| Birth Date: | 13 April 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Position: | Center |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | PWHL |
| Team: | New York Sirens |
| Former Teams: | SKP Bratislava |
| Sex: | f |
| Ntl Team: | Slovakia |
| Career Start: | 2024 |
Danielle "Elle" Hartje (born April 13, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the New York Sirens of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She played college ice hockey at Yale.
Hartje played her college hockey at Yale. Following her rookie season at Yale, she played for SKP Bratislava in the European Women's Hockey League (EWHL), leading the team in points with 25.[1] [2]
Returning to the Bulldogs for the 2021–22 season, she broke Yale's record for most assists in a season with 35 and scored 51 points, the second second most in Yale history. She led ECAC in points-per-game with 1.42. In 2022–23, she averaged two points per game and broke her own assists record, recording 39 in a season. Yale won the Ivy League and Hartje was named Ivy League Player of the Year.[3]
In 2023–24, Hartje served as the captain for Yale.[4] She earned All-Ivy and All-ECAC honors and broke Yale's all-time scoring record, graduating with 168 points in 129 games.[5] [6] [7]
Hartje was drafted by the New York Sirens in the fifth round, 25th overall, in the 2024 PWHL Draft.[8] [9] Prior to the draft, she was considered a top prospect because of her 200-foot play, her playmaking ability, and her faceoffs. The Sirens signed her to a three-year contract following their preseason camp.[10]
Hartje played was a member of the United States U18 team at the U18 Series against Canada in 2018. She has also participated in USA Hockey Women's National Festivals and player development camps, most recently in 2023.[11]
Hartje played for the Slovakian national team in 2021 against Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic after she had lived in Slovakia for eight months and established residency. She received permission from USA Hockey to play with the team and is still eligible for the American national team player pool.[12]
Hartje is one of four children of Tod and Nicole Hartje. Her father played hockey at Harvard University and her mother was the captain of the Harvard tennis team. Hartje is Jewish.[13] Her maternal grandparents are from Bratislava, Slovakia.
In high school, she was named High School Athlete of the Year by Jewish News and the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation. She also played soccer in high school.
At Yale, she studied political science. She was awarded ECAC Hockey's Mandi Schwartz Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 2024 for her skill on the ice and her dedication to community service, organizing volunteer work at the Yale Community Kitchen, a fundraiser for Court Appointed Special Advocates, and her involvement with Yale's Student Athlete organizations.[14]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2019–20 | Yale University | ECAC | 28 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | SKP Bratislava | EWHL | 16 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Yale University | ECAC | 36 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Yale University | ECAC | 33 | 13 | 39 | 52 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Yale University | ECAC | 32 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 128 | 52 | 116 | 168 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||