Hockey Star Casey O’Brien Reveals the Protein Secrets of Professional Athletes

Reported by Women's Health Magazine.

If you've been scrolling through fitness content lately, you've absorbed the message: protein matters. But the noise around how much and when has gotten genuinely chaotic. PWHL's New York Sirens player Casey O'Brien and registered dietitian nutritionist Shana Minei Spence (@thenutritiontea) cut through it during a Women's Health Lab panel — and what they said is worth paying attention to, according to Women's Health Magazine.

O'Brien's take on nutrition is refreshingly unglamorous: it's infrastructure, not an afterthought. "A lot that happens on the ice actually comes from what happens off the ice," she said. That means eating with intention on training days and rest days — because recovery, she explained, is where the real repair work happens. Her daily rhythm builds around her schedule: something light but protein-forward before morning lifts (think oatmeal, eggs, Greek yogurt), an energy bar or smoothie post-strength work, a protein shake after practice, then a full meal heavy on protein, carbs, and vegetables. On game days, she anchors with a big breakfast four to five hours out — eggs, toast, potatoes, some form of meat — then loads up on carb-heavy snacks right up until puck drop. Post-game? More protein, more carbs, more dairy. The pattern is deliberate and consistent, not obsessive.

The Number You Actually Need

Spence pushes back hard on the maximalist protein culture dominating social feeds. "You don't need 200 grams like they're telling you online," she said. Her general benchmark: 90 grams per day, broken into roughly 30 grams across each main meal — a target that becomes more approachable when you factor in snacks. The key, she said, is building around foods you already enjoy. A smoothie with protein powder, a milk-based iced coffee, chicken or fish at lunch — small structural choices that add up without turning every meal into a macros math problem.

O'Brien added that even in the locker room, her teammates swap protein hacks — high-protein desserts, ways to make vegetables more compelling, creative additions to everyday meals. Her personal trick: stirring protein powder into ice cream. "It actually tastes really good," she said. Both O'Brien and Spence were clear that personalization matters enormously. What fuels an elite hockey player won't necessarily be right for anyone else, and that's the point — the framework is universal, the execution is yours.

Whether you're training hard or just trying to feel less depleted by 3 p.m., the real takeaway is structural: protein isn't a trend to optimize around, it's a daily habit to build — and 90 grams, spread across meals you actually want to eat, is a far more honest starting point than anything your algorithm is currently recommending.

Read the original at Women's Health Magazine.