By Janet Schultz, NYHOL
The pandemic continues to keep us from our daily routines and activities; including hockey. But the NWHL continues to move forward by preparing for the 2020-21 season.
First and foremost is the expansion to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The following is a statement from the NWHL issued earlier.
“Toronto is without question the sports capital of Canada,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “The addition of a Toronto team for the National Women’s Hockey League is most welcome by our city and one that I know many Torontonians will embrace as they have with all of our other sports teams. Our city has a rich history with professional women’s hockey and we are excited to begin this next chapter with the NWHL. I hope that this team achieves success and longevity in our city and that this team will serve as an inspiration for young girls to pursue careers in professional sports.”
The ownership team is led by Johanna Neilson Boynton, who played four years at Harvard, serving as captain for two seasons, and is the CEO and co-Founder of Boynton Brennan Builders. Sports team owner and executive Tyler Tumminia, who in recent years was named one of the Top 25 Female Executives by Bleacher Report and received the Game Changer award from Sports Business Journal, will serve as the club’s Chairman. Digit Murphy, who has more than three decades of experience leading teams at Brown University and in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, has been named President. Murphy will oversee the hiring of a general manager and head coach for Toronto’s team.
Embracing the opportunity to be pioneers on the NWHL’s first team in Canada, five players have signed contracts to join Toronto for the upcoming season:
Kristen Barbara: The 27-year-old defender from Mount Hope, Ontario won the Clarkson Cup with the Markham Thunder in the CWHL’s final season in 2019. Barbara played three seasons in the CWHL after an impressive collegiate career at York University in Toronto; Elaine Chuli: The 25-year-old goaltender from Waterford, Ontario played in the CWHL for the Toronto Furies and Vanke Rays. The No. 1 goaltender at the University of Connecticut for all of her four years at college, Chuli was a member of gold medal-winning Team Canada at the U-18 World Championships in 2012.
Shiann Darkangelo, who as a member of the U.S. National Team, Darkangelo won a gold medal in 2016 at the IIHF World Championship and competed in two Four Nations Cups. Before playing in the CWHL for Toronto and Kunlun, the 26-year-old forward from Michigan was a popular player in the NWHL with Buffalo and Connecticut. Darkangelo played collegiately at Syracuse and Quinnipiac and won gold with the U.S. National Team at the U-18 World Championships in 2011.
Emma Greco, the 25-year-old defender from Burlington, Ontario played for the Toronto Furies in the CWHL’s final season. After her college career at Quinnipiac, Greco played in the 2017-18 NWHL season with the Connecticut Whale. She is regarded as a very reliable stay-at- home defender capable of playing in all key situations.
Taylor Woods, after an outstanding four years at Cornell – serving as an alternate captain in her senior season – Woods was a mainstay in the lineup of the Markham/Brampton Thunder of the CWHL starting in 2016. The 25-year-old versatile forward from Morden, Manitoba won the Clarkson Cup with Markham in 2019. Woods was also a member of gold medal-winning Team Canada at the U-18 World Championships in 2012.
The team will be known as the Toronto 6.
The NWHL announced that the 2020 Isobel Cup Final between the Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps has been canceled due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The game, originally scheduled for March 13, was postponed the previous morning. The decision to cancel the game was reached collaboratively by the NWHL, the NWHLPA, and the players, coaches and leadership of the Pride and Whitecaps.
Continuing to build for the 2020-2021 season the NWHL teams have worked on signing players during the past few weeks. Here’s an update on the May signings.
Buffalo Beauts:
Carly Jackson of Nova Scotia was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft. She comes from the University of Maine.
Dominique Kremer comes from Merrimack College but spent last season with the SDHL Djurgafdens IF as a defender.
Cassidy MacPherson re-signed with the Beauts for her second season.
Lenka Curmova will also play her second NWHL season with the Beauts.
Whitney Dove of Port Moody, BC has signed with the Beauts. She comes from Providence College where she was named to the Hockey East Second Team All Star in 2020.
Metropolitan Riveters:
They have signed Saroya Tinker, fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft; Tera Hoffman, a third round selection for the Rivers; Sammy Kolowerat from the University of Vermont and the Czech Republic National Team; Kate Leary, the NWHL Newcomer of the Year for 2020 has re-signed with the Riveters.
Most recently the Riveters have signed Sonjia Shelly and Buffalo’s Emily Janiga. Janiga played for the Beauts in 2017 when they took the Isobel Cup.
Boston Pride:
Jillian Dempsey, captain, has re-signed as well as Lauren Kelly, Jenna Rheault and Mallory Souliotis. Terezza Vanisova, 12th overall pick in 2020 signed along with Lovisa Selander; Tori Sullivan. Carlee Turner is the most recent signing for the Pride.
Connecticut Whale:
Tori Howran, a defender and seventh overall pick in the 2020 Draft; Hanna Beattie, Katelynn Russ, and Taylor Marchin have re-signed; Maggie LaGue from Robert Morris College and the 22nd pick overall in the 2018 NWHL draft; Abbie Ives, a goaltender from Quinnipiac and Amanda Conway, the 2020 Laura herd Award recipient from Norwich University.
Melissa Samoskevich signed with the Whale. The Quinnipiac alum played on the 2019 IIHF USA Team that took the gold medal.
Minnesota:
They have signed Amanda Boulier.
Toronto Six:
Kelly Babstock, a former Buffalo Beaut, has made the decision to return to the league next season and has signed with the Toronto Six.
In addition to Babstock and the first five players they have also signed Sara-Eve Coutu Godbout from Quinnipiac; Brooke Boquist from Thunder Bay; Mikyla Grant, who played four games with Buffalo last season; Samantha Ridgewell, Jenna McParland, Amy Curlew and Natalie Marcuzzi.
The most recent signing to the Toronto Six is Syracuse stand-out Lindsay Eastwood. She was the CHA Best Defender last season.
