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2021 NWHL Draft Recap: The Toronto Six

The Six drafted eight

The Toronto Six made eight picks in the 2021 NWHL entry draft. The picks included five forwards and three defenders, and it’s a pretty safe bet that most of them will play for the team at some point this season.

Maegen Beres (F), 3rd overall from Boston College

Fittingly, it was the Toronto Six to take the first Canadian born player in the draft with their first pick. North Vancouver born, Maegen Beres is an alum of the Boston College Eagles. In her senior year with BC, Beres served as captain and played in 19 of 20 games. Her career high in goal scoring with the Eagles came in 2019-20, with four goals and nine assists.

Beres has already signed with the Six for the 2021 season.

“I couldn’t be more excited to play for the Six under some of the greatest female hockey ambassadors, and to grow the game for future generations,” she said.

Tatum Skaggs (F), 4th overall from Ohio State University

Tatum Skaggs had an outstanding four years at Ohio State.

When the Six announced that Skaggs would be their second pick in the draft, it had already been announced by the EWHL’s EHV Sabres, that she had committed to play in Vienna in 2021-22. Skaggs took to Twitter following the draft to confirm that she’ll be continuing her career in Austria.

Taylor Davison (D), 5th overall from York University

Davison finished the 2019-20 season as the second highest scoring defender in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with four goals and 16 assists in 24 games. That same year, Davison and the rest of the York University Lions ended a seven-year playoff drought, making it all the way to the OUA final, where they ultimately lost to the University of Toronto, but also earned a berth in the National tournament.

The 2020 OUA final was the last game that Davison played as Nationals were cancelled, as was the entire 2020-21 athletic season across Canada.

Toronto’s home rink, Canlan Ice Sports, is shared with the York University hockey program, so although Davison didn’t get the end to her University career that she was expecting, if she signs with the Six, she’ll be returning to familiar territory.

Davison won’t have to take much time adjusting to the Toronto Six’s brand of hockey, the speed and physicality (and fun) were hallmarks of York’s 2020 playoff run.

Annie MacDonald (F), 9th overall from Princeton

Annie MacDonald is another draft pick whose senior season was cancelled because of COVID-19. In the three seasons prior, she had a career total of 10 goals and 33 assists with Princeton. With Princeton, MacDonald played in two NCAA tournaments and won the 2020 ECAC tournament title in 2020. Princeton had qualified for the NCAA championships, but never got the chance to play.

MacDonald’s name was called by fellow Princeton Alum and former Riveter, Kelsey Koelzer. She became the third player out of Princeton to be drafted by an NWHL team.

Rachel Marmen (D) 10th overall from Mercyhurst University

Marmen is another puck moving, offense minded defender that the Toronto Six seem to like drafting. In four years with Mercyhurst, she had 52 points in 123 games (13 G, 39 A).

Marmen is another Ontario born and raised player, which bodes well for the Six when it comes to actually getting her signed. Getting PK Subban to announce her name can’t hurt either.

Leah Marino (F), 16th overall from Robert Morris University

Leah Marino was one of three players selected from Robert Morris University just a little over a month after it was announced that RMU would be cutting both men’s and women’s hockey programs. She’s played three seasons for RMU with 11 (5G, 6A) points in 97 games.

Marino appeared on the NWHL’s draft show following her selection where she talked about looking up to RMU alum Natalie Marcuzzi, who played for the Six last season.

“When it became an opportunity for me to be able to potentially play for Toronto she made me feel super confident in the decision and I was really lucky to have her on my side,” said Marino

Olivia Atkinson (F), 22nd overall from Concordia University

Olivia Atkinson is another product of Canadian University hockey, though her journey is definitely a unique one.

Atkinson started her collegiate career with McGill University in Montreal. She had a solid first season in 2015-16, and even stronger second and third seasons. In her second year, Atkinson scored 13 goals and had 12 assists in 20 games and followed that up with eight goals and eight assists in 20 games the following season.

In 2018, Atkinson transferred to Concordia, McGill’s biggest rivals. Because of USports and RSEQ regulations regarding transfers, Atkinson had to sit out the 2018-19 season, but because there are no USports rules equivalent to the NCAA’s amateurism rules, she was able to play for Les Canadiennes in the CWHL while completing classes in behavioural neuroscience. With Les Canadiennes, she had two goals and one assist. In her fifth and final year of USports eligibility, Atkinson played all 20 games with Concordia, scoring 7 points (3G, 4A).

Daria Tereshkina 28th overall from The University of Maine

Though the Six often draft and sign players from the Greater Toronto Area, they’re certainly not opposed to finding talent from outside the pool of Ontario born hockey players. Daria Tereshkina was one of only three non-North American players selected this year, and the only Russian born player.

The defender played four seasons for the University of Maine, scoring 29 points (10G, 19A) in 110 games. Tereshkina has also played for the Russian national team, both as a member of the U18 team in 2016 and a member of the senior team 2019 at the World Championship.

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