A Look at the New York Sirens' Training Camp Roster

Realistically speaking, I don't know what I can say about this training camp roster that my esteemed colleague Lydia Murray hasn't already said in her roster status report from a little over a month ago. There aren't many, if any real surprises or names that make you scratch your head, and considering the strength of the termed players versus the strength of the players they may have coming in, I think we might be in for a treat once the puck drops.

Instead, what I'd like to do is take a look at the players the Sirens have coming to camp, see who might gel the best with the players signed, and figure out what we might be able to expect moving forward into the winter months with this squad. If any of that sounds intriguing to you... I invite you to keep reading, friend.

Forwards

Signed: Alex Carpenter, Jade Downie-Landry, Abby Roque, Jessie Eldridge, Chloé Aurard, Élizabeth Giguère, Jillian Saulnier, Noora Tulus

FA/Draftees: Emmy Fecteau, Sarah Fillier, Alexa Gruschow, Paetyn Levis, Savannah Norcross, Elle Hartje, Madison Packer, Gabby Rosenthal, Kayla Vespa

The biggest – well, sort-of – question mark is: what is going on with Sarah Fillier? The former Princeton record-breaker and first overall pick of 2024 has yet to sign any sort of contract with New York, and it's looking like GM Pascal Daoust wanted to shore up his existing pipeline of players with contracts before turning to the young guns. Which is understandable, but with a talent like Fillier's, which has been witnessed not just on the collegiate level but internationally, I think you can afford to take a bit of a gamble. Then again, maybe Fillier wants to prove she's deserving of a bigger bag – in which case, she better bring it to camp.

Paetyn Levis and Madison Packer are both camp invitees who played with the team last year, and I think both can bring something to this squad – both have the ability to provide some depth scoring, plus Packer has the added intangibles of veteran leadership and playoff experience, something the Sirens could definitely use. However, they did sign a player with just that in Tulus, with an upside of Tulus being a little younger and more recently successful. While I think Packer is a great addition to any roster (as much as the latent Beauts fan in me hates to admit that), I can certainly see them going in a different direction as much as I could see them keeping her around. Same with Gruschow, who joined the team late in the season but didn't impact the scoresheet in four games played.

There are also younger players, like Fecteau and Hartje, who can provide depth scoring, and Hartje is a solid two-way player who I think can thrive if given the space in a league like this one.

Defenders

Signed: Micah Zandee-Hart, Ella Shelton, Maja Nylén Persson

FA/Draftees: Taylor Baker, Olivia Zafuto, Allyson Simpson, Madison Bizal

First off, I'm excited to see what Zandee-Hart can bring to a full season of play with the Sirens. She missed a significant amount of time last year due to injury, which left a big hole. Thankfully, the Sirens had a juggernaut of an offensive defender in Shelton, who was my vote for Defender of the Year simply based on her amazing awareness with the puck and ability to drive the play.

Nylén Persson has to be my favorite signing for New York thus far. I love watching her play for Sweden – every time she's on the ice, she can make things happen, and I'm expecting some amazing transition and special teams play from her come winter. Amongst the rest of the crop, there may well be room for everyone as this team doesn't have a whole lot signed on the blueline, but I really like the grit and physicality of Zafuto and think she can bring that again. I also love Simpson, who provides size and great offensive upside and can set New York apart from some other teams who struggled with transitioning from the back end to the front.

Goaltenders

All three goalies – Kayle Osborne, Corinne Schroeder, and Abigail Levy – have been signed by New York, meaning there are no surprises in net this year. I can't imagine Osborne will get a ton of time, but considering she played under Greg Fargo for her collegiate career, it wouldn't be surprising to see her get at least a couple of starts. Still, I think Schroeder proved last year that it's her net, and her getting term was a given for me after a strong outing that unfortunately went sour toward the end, but only due to the dysfunction of the team in front of her. As for Levy, I think she's still figuring out how to use her size well, but she's got some time to do that.

Altogether, I'm definitely of a like mind with Lydia that general manager Pascal Daoust has a good idea of what he needed to fix with this team. Now it's up to his coaching staff to make that come alive on the ice, and it's a bonus that Greg Fargo has a level of familiarity with a lot of these players that can come in handy when it comes time to play.