Latest news with #ProfessionalWomensHockeyLeague
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Women's hockey is on the rise in Pacific Northwest, with young girls excited about PWHL's arrival
SEATTLE — Elly Garcia-Dudek can't help but gaze out toward the ice during hockey practices at the Kraken Community Iceplex. The 12-year-old Garcia-Dudek is a big fan of women's national team stars like Hilary Knight, who starred for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hockey League last season. Pretty soon, Garcia-Dudek — who started playing through the Seattle Kraken's Learn to Play program — won't have to look across the country for role models like Knight.
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Projecting which PWHL players each team will protect ahead of the expansion draft
The Walter Cup has been handed out, once again to the Minnesota Frost, and now the Professional Women's Hockey League offseason is upon us — starting with the league's first-ever expansion draft. Each of the PWHL's six existing teams will lose four players total from their 2024-25 roster between a five-day signing window (June 4-8) and the expansion draft (June 9). But first, teams must submit a list of up to three players who are protected from being selected in the draft, or signing during the pre-draft window. Only players under contract or team control through 2026 can be protected. Before those initial lists are due (June 3 at noon ET), The Athletic takes a run at projecting each team's protected players. It's a tricky task with so much talent across the league. General managers also have different philosophies when it comes to roster building and how they might prioritize offense versus leadership, youth versus experience, or winning now versus the future of the team. Advertisement No matter what, though, highly skilled players from all six teams are going to be on the move to one of the league's newest franchises in Seattle or Vancouver. One final note: Once teams lose two players, either through the signing window or the draft, general managers will be permitted to protect one additional player, increasing their protected list to four. We'll keep that rule in mind for this exercise, but we will only be projecting the top three players. Let's get started. Protected List: Marie-Philip Poulin (F), Laura Stacey (F), Ann-Renée Desbiens (G) Let's start simple. Poulin, the best player in the world, isn't going anywhere. Stacey — Poulin's most frequent, most productive linemate — deserves a protection spot based on merit alone. Surely general manager Daniele Sauvageau will want to keep Poulin and Stacey, who got married last year, together, but that's not the only reason to ensure Stacey stays in Montreal. And Desbiens was the best goalie in the PWHL this season with a league-leading 1.86 goals against average and .932 save percentage. Montreal stands to lose one (or several) top defenders through the expansion process. But I still wouldn't protect Cayla Barnes or Erin Ambrose over Stacey, who is really the only player you could maybe debate dropping from the list if you're really trying to overthink the process. Even Ambrose knows the score. 'I think all of us can collectively agree on (the three players),' she said on locker cleanout day. 'I'm not oblivious.' * Catherine Daoust (D) is retiring. Protected List: Renata Fast (D), Blayre Turnbull (F), Daryl Watts (F) To me, Fast and Turnbull are the locks for Toronto. Fast is the first defender to be a finalist for MVP in the league's short history after a dominant season from both sides of the puck. She was a top offensive player, a top defensive player and a top physical player. Without Fast, Toronto does not finish second in the regular-season standings. Advertisement Turnbull isn't one of the team's top point producers — she finished sixth in team scoring — but she's the captain and a critical leader on and off the ice. It's hard to imagine Troy Ryan and Gina Kingsbury letting her go. Now comes the debate for the final spot: Daryl Watts or Sarah Nurse. Nurse, along with Fast and Turnbull, was one of Toronto's top three signings and had a strong inaugural season, finishing second in league scoring behind Natalie Spooner (who is a free agent and not eligible for protection). She had a strong start in 2024-25 with 12 points in 15 games, but struggled after a lower-body injury kept her out for several weeks, only scoring two points in her final six games. Watts, meanwhile, was Toronto's prized free-agent signing in the offseason and led the Sceptres in scoring. Her 27 points in 30 games were third league-wide. Both Nurse and Watts have one year remaining on their contracts, and they're local players who want to be in Toronto. Watts (26) is younger than Nurse (30) with a more unique offensive skill set, given her vision and playmaking ability. For that reason, I'm giving Watts the final protection slot, with the caveat that Toronto should be able to protect Nurse with the fourth slot if two players sign during the pre-draft window. Protected list: Emily Clark (F), Gwyneth Philips (G), Ashton Bell (D) Ottawa was actually the hardest team to figure out, with a short list of seven players including Ronja Savolainen, Brianne Jenner, Danielle Serdachny and Emerance Maschmeyer. Clark was the easiest choice. She's an engine for the Charge and was their best, most consistent skater in the playoffs, leading the team with three goals (including two game-winners) and five points. Philips should be an easier choice than it is. She finished her rookie season as a finalist for both Goaltender of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and won playoff MVP despite Minnesota's repeat as Walter Cup Champions. But there's also Maschmeyer to consider, who has been a member of the Charge since Day 1 and was arguably the team's MVP in the first half of the season. Advertisement That Philips was so good with Maschmeyer out due to injury has to be a bit bittersweet for the Charge. Yes, she led them to the Finals, but now the book is out: Philips is a star and will be one of the best goalies in the world in short order. In another world, if Philips remained as a backup, Ottawa could protect Maschmeyer and hope Philips would fly under the radar of expansion teams who didn't get to see her much in the PWHL. That's no longer the case, and I don't think you can afford to lose her if you're Ottawa. The final slot largely came down to defense, as Ottawa can try to re-sign Tereza Vanišová and Shiann Darkangelo to lessen the blow of losing other forwards in the draft. If one or both of them sign during the window, then Ottawa can use a fourth slot on a top forward. Savolainen is a bit of a unicorn in the league with her size (5-foot-10) and physical play on the blue line. But Bell was unbelievable in the playoffs, logging between 20 and 50 minutes depending on how many overtime periods were required on a given night. She and Jocelyne Larocque were as good a D-pair as anyone, and as long as nobody takes a swing at the 37-year-old in expansion, Ottawa will probably want to run that pair back. The hope is probably that Jenner's age and contract would be enough to keep expansion teams away, but Ottawa is surely going to lose Serdachny, its No. 2 pick from the 2024 draft. She has a pro toolkit that didn't seem to be used well in Ottawa — she finished the year on the fourth line — and she will certainly be a star in the PWHL, especially with more opportunity elsewhere. Protected list: Kendall Coyne Schofield (F), Taylor Heise (F), Lee Stecklein (D) It's easy to spiral and overthink Minnesota's protection list, given how talented and deep the roster is. But I'm trying to keep it simple in projecting how this will play out. Coyne Schofield is the captain and was the best five-on-five player in the league this season. Heise is the young superstar, and Stecklein is the best shutdown defender in the league, who also just led the playoffs in scoring. Advertisement Leaving young stud defenders such as Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson unprotected feels nonsensical, but we also have to consider how critical Stecklein is to the locker room. She leads by example, she's positive and she is affectionately referred to as the 'mom' of both Minnesota and the U.S. women's national team. Losing Jaques would sting, but Minnesota will just need to hope that Thompson's desire to return to medical school after the 2026 Olympics will make the GMs in Seattle and Vancouver question her long-term commitment to the new clubs. That way, the Frost would only lose one of their No. 1-caliber defenders. Finally, I wouldn't worry about the goalie position in Minnesota. If Nicole Hensley were to be taken, Maddie Rooney is a free agent and would likely want to stay in her home state anyway. Protected list: Aerin Frankel (G), Megan Keller (D), Hilary Knight (F) Frankel and Keller feel like easy locks for the Fleet. They're both original signings and among the very best at their position. The big debate for Boston is what to do with its third and final protection slot. Knight, one of the best women's hockey players of all time, should be the easy choice given she led the PWHL in scoring this season and was nearly a point-per-game player at 35 years old. But her age, and the question around how much longer Knight might play in the PWHL — she already announced the 2026 Olympics will be her last — makes it a tougher choice for GM Danielle Marmer. Is it worth losing Hannah Bilka, who will certainly be taken in expansion, for one more year of Knight? You could ask the same question of Alina Müller, who finished second in team scoring this year. Considering the PWHL has been a win-now league, my answer would be yes. If it wasn't Frankel stealing a game for Boston this season, it was Knight, who was named a finalist for MVP. Maybe two players sign and Marmer can lock in Bilka (or Müller) with the fourth protection slot, but Boston will certainly lose some top-of-the-lineup forwards through this expansion process. At least Marmer can (try to) retain Susanna Tapani, given she's a free agent, which will help keep some offense in Boston. Protected list: Alex Carpenter (F), Sarah Fillier (F), Corinne Schroeder (G) The first two picks are pretty straightforward. Filler was one of the best forwards in the league this season and will surely win Rookie of the Year next month. That she doesn't have a contract for next season — she signed a one-year deal but remains under team control until 2026 — shouldn't stop the Sirens from protecting her and trying to keep her in New York long term. Advertisement Carpenter was, once again, a top forward. New York lost four straight games without her in the lineup in February, which reiterated just how valuable Carpenter is to the team — even with Fillier in the mix. But now there's a big debate between Schroeder and No. 1 defender Ella Shelton — and frankly, I took a last-minute pivot into protecting Schroeder. Here's why: If the Sirens lose Shelton to expansion, they can replace her with Clarkson and Team USA star Haley Winn with the top pick in the 2025 draft. If they lose Schroeder, she's not as easy to replace in the draft or free agency. New York seems to like its depth on the blue line with Micah Zandee-Hart, Jaime Bourbonnais and Maja Nylén Persson. And while Kayle Osborne is a solid netminder, Schroeder has been elite in the PWHL with a .924 save percentage over her first two seasons. The Sirens have finished last in back-to-back seasons. It's hard to imagine them getting any better with worse goaltending. (Photo of Megan Keller: David Kirouac / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CBC
27-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
PWHL's Renata Fast on her MVP nomination
Toronto Sceptre Renata Fast talks about her nomination for defender of the year and Professional Women's Hockey League's MVP. The 30-year-old from Burlington, Ont., led the league in ice-time this season and was a top-scoring defender.
CBC
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Charge, Frost keep focus on Walter Cup final after expansion draft announcement
On the eve of the Walter Cup final opener between the Ottawa Charge and the Minnesota Frost, the Professional Women's Hockey League announced the dates, rules and procedures surrounding the 2025 expansion draft. Rather than keeping the focus on the league's showcase event, players and coaches were being asked about expansion and free agency. However, that didn't change the priority and focus for Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod. "Obviously, what we're doing is our priority and our only focus," said MacLeod. "So, at the end of the day I can't control those variables. All we can do is control what we've been doing." MacLeod admitted that obviously her players are aware of what's going on, but she and her coaching staff will continue to ensure the focus remains on the series considering how hard they worked to get there. Minnesota coach Ken Klee had much of the same mindset. "You know, it's just one of those things," said Klee. "Again, we're here to play." Creating competitive teams The expansion process, to ensure Vancouver and Seattle can be competitive in 2025-26, includes a player protection phase, an exclusive signing window, the expansion draft and the 2025 PWHL Draft. Each of the six original PWHL teams will ultimately lose four players from their current rosters during the multi-stage process, which starts with teams submitting a list of protected players by June 3. Beginning June 4, the expansion teams will have a five-day exclusive signing window to sign up to a maximum five unprotected or expiring-contract players. This will be followed by the Expansion Draft on June 9, where Seattle and Vancouver will alternate picks to build 12-player rosters, selecting from remaining unprotected players under contract or whose rights are held for the 2025—26 season. The full order of selections and additional signing windows will be announced in the coming weeks. "Obviously, it's information, you know, we've been hoping to have, and you want to know what's going on in the future," said Minnesota defender Lee Stecklein. "But it is the future at this point and these games are right in front of us. So, it's nice to be able to talk to each other and sort of, again, kind of, have some questions answered." No. 3 vs No. 4 showdown Ottawa punched its ticket to the final with a 3-1 series win over the top-seeded Montreal Victoire in their best-of-five semifinal, while Minnesota beat second-seeded Toronto by the same margin, setting the stage for a championship showdown between the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. Minnesota, which enters the series as the defending Walter Cup champion, will present a different challenge for the Charge. In their semifinal against Montreal, the Charge focused on containing the Victoire's top line. Against Minnesota, the challenge will be far more difficult. The Frost, who led the league in scoring during the regular season, boast impressive depth, with 11 different players finding the back of the net in their opening series. They scored 18 goals in the first round compared to Ottawa's eight. "We take pride in playing good defensively and not giving them many chances and, obviously, Gwyn (Philips) played outstanding that series so we'll definitely rely on her a lot," said Ottawa defender Ashton Bell. "I think just our structure and where we're at in our play is definitely something that speaks a lot about how we limited their top line to not many, zero, if any goals. So, we'll definitely use that going into this next series." Philips' play in goal had a significant impact on Ottawa's success, whereas the Frost split duties between Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney. "We know we need both," said Klee. "Both are going to be involved. They know, their mentality is I've got to earn my next start and that's kind of served us pretty good." The series gets underway Tuesday in Ottawa.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Science
- CBC
Hamas releases Israeli-American hostage after 584 days
There is celebration as the last living American hostage in Gaza -- 21-year-old Edan Alexander -- has been released by Hamas. A close friend of the family describes their elation. After the US and China agree to put tariffs on hold for 90 days, a supply chain expert tells us that's great -- but a suspension isn't the same as a solution. A sociology organization decides to move some sections of its upcoming conference north of the border -- because some Canadian members refuse to travel to the US. A Soviet-era spacecraft was meant to land on Venus spent more than 50 years trapped in Earth's obit -- until this weekend, when it finally came crashing down. Somewhere. The Professional Women's Hockey League breaks a record for the longest game, as Montreal and Ottawa battle their way into quadruple overtime. A fan who was there tells us how she survived the five-and-a-half hour match. And, it's the end of the end of the world as we know it. Scientists reveal that the universe will decay billions and billions of years earlier than they previously thought -- meaning the end of the world is merely billions and billions and billions of years away. As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that greets you with open arm-ageddons.
