Roster Recap: 14 weeks of NWHL signings

The NWHL has been busy for the last two weeks!

The league announced a new sponsor in Chipwich and that VEDA is returning to sponsor the Player of the Week award. Both of these deals will give the players 50 percent of the revenue as part of the NWHLPA agreement.

Since our last Roster Recap, 23 players have signed, bringing the total to 70 players. So let’s take a look at where the teams stand. Please note multiple players are listed as forward/defender in their releases and have been listed under forward for the sake of the article. All new signings are in bold.

Boston Pride

Defenders: 6 | Forwards: 9 | Goalies: 2 | Total: 17

Defender: Kaleigh Fratkin, Jenna Rheault, Lexi Bender, Mallory Souliotis, Lauren Kelly, Briana Mastel
Forward: Tori Sullivan, Christina Putigna, Lexie Laing, Mary Parker, Jillian Dempsey, McKenna Brand, Alyssa Wohlfeiler, Marisa Raspa, Whitney Renn
Goaltender: Victoria Hanson, Lovisa Selander
Coach: Paul Mara
General Manager: Karilyn Pilch

Last time, I wrote that the Pride needed to shore up their goaltending. And that’s exactly what they did, signing BU alumna Victoria Hanson and RPI alumna Lovisa Selander, the NCAA career saves record holder. Both of these are solid goalies. With three straight weekends of back-to-back home games, having two reliable goaltenders could prove to be extremely important.

Buffalo Beauts

Defenders: 5 | Forwards: 8 | Goalies: 2 | Total: 15

Defender: Megan Delay, Becki Bowering, Marie-Jo Pelletier, Iveta Klimášová, Lenka Čurmová
Forward: Corinne Buie, Brooke Stacey, Kim Brown, Cassidy MacPherson, Emma Ruggiero, Ashley Birdsall, Maddie Norton, Kandice Sheriff
Goaltender: Mariah Fujimagari, Kelsey Neumann
Coach: Pete Perram
General Manager: Mandy Cronin

One of the big storylines for the Beauts was off the ice - a dispute with PSE over the name and logos. Beauts social handles had gone dark while the NWHL and PSE disputed their claims over it. But, per Kirsten Whelan, that appears to be over. The Beauts Twitter handle has also been reactivated and resumed posting as well.

The Beauts made two international signings in Slovakia National Team defenders Iveta Klimášová and Lenka Čurmová. They’ll bring experience to a team that’s almost exclusively players right out of college, important in such a compact season.

Connecticut Whale

Defenders: 4 | Forwards: 7 | Goalies: 1 | Total: 12

Defender: Shannon Doyle, Taylor Marchin, Elena Orlando, Jordan Brickner
Forward: Kendra Broad, Jane Morrisette, Grace Klienbach, Emma Vlasic, Kayla Meneghin, Sarah Hughson, Kaycie Anderson
Goaltender: Cassandra Goyette
Coach: n/a
General Manager: Bray Ketchum

The Whale are still the only team without a coach (though when I said that two weeks ago about the Riveters, they announced their coach two day later). That might explain why their signings are going a bit slower now.

Kaycie Anderson is back for her third season, after playing in only seven games last season. The Whale are still searching for an offensive firepower like Emily Fluke, who has yet to re-sign, and Katerina Mrázová, who is heading to the SDHL.

Metropolitan Riveters

Defenders: 3 | Forwards: 9 | Goalies: 0 | Total: 12

Defender: Colleen Murphy, Rebecca Morse, Lexi Slattery
Forward: Madison Packer, Cailey Hutchison, Kendall Cornine, Tatiana Shatalova, Nicole Arnold, Bulbul Kartanbay, Mallory Rushton, Brooke Avery, Brooke Baker
Goaltender: n/a
Coach: Ivo Mocek
General Manager: Kate Whitman-Annis

The Riveters made moves in the last two weeks! They hired a coach in Ivo Mocek. They signed eight new players.

The most notable player they signed is probably the most untested player: Bulbul Kartanbay. The first Kazakh player to sign with the NWHL quickly became a fan favorite for her story, but how she’ll match up on the ice will be another story. The team also signed Tatiana Shatalova, a 20-year-old Russian forward who has spent time on their U18 team.

The Riveters are shaping up to look a lot like the Beauts on paper: young with a new coach. They could use another a veteran like Rebecca Russo to aid the team in the short season.

Minnesota Whitecaps

Defenders: 4 | Forwards: 8 | Goalies: 2 | Total: 14

Defender: Amanda Boulier, Lisa Martinson, Chelsey Brodt Rosenthal, Winny Brodt Brown
Forward: Allie Thunstrom, Jonna Curtis, Nicole Schammel, Brooke White-Lancette, Haylea Schmid, Meghan Lorence, Audra Richards, Stephanie Anderson
Goaltender: Amanda Leveille, Allie Morse
Coach: Ronda Englehart, Jack Brodt
General Manager: Jack Brodt

The Whitecaps are bringing back longtime players Chelsey Brodt Rosenthal and Winny Brodt Brown in addition to their already veteran roster. They also added former KRS player Stephanie Anderson. The Whitecaps are looking strong to repeat as Isobel Cup Champions.