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Transaction Tuesday: Boston Making Waves

It’s time for the fifth installment of Transaction Tuesday — catching you up on all offseason moves made by NWHL and CWHL teams.

Note: All developments that have taken place in the last two weeks are noted with bold text.

NWHL

  • Hayley Moore has been named the league’s deputy commissioner and director of player development./

Boston Pride

  • Centralization: Gigi Marvin, Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Amanda Pelkey
  • Out: Blake Bolden (HC Lugano, Swiss League)
  • Re-signed: Lexi Bender, Jordan Smelker, Jillian Dempsey, Mary Parker, Emily Field, Alyssa Gagliardi, Marissa Gedman
  • Signed: Kathyrn Tomaselli (practice player last season), Michaela Levine (practice player last season), Kaliya Johnson, Janine Weber, Brianna Laing, Paige Savage, Sydney Daniels, Paige Harrington, Dana Trivigno
  • Front office: Thomas Poeck replaces Bobby Jay as head coach, Hayley Moore will leave her post as the team’s general manager/

The Pride are off to a commanding lead in this offseason’s free agency arms race.

The Pride recently signed NWHL veteran Paige Harrington to bolster the blue line and brought in a second former Whale by signing Dana Trivigno. Both players had connections to the Boston area before their NWHL careers began.

With Harrington and Trivigno inked, the Pride now have four players who played for opposing NWHL teams last season.

Buffalo Beauts

  • Centralization: Emily Pfalzer, Megan Bozek
  • Re-signed: Corinne Buie, Amanda Leveille, Sarah Casorso, Jordyn Burns, Hayley Scamurra, Kourtney Kunichika, Lisa Chesson
  • Signed: Kelsey Neumann (practice player last season), Jordan Ott, Kayla Parsons (practice player last season), Taylor Accursi, Kathy Donohue, Kristin Lewicki, Sarah Shureb, Kaylyn Schroka, Jessica Sibley, Kelly Seward, Colleen Murphy, Julie DiTondo
  • Out: Harrison Browne (retirement), Brianne McLaughlin (retirement), Ashley Vesci (retirement), Devon Skeats (retirement), Shiann Darkangelo, Emily Janiga, Kelley Steadman (retirement), Paige Harrington (Boston Pride)/

Isobel Cup Champion Paige Harrington has decided to take her talents back to her hometown and has signed with the Pride. Harrington is one of the league’s most underrated shutdown defenders. The Beauts will miss her on and off the ice.

The good news for Beauts fans is that Buffalo already has 19 of a possible 25 players signed. Buffalo has added another wave of rookie free agents, including Jessica Sibley of Syracuse University. It’s worth mentioning that Sibley also registered for the CWHL Draft.

Buffalo now has 10 forwards, six defenders, and three goaltenders signed. Beauts fans have a lot of new names to get familiar with by October, including an entire line of new forwards from Adrian College (NCAA Division III).

In other news, former Beaut Lindsay Grigg has registered for the 2017 CWHL Draft.

Connecticut Whale

  • Re-signed: Kelly Babstock, Elena Orlando, Cydney Roesler, Juana Baribeau
  • Signed: Sydney Rossman (Quinnipiac), Shannon Doyle (practice player last season), Anya Battaglino (practice player last season), Rachael Ade
  • Out: Kelli Stack (Kunlun Red Star, CWHL), Kaliya Johnson (Boston Pride), Zoe Hickel (Kunlun Red Star, CWHL), Dana Trivigno (Boston Pride)/

The Whale just can’t catch a break. Dana Trivigno has followed Kaliya Johnson to the Pride, leaving Connecticut with yet another big hole to fill in the lineup.

Connecticut currently has nine players signed, which is the fewest of any NWHL team. Haley Skarupa’s fate is still up in the air, but there’s no doubt that the Whale could use her speed and skill back in the lineup.

New York Riveters

  • Centralization: Amanda Kessel
  • PyeongChang-bound: Sojung Shin (Korea)
  • Out: Madison Packer (retirement), Janine Weber (Boston Pride)
  • Re-signed: Katie Fitzgerald, Tatiana Rafter, Rebecca Russo, Alexa Gruschow, Miye D’Oench, Kiira Dosdall, Lauren Wash, Ashley Johnston, Bray Ketchum, Courtney Burke, Kelsey Koelzer
  • Signed: Sarah Bryant (practice player last season), Cheeky Herr (practice player last season), Lindsey Hylwa, Jenny Ryan/

The Riveters recently added two rookie defenders to a blue line that is fast becoming the envy of the NWHL. Jenny Ryan, a New York native, was the Riveters’ third-round pick in the 2016 Draft. She played her college hockey at the University of Wisconsin.

Ryan is joined by fellow rookie and former first overall pick Kelsey Koelzer. Koelzer re-signed with the Riveters yesterday after appearing in a single playoff game in Newark last spring. She’s a massive signing for the Riveters, who will once again look to the blue line to provide offense.

Ryan’s college teammate and NWHL All-Star Courtney Burke will also be back with the Riveters. Burke is the hands-down favorite to start the season as the team’s power play quarterback.

With three more defenders inked, the Riveters now have 15 of a possible 25 players signed for the 2017-18 season.

In other news, Former New York Riveters defender Sydney Kidd has registered for the CWHL Draft. Kidd played with the Riveters during the team’s inaugural season.

CWHL

Boston Blades

  • Out: Kayla Tutino (trade with Les Canadiennes)
  • Front office: General manager Krista Patronick has left the team/

Calgary Inferno

  • Centralization: Rebecca Johnston, Jill Saulnier, Bailey Bram, Brianne Jenner, Haley Irwin, Blayre Turnbull, Brigette Lacquette, Meaghan Mikkelson, Geneviève Lacasse, Emerance Maschmeyer (alternate)
  • PyeongChang-bound: Iya Gavrilova (Russia), Akane Hosoyamada (Japan), Aina Takeuchi (Japan)
  • Front office: Kristen Hagg has been promoted to the team’s general manager. She served the Inferno as an assistant GM last season./

Russian netminder Mariya Sorokina has registered for the CWHL Draft. Last season, Calgary’s Iya Gavrilova was the only Russian playing professional hockey in North America.

Kunlun Red Star

  • In: Kelli Stack, Noora Räty, Zoe Hickel, Melanie Jue, Brooke Webster, Elaine Chuli
  • Front Office: Digit Murphy — head coach, Rob Morgan — associate coach/

Elaine Chuli is a Canadian netminder who was a standout at UConn for four seasons. In her senior year (2015-16) she posted an outstanding .941 save percentage in 26 games played. Chuli is the second goaltender connected to KRS who doesn’t play for the Chinese national team.

One team? Two teams? Can’t keep up? The Ice Garden’s Michelle Jay has you covered with this exceedingly helpful and informative timeline focusing on developments with Kunlun Red Star.

Les Canadiennes de Montreal

  • Centralization: Marie-Philip Poulin, Lauriane Rougeau
  • In: Kayla Tutino (trade with Boston Blades)
  • Out: Leslie Oles (EV Bomo Thun, Swiss League)/

Markham Thunder (formerly Brampton)

  • Centralization: Laura Stacey, Laura Fortino, Jocelyn Larocque, Erica Howe (alternate)
  • Front office: Jim Jackson will replace 2016-17 Coach of the Year Tyler Fines as head coach; Chelsea Purcell named full-time general manager /

It’s official, the Brampton Thunder are now the Markham Thunder, and they will be wearing green next season.

Toronto Furies

  • Centralization: Natalie Spooner, Renata Fast, Erin Ambrose
  • PyeongChang-bound: Sena Suzuki (Japan)
  • Out: Kelly Terry (retirement), Michela Cava (Modo, SDHL)
  • Front Office: Nicole Latreille is the Furies’ new general manager/

Note: Edited at 2:00pm, 7/25 to include signings of Marissa Gedman and Alyssa Gagliardi.

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