losing (graduating players) Rob (Robyn Short) and Syd (Sydney Olsen), we have some voids to fill, for sure," said Leeming. "She's someone that plays a similar game as they would have."
