Sophia Jurksztowicz is a Canadian Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster who’s made her mark as the Bruins rinkside reporter and studio host for the New England Sports Network (NESN). The 37-year-old journalist has become a familiar face to Boston hockey fans since joining NESN in 2019, bringing her trilingual skills and passion for the game to every broadcast.
Biography
Born on October 11, 1987, in Toronto, Ontario, Sophia Jurksztowicz grew up in a Polish immigrant household with parents Zenon and Anna Jurksztowicz. Her father worked as a mathematics teacher before retirement, while her mother helped raise Sophia alongside her four siblings—three brothers and a sister named Lilli Baron.
After graduating from Bishop Allen Academy, Sophia’s parents had an unconventional plan for their daughter. They insisted she take a gap year abroad to learn another language before university. This decision led her to Saint-Tropez, France, where she spent a year working as an au pair for a toddler named Noé. She became fluent in French, adding to her native English and Polish.
Sophia then enrolled at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) from 2005 to 2010, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television. She didn’t wait until graduation to start her media career, though. While still a student, she landed a sports internship at Corus Entertainment from 2007 to 2009, reporting for shows like “The Bill Watters Show” and “Leafs Lunch” on AM640. She covered NHL and NBA games, gaining hands-on experience that would shape her future.
Standing at 5 feet 7 inches tall, the Toronto native now calls Boston, Massachusetts, home. Her multicultural background—Greek, French, and Hispanic heritage, mixed with her Polish roots—gives her a unique perspective in the world of sports broadcasting.
Career
After Sophia’s internship at Corus Entertainment, she briefly stepped away from journalism to work in marketing at Mosaic Sales Solutions from 2009 to 2010, coordinating events for the Budweiser brand. But broadcasting pulled her back.
She landed an on-air role at theScoreTV around 2007-2012, covering the Toronto Maple Leafs and other local sports franchises. She also worked as a sports reporter at CITY TV, building her reputation in Toronto’s competitive sports media landscape.
Her breakthrough came in October 2012 when she joined Rogers Sportsnet Toronto. Over nearly seven years, Sophia evolved from reporter to host to producer, taking on increasingly prominent roles. She worked as the social media reporter for “Hockey Night in Canada” and produced segments for “Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey.”
NESN announced Sophia’s hiring on August 13, 2019, and she made her debut as the Bruins Rinkside Reporter just two weeks later on August 26. But she’s done far more than just rinkside reporting. Her role has expanded to include studio hosting for pre-game and post-game shows alongside analysts Billy Jaffe, Barry Pederson, and Andrew Raycroft.
In October 2024, NESN launched “The Hockey Hub” podcast, which Sophia co-hosts with Adam Pellerin and Kasey Hudson. The twice-weekly, video-enabled show features 60-minute deep dives into Bruins analysis, player interviews, and behind-the-scenes content. She also contributes as a rotating host on the “Morning Bru” podcast.
Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Sophia won an Emmy Award as part of NESN’s Bruins Pre-Postgame team, while NESN captured four Emmy Awards at the 47th New England Emmy Awards ceremony in 2024. In April 2023, she marked a career highlight covering the Bruins’ historic season when the team set franchise records with 65 wins and 135 points. She reflected on Instagram about covering NHL hockey from her living room as a six-year-old with a lisp, using her dad’s camcorder, and contrasted it with covering “the best NHL team in the history of the league” at age 36.
The 2024-25 season brought unexpected challenges. Just one week before the Bruins’ season opener, Sophia announced on October 1, 2024, that she was taking a leave of absence. She’d signed a contract extension with NESN that summer, making the timing particularly surprising. “I don’t want anyone to worry, I WILL be okay, but right now I just need to take time away from work,” she wrote, without disclosing specific reasons.
During her five-month absence, Adam Pellerin handled solo studio hosting duties, with retired broadcaster Dale Arnold returning in late November to help. Sophia announced her return on March 5, 2025, acknowledging she’d faced one of her most challenging years “physically, emotionally, and mentally.” NESN’s October 2025 broadcast schedule confirmed her full-time return for the 2025-26 season, much to fans’ relief.
Beyond traditional broadcasting, Sophia has pursued her passion for health and wellness. She earned a Certified Holistic Health Coach certification from SUNY Purchase College in December 2023 through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s training program. She runs a wellness brand on Instagram at @fullyalivewithsophia, where she shares fitness tips, workout videos, and healthy-lifestyle content.
In December 2023, she even moderated a panel titled “Stress and Burnout” at Warrior Ice Arena featuring Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery and medical experts from McLean Hospital and Mass General Hospital. The topic proved especially relevant given her own challenges the following year.
Personal Life
Sophia is currently single, having lived in Boston since her 2019 move from Toronto. The relocation wasn’t easy—it meant leaving behind her close-knit family, including her ailing father, Zenon, in Canada. She’s described the decision as particularly difficult given her family’s tight bonds.
Her close friend Katherine Lee, whom she calls her “rock,” helped Sophia go through both a breakup that preceded her move to Boston and the transition to American life. She’s also maintained a strong friendship with Jackie Redmond, now an NHL Network reporter. The two co-hosted the “Jack & Soph” podcast on Yahoo Canada Sports in 2018, interviewing NHL stars like Taylor Hall, Ryan Getzlaf, and Brendan Gallagher. The podcast ended when Sophia joined NESN, but their friendship has endured.
Her trilingual abilities—English, French, and Polish—give her a unique advantage when interviewing French-Canadian players in their native language. It’s one of those skills that sets her apart in hockey broadcasting.
