By Janet Schultz, NYHOL; Photos from file of NYHOL
Feature Photo is Savannah Rennie facing off with Lindenwood at the 2019 CHA finals in Buffalo.
2020 NWHL Draft Recap
The one sports league that seems to be functioning in a somewhat normal mode is the National Women’s Hockey League.
While the League didn’t have their Isobel Cup Finals due to the Coronavirus they used the final standings to determine the 2020 Draft and held that Draft on April 28 and 29 via Twitter, as they have done in the past.
Commissioner Dani Rylan invited sports celebrities to make the announcements from the safety of their homes. A thrill for Buffalo to see former Sabre Pat LaFontaine announce the Beaut #1 choice for 2020.
So with that said let’s take a look at the new NWHL players.
Boston traded the new expansion team, Toronto, for the first pick and chose from Boston University Forward Sammy Davis. Davis is a native of Pembroke, Massachusetts and was the 2019 Beanpot MVP. She led the Boston Terriers in goals with 37, added in 24 assists for 41 points in her senior year. She was named Hockey East All-Star and has never went three straight games without a point.
Davis served as assistant captain for Team USA U18 taking the gold at the 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championship. She played four seasons at Tabor Academy and took the John Carleton Award given by the Boston Bruins for exceptional hockey skills and academic excellence. She also played for the Bay State Breakers.
The Connecticut Whale had the second overall pick and chose Kayla Friesen, a forward from Clarkson University. Coming from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friesen played a key role in her lone year with the Knights. She was their fourth leading scorer, even though she was out for nine games due to injury. In 28 games played she had 10 goals and 30 assists. Prior to Clarkson she spent three seasons at St. Cloud/Minn of the WCHA where she had 50 points in 103 games.
Prior to college Friesen played for St. Mary’s Academy of Winnipeg and was a member of Team Canada U18 and Team Manitoba. She is the daughter of former NHL player, Rob Friesen.
The Buffalo Beauts had the third pick and named Carly Jackson, a goalie from the University of Maine, to their roster. Jackson, a native of Amherst, Nova Scotia, is the winningist goalie in the history of U of Maine, making the most waves in history at 3,029; 45 wins in goal, the highest save percentage at .918; the lowest goals against at 2.15 and 10 record shutouts.
Jackson played for the Cumberland Blues of the NSJHL and took the silver at the U18 IIHF Women’s World and gold with Team Nova Scotia at the Atlantic Challenge Cup. She works as the social media/IT coordinator for Basketball Nova Scotia.
Saroya Tinker, a defender, was selected by the Metropolitan Riveters as the fourth overall draftee. Tinker is a graduate of Yale and a native of Oshawa, Ontario. She played in all 32 games as a Senior scoring a goal and 11 assists, as well as her 100th collegiate career goal. She was named to the Nutmeg Classic All Tournament Team, was a member of U18 Team Canada that won silver at the 2016 U18 IIHFf Women’s World and was assistant captain of the Durham West Junior Lightning.
Tinker also won gold with Canada at the 2017 World Ball Hockey Federation Championship. She served as team captain at Monsignor Pau Dwyer Catholic for three years and was Team MVP in 2013-14 and 2014-15. She also played basketball, soccer, track and field, badminton, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee and curling in high school, serving as captain, receiving MVP awards in several of those sports. She is recognized for her organization of “Inside Ride” which raises money for children with cancer. She also has been involved with World Vision since 2004 sponsoring a child from Nepal.
The Minnesota Whitecaps stayed close to home when they chose Forward Alex Woken from the University of Minnesota. The Fargo, North Dakota, native attended Shattuck St. Mary’s and played on their USA National Championship U19 team. She finished there with 188 points (103 goals/85 assists).
At U of Minn she was named WCHA Student Athlete of the Year, WCHA Scholar Athlete and WCHA All Academic Team honoree while serving as assistant captain of the team. She was fifth on the team with a career high 32 points this season and is one of 15 Gophers to play in all 36 games. She also tied for Team Leader in Power Play goals at 4 and second the team with a .193 scoring percentage (16 goals on 38 shots).
Toronto had the final pick , and their first-ever pick, in the first round and choose Forward Jaycee Gebhard from Robert Morris College. Gebhard was the leading scorer for Robert Morris, beating records she set in her junior year including most points at 63, beating the 51 she set last season; 43 assists, beating the 32 she set last season. She has been named Player of the Month by the CHA twice and Player of the Week, twice. She is also a First Team All CHA honoree.
Gebhard, of Plenty, Saskatchewan, served as assistant captain of U18 Team Canada in 2014-15, was JWHL Player of the Year in 2014 and was AAA Midget Rookie of the Year in 2011.
The Connecticut Whale opened Round 2 by selecting Victoria Howran of the University of New Hampshire. The defender is a native of Bancroft, Ontario and is a graduate of North Hastings High School. She was named to Hockey East All Academic Team in her freshman year and has a history of blocking shots on a regular basis. She was eight in blocked shots in her freshman year with 25; fifth in her sophomore year with 42 and had 57 in her senior year.
Howran was a member of the U18 Team for Ontario that won the gold.
Toronto’s second draftee in team history is Amy Curlew of Cornell University. The Forward comes from Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. With the Big Red she had 24 career goals; 46 assists for 50 points in 121 games played. Curlew played for the Oakville Hornets of the Provincial Womens Hockey League, Team Nova Scotia/Labrador and four years at Appleby College. She also played soccer.
Buffalo selected Codie Cross, a defender from Northeastern University who posted 62 points, the 11th most All-Time as a Defender. She posted a Team-High 76 blocks while recording 4 goals and 12 assists. In her freshman year she was named to the WHEA All Tournament Team and was named ProAmbitous Rookie of the Week; sophomore year attended the Canadian National Camp and was named to Hockey Canada 2018 Nations Cup Roster and in her junior year was named to Hockey East All Academic Team. In her Big Red career she played in 134 games posting 12 goals, 50 assists for 60 points on 132 shots.
She attended Edge School, Warner Hockey School and was named Top Defenseman and to the Second Team Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL). She majored in business.
The Riveters selected Boston College Forward Delaney Belinskas. A native of Port Orange, Florida, Belinskas played four seasons at Williston Northampton School, posting 106 points in four years. At BC last season she had 20 goals and 6 assists in 35 games.
Once again the Minnesota White Caps stayed close to home and took Patti Marshall from the University of Minnesota. The defender comes from Thief River Falls, Minn. and is a WCHA All Academic Team honoree. She served as Team Captain in her senior year and posted a goal and 9 assists while taking third overall in blocked shots at 44. Marshall played for Shattuck St. Mary’s where she was on the teams that took the 2013, 2014, 2016 USA National Championships at U19. She was a member of Team USA U18 playing in three IIHF Women’s Worlds with gold in 2015 and 2016 and took part in three USA Hockey Women’s National Festivals.
The final selection in Round 2 went to Boston who selected from the University of Maine, Tereza Vanisova. The Forward is from Strakonice, Czech Republic where she played boys hockey before playing for HC Slavia Prague Women’s Team. She played for the Czech National Team since she was 13 years of age and then attended the Ontario Hockey Training Institute. She was named Co-Rookie of the Year in 2017; named to Second Team All Hockey East in 2018 and was the All Time Leader in Assists with 66 in her senior year at U of Maine. She is also the second All Time U of Maine in scoring with 63 career goals.
Third Round:
The Whale choose first with Connecticut selecting Savannah Rennie from Syracuse University. The Forward is from East St.Paul Manitoba and played at Shaftesburg Titan Prep for four years.
The Buffalo Beauts had the second selection with Autumn MacDougal from the University of Alberta. The Forward was introduced as the “only professional hockey player to come from Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia.” She is described as a “talented offensive weapon who creates chances.”
Toronto selected Erin Locke, a forward from York University born in Toronto. She played for the Etobicoke Junior Dolphins of the PWHL and was Team Captain at York. Her brother, Eric, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013.
The Metropolitan Riveters selected Tera Hoffman, a goalie from Yale and a native of Toronto. She went into the record books at Yale by posting 6 shutouts, fifth overall; and 1,904 saves, seventh best overall. She also played at Ursula Franklin Academy.
Minnesota had the 17th overall selection and took Presley Narby, a forward from the University of Wisconsin and native of Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Taylor Wenczkowski of the University of New Hampshire was selected by Boston as the final choice in Round three of the NWHL Draft. The Forward comes from Rochester, New Hampshire.
Round 4:
Connecticut selects Amanda Conway, Norwich University, a forward. Hometown: Methuen, Mass. Played for the Boston Shamrocks of the JWHL.
Buffalo: Kelly O’Sullivan of Adrian College. Defender from Inverness Illinois who played for the Chicago Mission. She is a four-time All-American Athlete and is said to play at a high level. In 31 games this past season she had 14 goals and 21 assists; had the second-best plus/minus record at +27; was named to First Team AHCA/CCM All American Athlete and NCHA All Conference and All Academic Team.
Metropolitan Riveters: Forward Bridgette Prentiss from Franklin Pierce College and a native of Buffalo, New York. She played for Nichols School in Buffalo and in 31 games played at FP she had 190 goals and 26 assists on 125 shots with one hattrick.
Toronto: Forward Natalie Marcuzzi of Robert Morris. She is from Thornhill, Ontario and played for the MIssissauga Junior Chiefs. She has experience from playing in both CHA Tournaments.
Minnesota: Haley Mack, a Forward, from Bemidji State. The East Grand Forks, Minn. native is a WCHA Scholar Athlete and played for the Minnesota Revolution Junior Team from 2014 to 2016.
Boston: Clarkson University’s Taylor Turnquist a defender from Blaine, Minn.
Connecticut: Forward Nicole Guagliardo from Adrian College who also played for Lindenwood and Mercyhurst in her collegiate career. She is from Hoffman Estates, Illinois and was named AHCA All American and NCHA All Conference in 2020.
Buffalo: Logan Land from Rochester Institute of Technology. A Defender who comes from Turkey Point, Ontario and played for the Burlington Barracudas. In her RIT career she had 10 goals and 17 assists in 112 games. This was Buffalo’s final pick in the 2020 NWHL Draft.
Connecticut: Maddie Bishop, a forward from Sacred Heart. She served as co-captain this season and was named First Team All NEWHA after an 11 goal/19 assist season. She is fourth in the NEWHA in assists.
Minnesota: Maddie Rowe from the University of Wisconsin. The defender was a member of the 2019 National Championship Wisconsin Team and also played for St.Croix Valley Tusin. She is a recipient of the Molly Engstrom Award for Top Female Defender.
Boston had the final two picks of the evening and chose Meghara McManus, a forward from the University of New Hampshire and Paige Capistran a defender from Northeastern.
McManus comes from Milton, Mass. and in 36 games had 17 goals and 10 assists leading the team in points and goals.
Capistran is from Manchester, New Hampshire and was the recipient of the 2020 Hockey East Sportsmanship Award. She served as captain in her senior year.
The next step for this athletes is signing contracts with the NWHL for the upcoming season.
