Hickel played collegiate ice hockey with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs program, a member of the NCAA Division I.

Hickel attended the North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) for the entirety of her high school career, from 2007 to 2011.

[2] Hickel was selected by Kunlun Red Star of the Canadian Women's Hockey League with their fifth round pick in the 2017 CWHL Draft.

[3] On October 21, 2017, the Red Star competed in their first game against the Markham Thunder where Hickel scored the team's first goal, as Kelli Stack and Baiwei Yu both earned the assists.

[4] During the season, Hickel returned to her home state of Alaska, as the Kunlun Red Star competed in an exhibition game in Anchorage on January 5, 2018.