The PWHL “Let’s See How Many Fans We Can Get to Send Mean Messages” 2023 Draft Rankings

The PWHL draft is just around the corner and why not give you some draft rankings to chew on while we all eagerly await whose names are called Monday. If you’re unsure of the PWHL draft details let’s do a quick primer: it’s a snake draft so unlike the NHL entry draft the order of picking reverse’s each round, this a 15-round draft, the draft will take place Monday September 18th at 1PM EST, it’ll be available to stream on CBC (Canada), Twitch (USA), YouTube (everywhere else).

Before we get into the rankings I first want to cover a few things. First off this is a ranking not a mock draft so I don’t expect it to go this way and I wouldn’t exactly draft this way either. There does come a point where team needs come into play though I wouldn’t move far off my list! The process behind the rankings takes into account more than just how good is a player right now. I’m looking at combination of position, depth of position, age, future impact past this season, etc. Are some players lower on the list better than others higher on the list? There definitely are. Will that be the case this season or next though is the question and gamble. Also the summaries are going to less scouting reports and more just me explaining why I chose to put these players in this order. You’re also only getting summaries for the Top 45 because I have a toddler making life busy. Let’s go through then shall we?

1. Sophie Jaques, D Patty Kaz winner, Patty Kaz top-3 finalist, x2 WCHA Defender of the Year, and a NCAA champion with offensive numbers that’d look great on a forward let alone a defender like Jaques. Offence from the back end wins championships and there’s no one in this draft who will give you a better shot at that than Sophie Jaques. An elite no. 1 defender to start with right off the bat and give any PWHL team a great chance at the championship. Not to mention for years and years down the road as well. Never have to worry about who your 1D is for almost a decade.

2. Ella Shelton, D Even though I love offence, defence is still an important part of the game and a two-way defender can give you the best of both worlds. Ella Shelton is one of the best and youngest two-way defenders available in the draft. Just like Jaques she’ll give you an elite top pairing defender who will give you great defence as well as being able to move the puck in a way that she can provide offence and produce points. She won’t drive the play like Jaques but will get the puck up the ice and around the offensive zone. Shelton is any coaches dream and if you’re looking for the next Lee Stecklein you might have found her. 3. Erin Ambrose, D If you want a proven defender who can provide offence and has chemistry with the best players in the game look no further than Erin Ambrose. She’s been the model of consistency for providing offence as a defender and doesn’t look like she’s slowing down. Getting close the end of her prime but doesn’t matter if you’re trying to win now. You need defence to put up points and to be in the top 5 to be a championship team. Ambrose can be that type of defender especially with her power play capabilities. 4. Jaime Bourbonnais, D We saw what happened when Jaime Bourbonnais was put into a top offensive role and she absolutely shined in the PWHPA. She’s always had the potential to produce a lot of offence and in the NCAA she projected as an elite offensive 2nd pairing defender/high end offensive 1st pairing defender. This past season though showed the heights she can reach and that ceiling is an elite producing 1st pairing defender. Stick her on the power play and let her be the peacock she is. That’ll result in her not only succeeding but putting her PWHL team in a great position to contend for a championship. 5. Claire Thompson, D If you want a younger Erin Ambrose and don’t mind a bit of a drop in terms of the ceiling but want that same offensive consistency I present to you Claire Thompson. Apart from the 2022 Olympics we’ve never seen her hit a very high ceiling in terms of offensive production. What’s important though is that she’s done very well to maintain average top pair offensive numbers. Easy to just put her on the top pair in an offensive role and watch her shine. While the ceiling only happened once it’s possible it can happen again as Thompson is just entering her prime. If it doesn’t she’ll still be very productive and an important piece of the blueline. 6. Ashton Bell, D It's hard not to get excited about someone who projects to have at least average top pair offensive production, is an Olympic Gold Medalist, and has the 3rd highest NCAA goals per game among all defenders in this draft. She’s only behind Jaques and Emily Curlett. All of Bell’s CWHL comparables point towards Bell having such high potential she’ll be in the mix for Defender of the Year a few times. The biggest question with Bell is can she make the jump and be consistent. If you a top pairing defender that could provide elite numbers Bell is one of the few with that potential. 7. Taylor Heise, F As much as you need a top pairing defender that can produce offence you also need a forward that can be top 3 in offensive production. The amount of centers that can do that is higher than the amount of defenders which is why the first center is all the way down here. Heise is the first center on the list because she’s essentially the center version of Sophie Jaques in that she’s coming out of the NCAA on fire looking like she has the potential to be a top 5 forward for a decade. Her NCAA career as a whole suggests she’s going to be a top 10 forward. Heise’s last two NCAA seasons and world championship tournaments though show she’s going to be a top 5 forward consistently. Add in she’s 5’ 10” and only 23yo to make her the ideal first forward off the board. 8. Savannah Harmon, D Going to keep hammering this point here, offensive production from the blueline matters a lot and Savannah Harmon is someone who holds that level of consistency in the same way Erin Ambrose does. Harmon is a year younger than Ambrose but has yet to show she can hit Ambrose’s ceiling. Harmon is someone you want either in the offensive role on the top pairing or leading the way on the 2nd pairing causing a lot of issues match up issues. The other bonus is she doesn’t need top power play minutes to produce offence as she put up average top pair numbers with not a lot of PP time. 9. Loren Gabel, F The season Loren Gabel had in the PHF last season is something that can’t be ignored. Offensively that was a Marie-Philip Poulin/Ann-Sophie Bettez type of season. That’s the kind of season that should lead to a berth in the championship. Her NCAA numbers on the surface suggested an average top line forward or elite 2nd line forward. Gabel’s PHF and PWHPA numbers though post-NCAA are showing a center whose goal scoring has translated and turned her into a dangerous offensive weapon. Can she repeat those PHF numbers? Possible but you have to consider the Boston Pride played run n’ gun offence to the max to help create offensive opportunities and probably won’t be the strategy in the PWHL. Still though her floor is high enough that you can have her on the top line and still consider yourself a contender. 10. Alina Müller, F The long awaited Swiss phenom is finally leaving the NCAA and about to mark her mark on the professional hockey world. The x5 Patty Kaz top 10 finalist, Olympic All-Star, and Olympic Best Forward is ready to produce a lot of offence. If your NCAA comparable is Rebecca Johnston you’re doing something right as Johnston maintained being an elite forward into her early 30’s. Bodes well for Müller who is coming into the PWHL right in the middle of her prime with a NCAA career in the realm of MPP, Sarah Fillier, Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker. Put her at no. 10 instead of no. 9 as Gabel has gone out and actually proved she can produce those numbers at the highest level already with Müller only being a year younger. 11. Emily Curlett, D This pick is banking on a bit more potential than the ones in front of her especially on defense. If you want a younger, unproven version of Savannah Harmon, Emily Curlett just might be who you’re looking for. Whereas Harmon though is more of a puck mover/disher, Curlett can score from the blueline. Getting pucks through to the net is an important skill that can at least lead to assists and prevent turnovers at the offensive blueline. No idea what happened at Ohio State where he numbers took a nose dive but she recovered very well this past season in the PWHPA and is still only 24yo so a worthy gamble where you either get at least an average top pairing defender or a high end 2nd pairing defender. 12. Maude Poulin-Labelle, D If you’ve missed out on Curlett or think that Ohio State season is a yellow flag then there’s Maude Poulin-Labelle. She’s essentially had the same NCAA career as Curlett with a bit less goal scoring and a bit more assists. MPL’s direct NCAA comparable is Olivia Zafuto who when she made the jump to the pro’s in the PHF last season had a very good year producing at 5v5 with minimal PP time. At the very least you know you’re getting someone who can more than hold their own on a 2nd pair production wise but can also play up on the top pair and produce average numbers as well. Not the type to really drive the offence but will help keep it going. 13. Kennedy Marchment, F A no. 1 center in her prime with a resume of not only elite play but she’s just obviously improved her play into an elite, consistent level of play. Kennedy Marchment doesn’t have the crazy year to what Loren Gabel just did but Marchment has proven her baseline is a 1st line center. That’s valuable in any case whether you’re trying to win now or in the future and she’ll be only 27 so Marchment can stick around for 3-5 years without you worrying about needing a no. 1 center. 14. Jessica Digirolamo, D If there’s three things I value it’s offense from the blueline, potential and a proven track record. What I also like is a defender who can still produce offence without being gifted top PP minutes which is what Jessica Digirolamo proved this year in the PWHPA. On a team with Meaghan Mikkelson she wasn’t going to get top PP minutes which is a change from Digirolamo’s NCAA days however she handled it well and still produced at a 2nd pairing level. I think she also has the potential if need be to play top pair minutes and produce at least at an average level thereby providing very important depth in case of injury. She’s also only 24yo and might show more with more opportunity. 15. Jessie Eldridge, F Impossible to ignore just how good Jessie Eldridge was in the PWHPA this season. At Colgate in the NCAA she was the triggerwoman because that was how her team was going to score goals especially in the last two seasons where she lead the team in goals and in her final season she had 33 goals when no one on her team even had 20 goals. In the PWHPA on Team Harvey’s Eldridge found a crazy amount of chemistry with Marie-Philip Poulin and Emily Clark making them the best line in the PWHPA. On that line Eldridge showed versatility in being more of a playmaker and had one of the best statistical seasons out of the PWHPA. At only 25yo there’s still lot’s of prime seasons left in Eldridge’s future. 16. Kristin O'Neill, F You can pretty much take everything written for Jessie Eldridge and just apply it to Kristin O’Neill only change Colgate to Cornell. O’Neill is another goal scoring center who has shown at one of the highest level in the PWHPA that her goal scoring can translate from the NCAA. She lead Cornell in goals every single year she was there. O’Neill and Eldridge are such near identical players you can really just consider this to be 15b in terms of rankings. Goals win games and O’Neill is quite good at scoring. 17. Brittany Howard, F Why yes it is another goal scoring center! Take your pick of the three really as all have good resumes both in the NCAA and in high level hockey of that goal scoring skill continuing to be successful. Howard scores goals wherever she goes whether it’s the NCAA, PWHPA, or PHF she’s putting up goals at a high rate. The only knock against Howard is she’s closer to the end of her prime than the start of it which only matters in the context of these rankings. Pick one of the these three in a row and you’re golden. 18. Kristen Campbell, G The last Tier 2 goalie remaining and it’s Kristen Campbell. She was given two starts in the Canada/USA rivalry series where she put up a 0.930 SV%, highest among all goalies in the series. In the PWHPA Campbell was the no. 1 goalie for Team Scotiabank over Team Canada teammate Emerance Maschmeyer earning 11 starts putting up fine numbers on a struggling defensive team. Campbell is apart of a new wave of goalies in women’s hockey, the big goalies. She sports an impressive 5’ 10” frame that Campbell excels in getting in the right position and can rarely be caught out of position. She’s calm on her edges as she trusts her positioning for good reason. Not the most mobile or agile of goalies however it’s all good enough to get her where she needs to be. She’ll benefit a lot from a defensive structure that cuts down on passes/puck movement that will force Campbell to rotate on lateral movements or high/low plays. At only 25yo Campbell is just starting to enter her prime and you should have a no. 1 that gives you a high chance to win many more times than not. 19. Olivia Zafuto, D This is one of the more intriguing picks of the draft. Olivia Zafuto had a NCAA career that marked her as a no. 2/3 type defender and had the production to match it. She goes to the SDHL and is fantastic for Linkoping showing herself to be a top pair defender. On her return to North America in the PHF she finds herself behind Fratkin/Flanagan of the Boston Pride who take most if not all of the best power play minutes. In a 2nd pair role Zafuto does well putting up very good 2nd pairing numbers so she’s showing she’s not reliant on the best minutes with the best players. Zafuto will give coaches options as to whether they want her puck moving ability on the top pairing or 2nd pairing and still provide good results no matter what. 20. Élizabeth Giguère, F I don’t think there can be any doubt as to whether or not Élizabeth Giguère has what it takes to be a consistently elite offensive threat. While she was a bit under expectations this year in the PHF considering what she did in the NCAA it’s still big numbers. Out of the draft eligible players to have played in the NCAA she as the 4th highest Points Per Game, higher than even Müller. If Giguère just stays at her floor then you have a better producing Jill Saulnier. Her potential ceiling for offensive production though is up in the MPP range. At 26yo there’s still the realistic possibility of those crazy peak MPP type seasons happening. 21. Daryl Watts, F This pick is all about potential. Among the draft eligible players to have played in the NCAA Watts has both the 2nd highest points per game and goals per game which matters because she’s only 24 having finished her NCAA career in 2022. She joined the Toronto Six midway through the season and had a respectable year though not one that would match the expectations that come from her NCAA play. She did though come in halfway through the season so you can still dream of that potential and get excited that Watts’ NCAA statistical comparable is Brianna Decker. This is Watts chance to put away all the rumours that despite her NCAA dominance she can’t make Team Canada for whatever reason. If she produces as she should in the PWHL she’ll earn her team a championship and a spot on Team Canada. 22. Emma Soderberg, G The former University of Minnesota-Duluth goalie is your prototypical Swedish goalie. Has a high level of the technical aspects of the game as knows how approach each situation positionally that will give her the best chance for a save and be there for any potential rebound as well. While only having an average frame her mobility and positioning make her look even bigger as she knows where she needs to be with it rarely being an issue of her not being in position quick enough. Soderberg had a very good NCAA career culminating in a NCAA Championship appearance where a magical season ran out of juice. She'll fit into essentially any system and there's no glaring weaknesses to her game you need to watch for. I'd just ensure the team knows watch for rebounds, try not to let anyone walk in uncontested because she doesn't have the quickest reflexes, and try to cut down on lateral passes in the Dzone. 23. Jincy Dunne, D Jincy Dunne is a bit of a tough one to nail down where exactly she fits on a depth chart. Her NCAA career suggests she’s a great no. 3 or an average no. 2 defender. Her time on Team USA in the World Championships suggest a great no. 2 defender. This past season in the PWHPA her production was that of a no. 4/5 defender. My conclusion is she’s a versatile no. 2/3 defender that can move the puck and keep the offence going in the offensive zone but also can be a more responsible defender. Team Adidas was tasked with playing a responsible defensive game and Dunne had to take a more defensive role which helped lead to Adidas goalies seeing the lowest SA/60. Hard not to like a versatile no. 3 defender who is still only 26yo who can play up a pair and not look out of place if need be. 24. Maggie Flaherty, D She doesn’t have the versatility that a Jincy Dunne has but what Maggie Flaherty can do is be a consistently good defensive presence who can chip in offensively though don’t expect Flaherty to be an offensive driver. She’ll keep the play going and get the puck up the ice but the other players are going to have to do the heavy lifting offensively. She projects to be a 2nd pairing defender who does her best work offensively but can still meet the expectations offensively of her role which is important as you don’t want any black holes offensively on your 2nd pair. If you want a comparable she’s a Renata Fast with a bit more offensive upside but without the same level of quickness with relatively the same defensive consistency. 25. Victoria Bach, F Victoria Bach had a down year in a season where it was more of a tour than regular season play. Of course a down year for Bach simply means it was more in line of a no. 2 center than her usual play of being a top line forward. Whether it’s the NCAA or the CWHL Bach scores goals. She went from good first line player in the NCAA to excelling on the Markham Thunder in the CWHL. There is a playmaking side to her game but if you can have someone feed her pucks she’s going to score a lot. She’s only 27yo as well so you’re getting either a high end no. 2 center or a good no. 1 center who is still in her prime with a few years to go. 26. Gabrielle Hughes, F If you’re looking for a winger to play beside a goal scoring center then Gabrielle Hughes is a great selection. She’s like a Laura Stacey or Emily Clark in that she’ll get in on the forecheck, get the loose puck and dish it to the goal scoring forward on her line to rack up the points. Unlike Stacey/Clark you’re not going to see Hughes be a consistent goal scorer though she is capable of scoring goals. She’s at her best when moving the puck to players who can score and if you can get her on a line with players with very good shots she’s going to excel like we’ve seen her with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. 27. Jamie Lee Rattray, F The Swiss army knife of hockey players is Jamie Lee Rattray. She’s a good two-way center who thrives when being handed the puck on scoring opportunities and then putting that puck in the net. The 30yo forward is reaching/has reached the edge of her prime but unless the drop off is huge you’ll either have yourself a fine no. 1 center or a great no. 2 center. She’s transformed her game to be more versatile which has resulted in her becoming a mainstay on Team Canada late in her career. She can do the playmaking on a line but just excels when being given the puck in a shooting role. Thanks to the forward depth in this draft you can have Rattray play on the 2nd line and feast on the 2nd tier competition like we saw this past year on Team Harvey’s. 28. Hannah Brandt, F You’re taking a bit of a gamble when it comes to Hannah Brandt especially this high up. It’s not a gamble so much in terms of her floor which is a very good 2nd line forward but more of a gamble of where Brandt’s upside lays. The upside with Brandt is incredible as she’s had the best NCAA career offensively out of the draft eligible players on this list. It didn’t translate to the NWHL, it hasn’t translated to a consist World Championships career, and it didn’t translate to the PWHPA last season. What has translated though is her goal scoring. Even on an offensively stifled team like Team Sonnet Brandt only saw a small dip from her NCAA based expectations. At soon to be 30yo the chance that ceiling gets hit is getting smaller though it is still there, the ceiling is extremely high and at the very least the floor is a 2nd line forward that can score. 29. Grace Zumwinkle, F Getting close to the end of potential elite offensive producers but not there yet as Grace Zumwinkle is going to produce a lot of offence. Left to her own devices she’s going to be fine at creating offence and wouldn’t look out of place on the top line. Give her an elite playmaker like a Taylor Heise and watch as she puts a lot of pucks in the net at a rate with the best of them. With Zumwinkle you’re looking at a younger Kristin O’Neill though without the post-NCAA career track record and O’Neill had to deal with a weaker NCAA roster than Zumwinkle has ever had. If you’re a fan of O’Neill but missed out on her Zumwinkle would be a very good plan b. 30. Gabrielle David, F Sometimes you just need a player who can ride shotgun and not slow down the elite talent on their line. Not always an easy task and generally you’re taking a gamble on someone who is usually a player that should be on a lower line finding chemistry to play above expectations on the top line. If this was a dictionary then Gabrielle David’s photo would be right next to this explanation. David’s NCAA career is essentially riding shotgun next to an elite player and exceeding expectations offensively. She’s still a very good player in her own right and would be able to produce 2nd line offence on her own. David excels though next to elite offensive producers as her NCAA career showed with Giguere and recently Anne Cherkowski. If she can find chemistry she’ll make a dynamic duo with someone. 31. Corinne Schroeder, G If you’ve built your defensive structure in mind for a Campbell type goalie but you’ve missed on Kristen Campbell, the PHF record breaker herself Corinne Schroeder is one heck of a back up plan. Just like how Northeastern has already given you the playbook in how to defend in front of Aerin Frankel so has Quinnipiac and the Boston Pride given you the playbook to defend in front of Schroeder. Schroeder is a massive frame of equipment that positions herself very well and knows her angles enough to the point where she’s just always covering enough of the net that you need to be an elite shooter to beat her cleanly. If your offence is going to be run-and-gun Schroeder can handle that as we saw with Boston this past season. Now as we saw in low low’s this past regular season and playoffs there are weaknesses to her game that a team needs to defend against. Net front chaos where an opposing team can exploit Schroeder’s lack of agility or by beating her with passes to take advantage of the fact she’s not the most mobile of goalies either are going to be the biggest concerns to avoid a Whitecaps repeat playoff situation. 32. Nicole Hensley, G Average to slightly below average framed goalies usually have one thing in common if they intend to make it as high as you can in women’s hockey, high end mobility and agility. With Hensley those aren’t the keys to her game, rather it’s her impressive hockey IQ and positioning that keep her as a top goalie despite only being 5’ 6”. You don’t have the success that Hensley has if you’re 5’ 6” and aren’t one of the best positional goalies out there. She’s a great goalie to learn just how effective smart positioning is for a goalie even if you’re lacking in being agility freak like Aerin Frankel. It’s been an up and down ride for Hensley on the Team USA depth chart. Sometimes she’ll be the no. 1, sometimes the no. 2 and sometimes the no. 3 but she just always stays consistent. Hensley’s one year in the PHF was great and her most recent year in the PWHPA she was the 3rd best goalie behind Ann-Renee Desbiens/Aerin Frankel. Like the rest of the goalies in this tier she’s going to need some help defensively but doesn’t need her hand held. Hensley will hold her own in most situations though as with most goalies with her level of mobility/agility the less chaotic & high pace the game is the better.

33. Maureen Murphy, F

Trying to rank the last 2/3’s of the best line in the NCAA is a nearly impossible task. I’m giving Maureen Murphy the edge here because she’s more of a triggerwoman than Chloe Aurard. As much as Murphy is a goal scorer she’s also shown that she can be a playmaker which is an important part of why the Northeastern top line looked like synchronized dancing in the offensive zone. All three were able to move the puck and shoot the puck with Muller/Murphy doing most of the shooting. What made them hard to shut down though was you never knew who was actually going to do the majority of the shooting on that line. That’s going to make Murphy very attractive in the draft along with of course her top line upside.

34. Chloé Aurard, F

Last but not least is Chloe Aurard of the Northeastern top line. As mentioned above Maureen Murphy and Alina Muller were the usual goal scorers of the line with Aurard more focused on the playmaking. Aurard isn’t clueless or incapable when it comes to goal scoring or opposing teams would have been able to shut her line down a bit easier. Goal scoring just isn’t her main strength and it shows, especially in the most recent World Championships where Aurard tried to play the playmaker role, didn’t have the offensive support needed so she finally started taking shots. Key to success with Aurard is getting her with goal scorers where she’ll really shine and you’ll see NCAA Aurard instead of WHC Aurard.

35. Maggie Connors, F

Continuing the run of NCAA forwards is Princeton graduate Maggie Connors who, you probably guessed it, can score goals. If you’re looking at her NCAA career Connors’ offensive production looks average top line to very good 2nd line quality. If you look at her career year-to-year you’d notice a drop in production her last two seasons. To some that can be easily considered concerning. You’re supposed to get better, not worse. If we dive into those seasons though, specifically the rosters, there’s just not a quality supporting cast for Connors. She’s going to score goals regardless but like any player if there’s one line they get all the tough match ups. It’s not a surprise that when Fillier was getting ready for the Olympics Connors saw her numbers suffer a lot and when Fillier came back so did Connors offensive production. Connors isn’t going to drive the offence on the top line, what she will do though is score goals on the top line and if she needs to she’ll drive offence on the 2nd line.

36. Emma Maltais, F

It's the Ohio State Buckeyes wrecking ball herself Emma Maltais finally making her appearance on these rankings. She’s a coaches dream player in that she just never stops hustling and loves getting in on the forecheck. Doesn’t matter if she’s 5’ 3”, she plays like she’s Laura Stacey on the forecheck. Another way to describe Maltais would be as a defensively responsible disruptor. She’ll either gain the zone or cause a turnover in the offensive zone, give it to one of her more offensively gifted linemates and then celebrate the goal. If you want to spread out the offence in your line up you can put Maltais on the top line as she’s shown she can fit in very well leading to potential Laura Stacey/Emily Clark PWHPA type seasons.

37. Jesse Compher, F

A two-way center with playmaking ability and the potential for some on ice shenanigans is the most general way you can describe Jesse Compher. Her offensive production is very clearly pointing towards a good 2nd line player and combined with her two-way ability makes her an ideal candidate for a team looking to fill out their 2nd line. Compher does possess some goal scoring ability but in the offensive zone she’s best when she’s setting up other players or creating turnovers. To give teams a bit more confidence in what Compher can do in the future is her NCAA stats match up very well with Lara Stalder’s.

38. Jocelyne Larocque, D

She’s one of the oldest players in the draft but also one of the most defensively consistent. You can staple her on the left side of any offensively slanted defender and watch as that pairing achieves a high level of success. It’s impossible to tell how many years left Jocelyne Larocque has left of this high level of defensive play but right now she’s going to be a great shelter for a young offensively talented defender. Probably don’t want her playing above the 2nd pairing if you can help it as she doesn’t have a whole lot to give offensively.

39. Mélodie Daoust, F

If Mélodie Daoust can stay healthy she’s going to be a major producer of offence. It was merely two years ago at the 2021 WHC that Daoust racked up MVP, Best Forward, All-Star team and Gold Medal honours. Despite only playing 11 games this past season she was still very productive putting up 8 points. Daoust is a dual threat in that she can be the shooter but can also be the playmaker depending on who her linemates are. She’s also only 31yo so while the aging curve might be taking effect the next step down for her production is either a fine 1st line forward or very good 2nd line forward. Big question is where is her health?

40. Brooke Hobson, D

What General Manager, scout, fan, etc doesn’t love finding what they believe to be unknown gems? For me that gem might just be Brooke Hobson. The former captain of Northeastern university certainly wasn’t relied upon to create offense as the team had a wide variety of offensive weapons especially in her last two seasons. She was more leaned on to provide good two-way play and despite the defensive slant to her play style still managed to put up 2nd pair offensive type production. Now it’s fair to assume that being paired with Skylar Fontaine is going to increase your numbers. However when Hobson made the move last season to MODO of the SDHL she was not only the best defender at providing offence but also provided good top pair numbers. I think there’s a versatility to her game that will see her succeed anywhere in a top 4 role and while I don’t believe the offence is there enough to be a no. 1 defender I think the door is open on her proving herself to be a no. 2 defender.

41. Taylor Girard, F

Not all NCAA teams are created equal and Taylor Girard has first hand experience of that. Her NCAA career was essentially just treading water on struggling teams leaving her with offensive numbers that looked like she belonged in the bottom 6 if she made the team at all. After two years in the PHF though there’s no doubt that Girard has blossomed in an offensive friendly environment finding a lot of chemistry with an elite no. 1 center in Kennedy Marchment. Girard effectively doubled her offensively production since joining the PHF. Girard has proven herself to be a top 6 forward it’s just a question of where in the top 6. Her chemistry with a center like Kennedy Marchment bodes well with her finding chemistry again and being a big top 6 contributor.

42. Dominika Laskova, D

Whoever has the answer to who is Dominka Laskova is going to be looking very smart if that answer proves to be a top pairing defender. Her NCAA and PHF numbers suggest a very good 2nd pairing defender in terms of offensive production. On Team Czechia though in the World Championships Laskova has been a production machine of elite 1st pairing quality. If you were to ask me I’d say Laskova is a very good 2nd pairing defender who knows how to move the puck around the ice. Scoring from the blueline isn’t going to be her game however she will get the puck to better areas in the offensive zone that will lead to goals which is why she’s been an assist machine in her career. If you’re not convinced of her first pairing ability at the very least you know you have a great 2nd pairing defender.

43. Mikyla Grant-Mentis, F

If Dominika Laskova was a forward she’d be Mikyla Grant-Mentis. What I mean by that is who is the real MGM? In the NCAA her numbers were usually of those that end up in a bottom 6 role in pro hockey though she was really only on a good team once in her 4 years at Merrimack. Then she gets to Toronto and in her first full season has a huge year. She makes the move to Buffalo and has a good year though not a great one. What’s always been true of MGM is her two-way game which is very good. Offensively she does have a shot that can flat out just score but you’d like to see more of it and while being on Buffalo naturally deflated some of her stats it also showed she just does a lot better when she doesn’t have to be the offensive driver on her line. She can do it but would see more success and contender type offensive top line numbers if someone else was driving the play.

44. Natalie Spooner, F

After taking about a year off to become a new mom, Natalie Spooner is coming back and everyone needs to be ready to deal with one of the few power forwards out there in the game. She’s bigger and stronger than the vast majority of players creating many issues. Using her size has been a consistent and successful part of her game which has kept her still at a high level despite being 32yo who will be turning 33yo shortly. The biggest concern with Spooner is can she avoid the aging curve and most importantly keep her foot speed up as her drives to the net cause a lot of issues for defenders.

45. Amanda Leveille, G

While only possessing a 5’ 5” frame Leveille just makes it work and the most general way to describe her style would be: battler. She has solid enough structure and positioning that she makes it tough to get beat that way but where she thrives is during high pace games. She bets her ability to read, react, and use her high level mobility to get her in front of the puck with a high rate of success. You aren’t one of the greatest to ever play in the PHF if you aren’t highly talented and consistent especially as a goalie. What you’ll need as a team that has Leveille in net is essentially two things, you need a defensive structure that has players that pressure the puck forcing movement and not allowing the opposing team time to set up a play or pick a corner. The second aspect is a goalie that is capable of being in a tandem with Leveille as Leveille unfortunately has had to deal with injuries the past two seasons. With the wealth of goalie talent that shouldn’t be an issue.