#nwhl draft 2020

[whalepropaganda]

In honor of the start of the season, here’s this!

Now with the promised text-only edition below!

Slide 1:

[image: The Connecticut Whale logo (a blue silhouette of a whale surrounded by a blue, white, and green letter C appears in the background]

Your 2022-23 Connecticut Whale—a primer by whalepropaganda

 Slide 2: Overview.

The Connecticut Whale is a professional hockey team that plays within the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF; formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League, or NWHL). The Whale is one of the Founding Four teams in the league and the only one of those four that has yet to win the Isobel Cup. They were really bad for several years, but now they’re really good!

NUMBER ONE IN THE LEAGUE LAST SEASON BAYBEYYYY

[image: A red arrow points toward a partial screenshot of the 2021-22 PHF standings. The Whale are at the top of the standings.]

anyway then they lost to Boston in the Isobel Cup Final and honestly I’m still Quite Annoyed About It

Whale games are broadcast on ESPN+ in the US, TSN+ in Canada, and ESPN Affiliates in other countries.

Whale home games will (mostly) take place at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury.

[image: a partial map of New England. The location of the International Skating Center of Connecticut is circled in red and has an arrow pointing to it. The city of Boston is visible near the edge of the map and is crossed out with a red X]

 Slide 3: Oh Captain My Captain

[image: Shannon Turner smiling while surrounded by several teammates, all wearing the Whale’s 2021-22 pride jerseys]

Shannon Turner (prev. Shannon Doyle)

Position: Defender | Born: March 6, 1992 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Markham, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 2 | A 5 | Pts 7 | PIM 10

•        One of the few remaining original NWHLers!

•        Also an English teacher!

•        Was part of the first Canadian roster to win a gold medal at U18 Women’s Worlds (2010)!

•        Won a 2021–22 PHF Foundation Award!

•        Came out of retirement for last season and got soooo close to winning the Cup, but alas L L L She says this will be her last season, so I’m gonna need the Whale to remember one thing:

[image: “Do it for her” meme from the Simpsons, with photos of Shannon added to it]

This is Theo! He’s excellent.

[image: A red arrow points toward a photo of a very cute German Shepherd dog]

 Slide 4: Alternate Captains

Alyssa, Janine, and Emma are returning As; Kennedy is new to the leadership group [smiley face emote]

Alyssa Wohlfeiler

[image: photo of Alyssa from during a game]

Position: Forward | Born: May 6, 1989 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Saugus, California, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 8 | A 8 | Pts 16 | PIM 8

•        Wohlfy!

•        An original NWHLer

Janine Weber

[image: headshot of Janine in her Whale jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: June 19, 1991 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Innsbruck, Austria

2021–22 stats: GP 16 | G 5 | A 8 | Pts 13 | PIM 6

•        The first player ever to sign an NWHL contract!

•        Won 2015 Clarkson Cup (CWHL), 3x D1A Worlds silver & more

Emma Vlasic

[image: photo of Emma in her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Position: Forward | Born: September 2, 1996 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Wilmette, Illinois, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 4 | A 9 | Pts 13 | PIM 4

•        Like basically every player with the last name Vlasic, she’s Pickles

Kennedy Marchment

[image: photo of Kennedy in street clothes, flashing a peace sign]

Position: Forward | Born: December 6, 1996 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Courtice, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 13 | A 20 | Pts 33 | PIM 8

•        Holy crap she’s good

•        2021–22 PHF MVP!

•        Led league in assists and points last season

  Slide 5: Returning Forwards

Amanda Conway

[image: photo of Amanda Conway wearing her 2021-22 pride jersey]

Born: December 26, 1996 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Methuen, Massachusetts, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 12 | A 9 | Pts 21 | PIM 4

•        Nineteenth overall pick in the 2020 draft!

•        Ranked second in goals and third in points on the Whale last season

•        One of the most, if not the most, underrated Whale players imho

Janka Hlinka

[image: photo of Janka from during a game]

Born: October 31, 1995 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Stratford, Connecticut, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 16 | G 1 | A 1 | Pts 2 | PIM 2

•        Born in USA but represents Slovakia in international competition!

•        Also known as Janka Hlinkova

•        Won D1A bronze in 2022

Taylor Girard

[image: photo of Taylor in athleticwear, giving a thumbs up]

Born: July 17, 1998 | Height: 5’10” | Hometown: Macomb, Michigan, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 11 | A 13 | Pts 24 | PIM 14

•        First overall pick in the 2021 Draft!

•        2021–22 PHF Newcomer of the Year

•        Ranked second on the team in assists and points

•        Also tied for second in PIM lol

Melissa Samoskevich

[image: headshot of Melissa in her Whale jersey, doing the Brandon Tanev stare]

Born: March 31, 1997 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Sandy Hook, Connecticut, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 7 | G 1 | A 1 | Pts 2 | PIM 0

•        Second overall pick in the 2018 draft!

•        Won U18 Worlds silver in 2014 and gold in 2015 (and scored the most goals of the 2015 tournament, with six)

•        Won gold at Worlds in 2019

  Slide 6: Returning Defenders

Tori Howran

[image: photo of Tori in her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Born: June 11, 1998 | Height: 5’9” | Hometown: Bancroft, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 0 | A 8 | Pts 8 | PIM 10

•        Seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft!

•        Won silver at U18 Worlds in 2016

•        Co-owns a business called A&T Sewing and makes very cute stuff

Hannah Bates

[image: photo of Hannah wearing an athletic shirt with the Whale logo]

Born: May 20, 1999 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Trenton, Michigan, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 1 | A 4 | Pts 5 | PIM 6

•        Twentieth overall pick in the 2021 draft!

•        Currently youngest player on the team

•        Adorable tbh

Allie Munroe

[image: photo of Allie wearing her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Born: April 20, 1997 | Height: 5’6” | Hometown: Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 3 | A 10 | Pts 13 | PIM 14

•        Led Whale defenders in scoring last season

•        Nominated for 2021–22 PHF Defender of the Year

Slide 7: Returning Goalie

Abbie Ives

[image: photo of Abbie in street clothes, holding her sticks]

Born: October 7, 1998 | Height: 5’11” | Hometown: Bedford Hills, New York, USA

2021–22 stats: GS 15 | W 10 | L 3 | OTL 2 | Sv% .894

•        Nominated for 2021–22 PHF Goaltender of the Year!

•        The tallest member of the team

•        Notorious among her teammates for her phone always being dead

  Slide 8: Whalecome Back

(players who used to play for the Whale and then didn’t play for the Whale and now are once again playing for the Whale)

Kateřina Mrázová

[image: photo of Katka in her Team Czechia jersey, holding her bronze medal from 2022 Worlds]

Position: Forward | Born: October 19, 1992 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: Praha, Czechia

Most recent team(s): Team Czechia; Brynäs IF (SDHL)  

•        Katka!

•        Played for the Whale in 2018–19

•        Won 2013 Clarkson Cup (CWHL)

•        Won D1A Worlds gold in 2014 and 2015

•        Won bronze at Worlds in 2022 (Czechia’s first medal at that tournament!)

 Meeri Räisänen

[image: photo of Meeri in her Team Finland jersey, sticking her tongue out]

Position: Goalie | Born: December 2, 1989 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Tampere, Finland

Most recent team(s): Team Finland; JYP U20 Akatemia (U20 Mestis)

•        Played for the Whale in 2018–19

•        Won bronze medals at Worlds in 2015 and 2021

•        Won bronze at the Olympics in 2018 and 2022

Slide 9: Primer I Hardly Know ‘Er!

(the new additions)

Caitrin Lonergan

[image: photo of Caitrin in her Clarkson University jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: September 10, 1997 | Height: 5’6” | Hometown: Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Clarkson University

•        U18 silver (2014)

•        U18 gold (2015)

Lenka Serdar

[image: photo of Lenka in her Whale jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: July 21, 1997 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Lexington, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Team Czechia; Linköping HC (SDHL)

•        Born in US but plays for Czechia

•        Competed at 2021 Worlds and the 2022 Olympics

Justine Reyes

[image: photo of Justine in street clothes]

Position: Forward | Born: February 14, 1997 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Chino Hills, California, USA

Most recent team(s): Linköping HC (SDHL)

•        Was 2018–19 MVP at St. Lawrence University

Emma Keenan

[image: photo of Emma in her Buffalo Beauts jersey]

Position: Defender | Born: November 26, 1997 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Mission Viejo, California, USA

Most recent team(s): Buffalo Beauts (PHF)

•        2x NCAA champion with Clarkson University

Mallory Souliotis

[image: photo of Mal in her Boston Pride jersey and a bucket hat after winning the Isobel Cup in 2022 (sigh)]

Position: Defender | Born: April 1, 1996 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: Acton, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Boston Pride (PHF)

•        2x Isobel Cup champion with the Pride (2021, 2022)

•        Won a 2018–19 PHF Foundation Award

Tori Sullivan

[image: photo of Tori in her Boston Pride jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: August 4, 1996 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA

Most recent team(s): Boston Pride (PHF)

•        2x Isobel Cup champion with the Pride (2021, 2022)

  Slide 10

Misc. Fun Facts

•        Jessica Strack, who was a practice player for most of last season and officially signed with the team late in the season, is back as a practice player for 2022–23. She’s also the Whale’s current equipment manager.

•        Longtime NWHL/PHF player and 2018 Isobel Cup champion Kiira Dosdall-Arena (D) is a practice player this season.  

•        Meeri and Katka are sharing a beach rental in Milford for the season (seemingly also with the Whale’s new athletic trainer). Taylor, Amanda, Tori H., and Hannah are also sharing a rental on the beach. (I feel like these are fun facts, idk)

 “Is [Whale Player] Related to [Dude]?” Containment Zone

•        Mason Marchment is Kennedy’s cousin

•        Alex Vlasic is Emma’s brother, and Marc-Édouard Vlasic is her cousin

•        Mackie Samoskevich is Melissa’s brother

•        The cool guy who showed up to the 2022 playoffs in a whale costume is Janine’s husband, Bruce

 Team Staff

•        Coach: Colton Orr

•        Assistant coaches: Jeff Devenney, Sue Merz

•        Consulting coach: Jack Han

•        General manager: Alexis Moed

 Where Are They Now?

(i.e., are players from the 2021–22 roster playing hockey this season, and if so, where?)

•        Hanna Beattie: Whale director of youth hockey and gameday operations

•        Kaycie Anderson: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Taylor Marchin: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Catherine Crawley: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Kati Tabin: Toronto Six (PHF)

•        Mariah Fujimagari: AIK (SDHL)

•        Rebecca Morse: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Emily Fluke: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Cailey Hutchison: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Emma Polaski: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

[jockcoded]

NWHL Draft - Round 1

1. Boston Pride - Sammy Davis

F | BU | Pembroke, MA, USA

Boston scored with Davis, who was the projected first overall pick. She led the Terriers in points her senior year, recording 66-76-142 in 147 games over the course of her college career. Davis also won the Beanpot as MVP for the Terriers. She also played for the US U18 national team during the 2014-15 season and for Tabor Academy from 2013-15.

2. Connecticut Whale - Kayla Friesen

F | Clarkson | Winnipeg, MB, CAN

The first of many Canadians drafted, Friesen adds to the impressive future the Whale has in front of them. She had a record of 16-34-50 at St. Cloud State, before transferring to Clarkson her senior year and recording a career best 10-20-30 in 28 games. She’s played for the Canadian U18 team in 2015-16, winning silver at World Juniors.

3. Buffalo Beauts - Carly Jackson

G | UMaine | Amherst, NS, CAN

While an unexpected pick, Jackson is a solid choice for the Beauts. Starting for UMaine her entire college career, she graduated with an overall 2.18 GAA and a .922 SVS% in 122 games. The Beauts have been deep in goal as of late, and while there’s a level of uncertainty, Jackson will likely back up in Buffalo, considering she’s had no previous national team ties.

4. Metropolitan Riveters - Saroya Tinker

D | Yale | Oshawa, ON, CAN

The Metro picks up a reliable stay at home defensemen in Tinker, who didn’t show up on the scoreboard much in her 122 games at Yale, finishing with a record of 5-27-32. However her 242 blocked shots and 163 penalty minutes are worth noting, and will fit into the Riveters identity well. Tinker also won silver at world juniors with Canada in 2015-16.

5. Minnesota Whitecaps - Alex Woken

F | Minnesota | Fargo, ND, USA

Minnesota picks up a skilled two-way forward in Woken, who finished with a record of 38-37-75 in 128 games at the University of Minnesota. While her offensive firepower isn’t what the Whitecaps drafted her for, her high school record of 100-80-180 in 134 games definitely speaks for itself. Woken has appeared on the US U18 team twice.

6. Toronto - Jaycee Gebhard

F | Robert Morris | Plenty, SK, CAN

While the newcomers to the league traded their first overall, they still ended up with Gebhard, who might have been their first anyways. Gebhard is a brilliant pick and a brilliant player for Toronto, drawing comparables to Brianne Jenner, Jill Saulnier, and Hannah Brandt. She scored over a point per game for Robert Morris University, a 74-81-155 record in 139 games, along with a FO% of 57.20%. Gebhard is easily the type of player you want to built a franchise around.

[loserdudes]

boston pro hockey teams see a czech and be like is anyone gonna sign/draft them and then not wait for an answer

[cassmacpherson]

Someone mustve told the beauts that not ALL of your defenders need to be buffalonians with triple digit penalty minutes

[mgrzelcyk]

AYYYY SAMMY DAVIS TO THE PRIDE LFGGGGG

[qualitystart]

Yo can I ask you a question about the draft? Is the nwhl draft kind of set up like the nhl draft? I saw that the pride got the first pick but I thought they were really good this year so wouldn’t they go last? Also I started getting into the pride because of you so thanks❤️

yes indeed - Toronto had that pick originally, but they traded it earlier today:

awwww that’s great!

[play-like-athena]

Rounds 1 and 2 are tonight! Watch live at 7pm/est on Twitter

[toronto-six]

It’s so cool and exciting to see all the hype for last night’s first round of the NWHL Draft. To see other female athletes involved with announcing, and multiple WNBA players excited and tweeting about it, even the Bruins Twitter got involved and TSN reported on Sammy Davis being drafted first overall. 

[pakcricwiz]

NWHL Draft results 2020: Boston Pride select Sammy Davis No. 1 overall

Boston University forward Sammy Davis stays in her collegiate city after going No. 1 overall to the Pride.

from Sporting News RSS https://ift.tt/3d1mivj from Blogger https://ift.tt/2KExrWK

[newsedgepoint095kthworld]

NWHL Draft results 2020: Boston Pride select Sammy Davis No. 1 overall

NWHL Draft results 2020: Boston Pride select Sammy Davis No. 1 overall

The Nationwide Girls’s Hockey League is holding its draft Tuesday and Wednesday simply days after saying the addition of an enlargement workforce in Toronto.  

Earlier Tuesday, the Toronto NWHL franchise accomplished a commerce with the Boston Pleasure, sending the primary general choose and a 2020 fifth-round choice to Boston for the Pleasure’s first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 and a 2021…

[krakenbait]

kraken bait 3: the moment of truth

the moment is finally upon us! no, not the actual expansion draft, that’s in 10 days. i mean my last (but best) installment of the kraken bait expansion draft theories! 

this has been a long, long work in progress, basically since i posted the last one. i’ve asked nearly every hockey fan i know, as well as randomly messaging several friends and cool people on hockeyblr, for their ideas and opinions on their favorite team’s expansion draft situation. and as with my previous lists, i had my friend and capfriendly consultant corwin (@chaos-hockey) collaborating with me to make this semi-reasonable (largely against their wishes). i’ll be including commentary from myself and my variety of sources with each pick. 

for reference, this is a somewhat plausible look at who seattle might take in the expansion draft. it’s not a prediction, because even i don’t honestly think the kraken will take some of these players, but it’s a fun simulation. it does follow expansion draft rules, and even comes under the cap (which took some last-minute finagling by me and corwin).

without further ado, let’s get into it! this list got long, so it’s all under the cut.

Anaheim Ducks: Haydn Fleury

this one comes straight from resident danton heinen fan, ergo ducks fan @dantonheinens, so thanks for your help casey! they sent me a very detailed explanation of anaheim’s expansion draft situation basically explaining that there’s a whole lot of “ands, ifs, or buts” with the ducks, but if fleury is exposed, he’s a slam dunk (slam duck? i’m sorry)

Arizona Coyotes: Christian Fischer

the one thing i know about this dude is he got wrecked in a fight with nathan mackinnon in the 2020 playoffs. this is the first of several picks on this list i borrowed from The Athletic’s mock expansion drafts, which happens if i don’t know the team and i don’t know anyone else who does. corwin and i also considered taking adin hill from the yotes, but we decided on some other goalies instead (stay tuned).

Boston Bruins: Jeremy Lauzon

i have a lot of friends who are bruins fans, so credits are owed to: corwin, casey again, alex (@patron-saint-of-boston-hockey) & luna (@kureally) & any other bruins fans in the nwhl discord, and my irl bruins friends. i got a lot of opinions on the bruins pick, including jake debrusk, jakub zboril, connor clifton, and trent frederic. but the one name almost everyone could agree on was lauzon. therefore, i’ve decided he’s headed to seattle. 

(it feels worth it to mention that at the prospect of having to take someone from the bruins, corwin said “curses be upon your name!” in an aggressively thick boston accent)

Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Asplund

i could not tell you who this is, other than the fact that he’s one of buffalo’s three rasmuses (rasmi?). corwin and i had also talked about maybe putting anders bjork here, like i did in the last go-around, but i defaulted to The Athletic this time, and they thought asplund was a good pick, so here we are.

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano

another pick borrowed from The Athletic, but i’ve seen predictions of giordano to the kraken a fair amount. it just seems right (and a whole lot better than corwin’s proposition of matthew tkachuk from last round).

Carolina Hurricanes: Brady Skjei

this one comes from the lovely @summerteukka, so thank you kinga! she gave me a very good rundown on the canes and the expansion draft, with the conclusion being the canes have so much defensive depth that it’s definitely going to be a defenseman, and especially if they resign dougie hamilton, skjei seems to be a likely choice. i’m all for it- we’ll have “an S and a K and a J all next to each other” on a kraken jersey.

Chicago: Adam Gaudette

similarly to the arizona pick, corwin and i considered a goalie here- in this case, it would have been malcolm subban. but he is not one of the goalies we ended up going for. instead, we opted on bringing micaela gaudette and her husband back to the pacific northwest. 

Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Graves

this is really a no-brainer. gravy is a good defenseman, but the avs have such a strong defense between cale makar, devon toews, and sam girard (and you could add erik johnson when he’s healthy), plus up-and-comers like bo byram. gravy will almost definitely be exposed, and i think he’s a great pick for seattle. plus it’s relatively painless for avs fans who also will like seattle (like yours truly).

(corwin also wanted me to mention that they want gravy traded to the bruins so he can play with curtis hall, who is basically “color-swapped ryan graves”)

Columbus Blue Jackets: Dean Kukan

another pick taken right from The Athletic. i do not know who this is, but he’s a defenseman and the writers liked this pick so i went with it. for the record, corwin really wanted this pick to be boone jenner because he has a funky name, but i wanted another defenseman, so the fun name was sacrificed for function.

Dallas Stars: Jason Dickinson

i don’t really have an explanation for this one. corwin and i were talking about the stars options and picking dickinson just felt right.

Detroit Red Wings: Vladislav Namestnikov

thanks are owed here to joce (@doubleminor) for her red wings expertise! she gave me a few players who were likely kraken bait and i picked from there. it came down to evgeny svechnikov and vladislav namestnikov, but i went with namestnikov in the end. he was with the avs for a brief period and i liked him then, plus the vibes just seem right, so here we are.

Edmonton Oilers: Tyson Barrie

really, tyson barrie was the player who started the whole kraken bait thing. corwin made the drawing, i made the first list, and the rest is history. do i actually think tyson will be going to the kraken in a week? not really. do i still really like the idea of it? 100%. therefore, i will continue to engage in my “tyson barrie to seattle” nonsense.

Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger

oh look, our first goalie! florida had some interesting skater options, but when it came down to it, corwin and i thought the cats were a good place to take a goalie from. driedger did pretty well this season, plus the panthers’ goalie situation is locked up between $10 million man bobrovsky and future star spencer knight.

Los Angeles Kings: Viktor Arvidsson

corwin was feeling pretty strong about this one, so i’m trusting their judgement. according to them, seattle expressed interest in arvidsson, so nashville traded him to the kings instead of giving him up for nothing. now the kings get to give him up for nothing, which works out pretty well, considering i had absolutely no clue who to pick from the kings. 

Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba

like some other picks, this just seems right. i like matt dumba a lot. he seems like a fun and wholesome guy, and his activism, both on his own and with the hockey diversity alliance, is admirable. i hope he gets to display his personality and keep working to better the sport of hockey with the kraken.

Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen

goalie number two! picking a player from the habs was weird because i got attached to them during the playoffs, but i really don’t know many of their players? so corwin and i deliberated on this a little, and after looking at our goalie situation, decided that allen was the right pick from montreal. 

Nashville Predators: Calle Jarnkrok

after doing art for and getting a featured article from the preds, corwin thinks they’re some kind of nashville expert. i originally had matt duchene here, but corwin said not him. their logic? they did art of duchene for their preds project, so they probably want to keep him around. fair point. so we went with calle jarnkrok. the logic behind that choice was simple: “calle jarn-kraken”

New Jersey Devils: Andreas Johnsson

i wish i kept a counter of how many times corwin told me “ron francis doesn’t care about your feelings!” when we were discussing the devils pick. they kept advocating for either nate bastian or mikey mcleod, but i would not stand for the superbuddies being separated. this is my kraken bait list, so my decisions. i asked a few of my devils friends for their input (props to sabs @jakejuentzel and h @bigmouthnatebastian), and in between the mild panic, andreas johnsson got tossed out. therefore, it’s mango getting shipped to seattle. does it further lower the average age of the devils? yeah, but it’ll be fine! the nhl could use some youthful chaos.

New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle

all of my kraken bait ideas for the isles came from the bardown breakdown podcast (a great listen if you like hockey and pop-punk/punk music!), since both hosts are isles fans. they had a few names tossed out, including josh bailey and casey cizikas, but corwin and i decided on eberle. like with a lot of these, right vibes.

New York Rangers: Kevin Rooney

i’ve seen two names pretty consistently for rangers kraken bait: colin blackwell and kevin rooney. is blackwell is better and therefore the more likely pick? yes. but kevin rooney is a former devil and also mocked tom wilson, so i voted he gets to go seattle.

Ottawa Senators: Chris Tierney

i don’t think i could name more than three, maybe four players on the sens, so i defaulted to The Athletic on this one. i have no idea who chris tierney is, but it works, so there we go.

Philadelphia Flyers: James Van Riemsdyk

@phillyjoel left some fantastic notes on the flyers kraken bait in the tags of my last list, giving me good evidence to tell corwin that for the last time, nolan patrick is not kraken bait. the argument i saw was that the flyers are probably going to trade patrick instead of giving him up for nothing and make cap space by giving away van riemsdyk or voracek. The Athletic liked the van riemsdyk pick, and corwin could live with it, so that’s where we settled.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese

i honestly don’t have a whole lot of explanation for this one. another pick borrowed from The Athletic, corwin and i liked it, there we go. we considered going with kris letang, but the vibes weren’t right.

San Jose Sharks: Ryan Donato

shoutout to my sharks friend and amazing artist K (@18minutemajor) for their help! i originally had brent burns in this slot, on K’s suggestion (we had a fantastic exchange about brent burns befriending bigfoot). however, i ran into last-minute cap trouble and had to switch the pick. ryan donato came from The Athletic, but i think it’s kind of a fun pick. he’s been passed between a few teams recently, but most of what i know of ryan donato comes from the 2018 olympics (aka the first time i really watched hockey!), when he was apparently doing pretty well for team usa. 

St. Louis Blues: Vince Dunn

thank you @powerblais (and the blues fans group chat) for your input on this one! vince dunn was one of the names on the list erin sent me, and The Athletic also had him listed, so we went with it. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Blake Coleman

thanks @heddy for responding to my out-of-the-blue message with some good input on the bolts! ana gave me some good suggestions like tyler johnson plus something else so they take on the contract, alex killorn, and ondrej palat. in the end, this devils fan defaulted to pickles. this pick is in the same category as tyson barrie- do i actually think coleman is going to the kraken? not really. do i still like the idea? absolutely.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Travis Dermott

borrowed from The Athletic and some other kraken bait predictions, because everyone has something to say about the leafs. corwin and i waffled between dermott and alexander kerfoot for this pick, but we eventually settled on dermott to seattle.

Vancouver Canucks: Madison Bowey

this pick changed so much in just one day. we originally had braden holtby here because original kraken bait, but then i ran into cap trouble. so i switched it to zack macewen, following a pick by The Athletic. but then i wanted one or two more defensemen, so i switched to madison bowey, who was the other pick from The Athletic. after all that, it seems like the right pick.

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek

our third and final goalie! corwin and i had our eyes on vanecek as kraken bait for a while- a young goalie with promise and room to improve seemed like the right pick for seattle. we briefly considered tj oshie--he’s from washington state, and corwin wanted to upset caps fans (we were talking during the first round of the playoffs)--but ended up back with vanecek as our pick.

Winnipeg Jets: Mason Appleton

last pick of the list! not much to say here, though. it’s a pick borrowed from The Athletic, but we went with him over the other option from the jets because he has a fun name. to quote corwin, mason appleton sounds like “an apple pie in a mason jar on skates.”

and there you have it folks, the final kraken bait list! if you want to know the specifics, we’ve got 3 goalies, 16 forwards, and 11 defensemen, and the total cap hit is 76.4M. i’m pretty doubtful that this will be the actual expansion draft lineup, but we’ll have to see how many, if any, picks corwin and i got right. 

thanks again to everyone who helped me out, and i hope you enjoyed the chaos and commentary of the kraken bait lists!

[jockcoded]

NWHL Draft - Round 2

7. Connecticut Whale - Tori Howran

D | UNH | Bancroft, ON, CAN

Howran comes off as another unexpected pick, however she’s has been a consistent force for UNH, a silver medalist with the Canadian U18 team, and projects to be a major piece for the Whale in the long run. She had a record of 7-48-55 in 139 college games. She’s effective on the powerplay and an impressive penalty killer, with highlights of her play being her shot and her physicality. A solid defender to add to Connecticut’s growing young core. 

8. Toronto - Amy Curlew

F | Cornell | Goose Bay, NL, CAN

Toronto picks up another good choice in Curlew, even without the flash of Gebhard. A consistent two way player for Cornell, she finished her college career with a record of 24-36-60 in 121 games, as well as a 13% shot percentage. Curlew does not have any history with the Canadian national team.

 9. Buffalo Beauts - Codie Cross

D | Northeastern | Aidrie, AB, CAN

Buffalo drafts one of their more pressing needs in Cross, an all-around defender with 62 points and 250 blocked shots in 134 games with the Huskies, playing a physical game with a record of 12-50-62. She projects to compliment Pelletier well on defense for a team with uncertainty on that front. Cross is another silver medalist for the Canadian U18 team in 2015-16. 

10. Metropolitan Riveters - Delaney Belinskas

F | BC | Port Orange, FL, USA

While an interesting pick, Belinskas could make sense for the Riveters. Coming out of her college career with a 49-44-93 record in 151 games with Boston College, as well as 10 game winning goals. Belinskas projects as a dynamic #2 center for the Rivs, possibly complimenting Shatalova. Location is the only question here. 

11. Minnesota Whitecaps - Patti Marshall

D | Minnesota | Thief River Falls, MN, USA

The Whitecaps continue with their monopoly on players out of the University of Minnesota in selecting Marshall. She can solidify an already strong defensive core, as well as chipping in offensively when needed, as her 8-53-61 points record in 150 games shows. Marshall is also a former U18 captain for the US national team, appearing with the national team three times, which is the most interesting about this pick. 

12. Boston Pride - Tereza Vanisova

F | UMaine | Strakonice, CZE

While Davis got the attention early on, Vanisova is both an unexpected and an excellent pick for the Pride. She boasts a point per game average in the NCAA, a record of 66-63-129. While inconsistent at times, Vanisova is a skilled skater and strong playmaker who’s made her impact both at UMaine and for the Czech National team,which she’s appeared with over a dozen times. She also comes out of college with 235 penalty minutes, which can be either a plus or a minus, depending on how you want to look at it.

[loserdudes]

First overall pick for the Boston Pride, Sammy Davis

[axiomsofice]

Feb 2021: Racism in Hockey

Much has been said in the past 24 hours about DeAngelo on the Rangers, who has “played his last game in a Rangers’ uniform” as per GM Gorton. Among the most pertinent examples of of his disgusting behavior comes from his time in the OHL where he was suspended for using a racial slur against a teammate, but the frequency of his behavior, coupled with the remarks of his family members, as well as his transformation into the NHL’s foremost Trump supporter in the 7 years since he’s been drafted have only worked to cement his reputation. Now, after 3 NHL organizations, it seems his vile ways might have seen their last official NHL action. The fact that it is only now, after reports of teammates resorting to violence against him, that a reckoning has perhaps come is quite simply an indictment of the Rangers, the NHL, and the hockey community at large. 

Nevermind that it was only in October 2020 that the Rangers signed him to a new contract, or that reports of bullying and toxic behaviors occurring this season, let alone other concerning incidents involving introductory press conferences, or players refusing to report to the team for psychological reasons in the past year or so. The fact that there has been continued, verifiable accounts of his character all the while getting chance after chance to play in hockey’s top league, 206 games to be exact, while Josh Ho-Sang (from the same draft) has only been afforded 53 is telling. A scouting take on both of them might include a one-dimensional offensive player. Despite the sample being arguably too small, shot metrics prove that is actually not even the case for Ho-Sang, you might think that skillset would hold back a defenceman more than a winger. Not too mention the “controversies” surrounding Ho-Sang are sleeping in once and wanting to wear the number 66(?) don’t even deserved to be mentioned in the same categories as racial abuse, abuse of teammates, and abuse of officials. This is far from equality and even farther from equity. 

This comes days after the release of yet another feature on Jack Adams Coach of the Year winner Ted Nolan. On the first day of Black History month. The week after Barstool wanted to “lock-up” Saroya Tinker during their attempt to cry for sympathy whilst tearing down the NWHL and those who cover it. After the NHL decided not to work with the HDA. After Mitchell Miller was drafted. The first season after Bill Peters was fired. These issues are multiple and present; this is the game right now, not a few years ago when incidents occurred against Wayne Simmonds or PK Subban or when a thin blue line flag was displayed on the ice. Not decades ago with Herb Carnegie being barred/lowballed out of the league. This day, right now. These are the manifestations of racism and white supremacy.

It was not long ago that players from Sweden or Russia were considered lesser because of their passports. Or that large TV personality Don Cherry pedaled false stereotypes about those who didn’t speak English as a first language weekly on national television in Canada. Honestly, these things are still happening. Needless to say that these attitudes are not exclusively related to hockey culture, but it is undeniably part of what it currently is and where it has been for too long. 

I am by no means an expert on these topics, not even hockey if we’re being frank, so naturally there are much better resources available for those interested on getting a deeper understanding of these issues. Heck, I probably have a few misguided thoughts in this rant somewhere, so please check out organizations like Black Girl Hockey Club, books like “A Fly in a Pail of Milk”, or movies like “Soul on Ice”. That being said, across all levels of the sport a better job has to be done. For each terrible story we hear from the NHL there are at least hundreds more happening to regular people, hobbyists, kids, fans. This means more people involved, at every level but especially at the highest levels, who understand the issues of racism alongside others including intersectional feminism. From GMs to coaches to broadcasters to skating instructors to fans, we all have to show up and help change this reality. The more diverse and inclusive the game becomes the greater heights it will be able to ascend to, like everything else. I believe sport can be a tool to help shape a better world, and this is why it’s even more important to be conscious and deliberate in supporting and empowering the people and attitudes that promote such. 

Truth be told, I wanted to write about some of the players of colour that are currently blessing us with their on-ice abilities, such as a game last week where K’Andre Miller and Pierre-Olivier Joseph were the two best defensemen on the ice, or Mikyla Grant-Mentis scoring the GWG in the Toronto 6′s first ever win, but for now I’ll leave with the acknowledgment of how happy I am for them, and how lucky I feel to be witness to the continuing and growing history of Black excellence in the great game.  

[mgrzelcyk]

me, frantically refreshing twitter bc this is so much hockey all at once and i feel alive

[womenshockeydaily]

The 2020 NWHL draft is happening today April 28 and tomorrow April 29. You can watch live on Twitter.