Latest news with #Kaltounkova


Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Hard work and 35,000 practice shots pay off for Clarkson defender Haley Winn entering PWHL Draft
The 21-year-old Winn laughed at the memory. 'Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate,' she said. 'I could stay at the rink all day just because that's what I enjoy doing. I don't have to force myself to do it.' Advertisement The relentless work translated into Winn completing her college career ranking second among Clarkson defensemen with 130 career points (37 goals, 93 assists), seven behind Erin Ambrose at the school in upstate New York. It helped Winn, at 19, land a spot on the US national team, with her already And she's considered a top-three pick entering the eight-team, six-round PWHL Draft in Ottawa on Tuesday. 'It doesn't even feel real that my name should be up there,' said Winn, who got her start at 3 years old on her father's backyard rink in Rochester, N.Y. 'When I was that young, really, all I wanted to do was go to the Olympics,' added Winn, who has an opportunity to achieve that dream at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February. 'As I grew older, I realized the steps to get there and what it was going to take. So yeah, it's just awesome.' Related : Advertisement The New York Sirens hold the No. 1 pick for a second straight year, followed by the Boston Fleet, and Toronto Sceptres. Next year's expansion teams, Vancouver and Seattle, pick seventh and eighth, respectively. Rounding out the top prospects are Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova, who is from the Czech Republic and could be the first European chosen first; and Wisconsin forward Casey O'Brien, this season's Patty Kazmaier Award winner as women's college hockey's MVP. The prevailing consensus has the Sirens looking for a forward to complement last year's No. 1 pick, Sarah Fillier, who finished tied for the PWHL lead with 29 points. New York's offense took a hit in the PWHL's expansion process by losing forwards Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge. They combined for 20 of the team's PWHL-low 71 goals last season. Meantime, New York is deep at defense with the return of Ella Shelton, Maja Nylan Persson, and Micah Zandee-Hart. New York GM Pascal Daoust acknowledged a need at forward, while refusing to rule out targeting a defenseman at No. 1. 'Thinking that it automatically means we go forward is probably not covering all the angles, knowing me,' Daoust said, referring to potential trade opportunities. 'There's still a lot that can still be done between June and November.' Related : Sirens coach Greg Fargo previously coached Kaltounkova at Colgate, where he also faced Winn in ECAC competition. At 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds, the 23-year-old Kaltounkova brings a physical style with offensive flair. She finished her five-year college career with 233 points (111 goals, 122 assists) and 218 penalty minutes in 171 games. Advertisement The only potential blemish was the ECAC assessing Kaltounkova a two-game suspension for an undisclosed reason in February 2024, after which she missed two more games to, as the school put it, 'step away from the team.' Kaltounkova told the 'Rinkside Rundown' podcast last week she's doing her best to stay grounded in approaching the draft. 'There's moments where I'm like, `Oh my god, what if this and what if that?′ And then I pause and just like, `I can't think about that.′ Like, that would just bring me down a rabbit hole,' she said. 'It kind of fuels me because it's either people hyping you up and cheering you on, or it's people criticizing you. And both things motivate me so much.' Kaltounkova had four goals and six points in her world championship tournament debut on home ice in April. 'She's coming with speed, she's coming with physicality, she's coming with a great shot — a PWHL shot-level quality,' Daoust said of Kaltounkova. As for Winn, Daoust noted her puck-moving ability and defensive presence. 'Great person, great leader, so a lot of positives under her name,' he said. Winn reflected on her younger days in joining her three older brothers on the family's rink. 'They never wanted me to play because I was the little sister. But I think I've earned my spot now,' Winn said. 'Obviously, they were pretty tough on me. But that's what made me who I am today.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Worlds Preview: Czechia Brings Best Roster Ever
Czechia has appeared in three straight bronze medal games. They won two of the bronze medals, and lost the third last season in a shootout against Finland. For Czechia's women's hockey program, it's unprecedented success. This season however, Czechia is bringing what can only be seen as their best roster ever to the 2025 IIHF World Championships. It's fitting timing for the nation to bring all of their top players to an event however, for the first time, in Czechia. When the puck drops in České Budějovice, here's a look at Czechia's hopes. For the first time ever, Kristyna Kaltounkova will play for Czechia at the IIHF World Championships. It's a significant moment considering she might already be the nation's best offensive player. Czechia has lacked players with game changing offensive ability, but Kaltounkova brings a net front presence, power forward attributes, and can shoot off the rush, or opportunistically around the net to beak games open. When you consider Kaltounkova is a newcomer, and last season Czechia played without Katerina Mrazova and Dominika Laskova, who are both expected to be in the lineup this year, it's clear Czechia has their best ever roster coming to the tournament. With nine players coming from the PWHL, and Kaltounkova and Natalie Mlynkova set to join the league as top ten draft picks, this roster is ready to push back against Canada and USA in a way they haven't experienced recently. Czechia's x-factor is their youth and newcomer Kaltounkova. We know Czechia can hold on against Canada, USA, and Finland with their nine current PWHL players and Natalie Mlynkova, a World Championship All-Star last year, all healthy and in the lineup. But Czechia's x-factor in how far they can actually go is in their youth. Adéla Šapovalivová is their best young player, and any development from Šapovalivová or Tereza Plosová, Barbora Juříčková and Tereza Pištěková are Czechia's greatest areas where they can tangibly close the gap. Even in the defensive trio of Andrea Trnková, Sára Čajanová, and Tereza Radová. All have PWHL upside, but all remain in the NCAA or Europe and continue to develop. They'll need to attempt the jump to the PWHL at some point, but even the tiniest growth from Czechia's non-PWHL core has the potential to pay dividends in a short tournament. Daniela Pejsova has been one of the best defenders in the world in international competition she she exploded onto the scene being named the Best Defender at the World Championships in 2022. Still only 22, Pejsova is the youngest player in the PWHL, and despite the fact she hasn't been utilized as anticipated in Boston this year, she's still a player with sky high potential. If Boston supports her development instead of burying her as a 6-7 defender or more recently, playing her as a winger, they've got a future star. The Worlds, with Pejsova returning to a prominent role alongside the veteran mentors who have helped grow with the national team, should help Pejsova thrive yet again in this tournament on both sides of the puck. When the restrictions are removed, it will be interesting to see how quickly Pejsova can recoup her confidence in a short event. Next season Czechia's roster will get another developmental boost as some of their young players including Adéla Šapovalivová and Tereza Plosová will head to the NCAA with Wisconsin and Minnesota respectively. They'll likely be joined next season, or shortly after by national team members Barbora Juříčková and Tereza Pištěková who are both looking at the NCAA. These players need to go to the NCAA to keep Czechia building. The nation will see a large group of younger players left off this group including Anezka Cabelova, Julie Jebouskova, Adela Pankova, Aneta Senkova, Linda Vocetkova, and Barbora Proskova join the NCAA in the next two seasons as well. Czechia's roster has a few seasons left with their current veteran core, and the team looks like they'll continue to improve in that window.