Yale assistant coach Amanda Boulier signs with Connecticut Whale

The Connecticut Whale have agreed to terms with Yale assistant coach and former St. Lawrence University defender Amanda Boulier.

Boulier will stay behind the bench in Yale while playing with the Whale. Her position and responsibilities at the university will take precedent over her role with the Whale whenever scheduling conflicts emerge.

“Hockey is my passion, so to be able to coach and play is really amazing,” said Boulier in the league’s press release. “Playing after St. Lawrence had been on my mind, but I wanted to get a year of coaching under my belt. [NWHL deputy commissioner] Hayley Moore brought up the opportunity this summer and I was excited about it. I love coaching, but everyone knows there’s nothing like playing the game.”

SIGNED! Please welcome defenseman and @YaleWhockey Assistant Coach Amanda Boulier (@Amanda_Boulier) to #ThePod 📰👉: https://t.co/eOc2ohG1NK pic.twitter.com/kmlMA0YGES

— Connecticut Whale (@CTWhale_NWHL) August 29, 2017

Boulier went on to say that she is hopeful that she can pick up from where her college career left off. She knows that her ice time and a spot on the roster isn’t guaranteed. With Boulier under contract, the Whale now have eight defenders signed.

The Connecticut native is an undersized defender with significant offensive upside. Boulier scored 28 goals from the blue line in four seasons at St. Lawrence. The former Saints captain played her last NCAA Division I season in 2015-16. So she’s still well within the prime of her athletic career.

Given Boulier’s production at St. Lawrence, she could be a big part of Connecticut’s power play. The Whale haven’t had a power play threat on the blue line on the power play since Kaleigh Fratkin left the team after the NWHL’s inaugural season. It will be interesting to see how many games she can play in the 2017-18 season while remaining a coach at Yale.