New York, N.Y. – The NWHL (National Women’s Hockey League) will host a camp for international players from July 23 to 27, 2015 in Wilmington and Marlboro, Mass.
In June, the league invited players from Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Russia, and Japan, and they have now extended an additional invite to a select group of players from last week’s Canadian Training Camp Series.
“We saw a great amount of talent in Canada during last week’s training camp series and wanted to invite select players back so they could have another opportunity to showcase their talent with some of the best international players from around the world,” said Dani Rylan, NWHL Commissioner.
One player eager to display her talent at the International Team Camp is the goaltender for Japan’s National Team, Nana Fujimoto. Fujimoto is the starting goaltender for Team Japan and played in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Japan was an unexpected qualifier in the 2014 Games for women’s ice hockey, entering the Olympics ranked 10th in the world.
Fujimoto also played for Team Japan during the 2015 Women’s World Championships, where she was selected as the best goaltender of the tournament.
“If I am able to develop my skills by playing in the NWHL, I believe that I could be a role model for young hockey players in Japan. This league will provide a great opportunity to all women hockey players,” said Fujimoto.
The International Camp will include a skills session on Thursday, July 23 at Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington, Mass., as well as participation in the AAA Division of the Beantown Classic at NESC in Marlboro, Mass.
The NWHL has entered three teams into the Beantown Classic: one for International Camp attendees and two for other prospective NWHL players. Free agency ends on August 17, making this camp one of the last opportunities for players to be considered for the league before the four teams finalize rosters for the 2015-16 season, which begins in October 2015.
Information about the league’s key dates, registration, camps and other details can be found at NWHL.co.
