Bonus ScorchStack: NWHL Season Preview

Whoops, something serious again. Our apologies.

The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) bubble season begins tomorrow in Lake Placid! As I’m sure many of you know or maybe not (I don’t know you), I used to do things in women’s hockey; specifically, with the CWHL’s legendary Calgary Inferno. When they stopped being a thing, I was heartbroken and haven’t gotten into women’s hockey since for fear of getting my heart broken again.

So I had to call in the big guns.

Which is Anne Tokarski! Anne has so kindly agreed to do a season preview for the shortened season for us and was very excited to do so! Editor’s Note: Legally we paid her $276 to allow us to say that.

You can find Anne over on Twitter @annetokarski and her work over at The Ice Garden (@theicegarden on Twitter). She’s very smart and talented, things I wish I was at 19. Take it away, Anne! - Ramina, noted Scorchstack employee of the month.

Photo credit: The NWHL

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Season preview from Anne Tokarski

The 2020-21 NWHL season is going to be a hockey season like no other. With 24 total games in just two short weeks, the Isobel Cup — the league’s coveted championship trophy — could go home in the hands of pretty much anyone (but hopefully not the Whitecaps’ creepy but innovative mascot, Cappy).

For readers and fans new to the league, allow me to introduce the six teams to you:

Boston Pride

The Boston Pride are on track to have one of the biggest seasons in their short history -- and that’s saying something, considering they went 23-1 last year.

Looking ahead to season six in Lake Placid, the Pride returned several key players from last year’s almost-but-not-quite-championship roster, including forwards Jillian Dempsey, Christina Putigna, and McKenna Brand alongside veteran defenders Kaleigh Fratkin and Mallory Souliotis, and reigning Goaltender of the Year Lovisa Selander.

As if that core wasn’t enough, the Pride have also added several rookies to their line-up, including the 1st overall draft pick from the 2020 NWHL draft Sammy Davis and 2x Division 1A World Championship gold medalist Tereza Vanišová. Boston has been able to add them along with several other NCAA standouts — as if they need more starpower, like come on.

With one of the deepest rosters in the league, it’s my (not so) expert opinion that they’re the favorites for the Isobel Cup. They were so close to becoming the first NWHL team to win their second Isobel Cup last year, and that chip on their shoulder means they’re hungrier than ever this season.

Buffalo Beauts

The Buffalo Beauts have experienced a bit of a fall from grace in recent years, with almost the entirety of their roster departing after the 2018-19 season for the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association. That being said, you’d be a fool to count the Beauts out of contention just yet.

First-year general manager Nate Oliver did an incredible job assembling a roster for this year’s Lake Placid squad, though we’ve had several opt-outs as rosters were finalized earlier this week. Most notably, Taylor Accursi — who scored four goals in just under seven minutes at the Buffalo Believes Classic last season — will be forgoing the season in order to fulfill her duties as an Ontario Provincial Police Officer.

A handful of players from last year’s somewhat hastily assembled roster make their return to the ice in Lake Placid for this season, including all-stars Brooke Stacey and Marie-Jo Pelletier, both of whom had standout seasons in 2019-20.

The Beauts have a lot of new faces this year, adding former Connecticut Whale forward Kayla Meneghin, who I anticipate making a huge splash in her first season in Beauts blue. Joining her as first-year Beauts that I think will make a huge impact are NWHL rookies and Providence College alumnae Whitney Dove and Neve Van Pelt, as well as Maine stars Alyson Matteau and Carly Jackson.

I expect the Beauts to finish towards the bottom of the standings at the conclusion of this season, somewhere between fourth and fifth place. Whether they make the playoffs is really kind of a toss-up, but I wouldn’t put it past this team with how much young talent they’ve acquired.

Connecticut Whale

To put it bluntly, the Connecticut Whale have not had a lot of success in the past years. They won two games in regulation in the 2019-20 season, three if you count their play-in game win over the Buffalo Beauts.

But the Whale are so lovable, it’s hard to count them out early.

For starters, they’re returning a handful of solid defenders in Shannon Doyle, Elena Orlando, and Hanna Beattie. While their offense hasn’t always looked the sharpest in years past, they’ve brought in rookie forwards like Amanda Conway, Nicole Guagliardo, and Kayla Friesen to bolster their scoring.

In net, the Whale have one of the duos that will make the largest case for being an actual tandem, rather than the traditional starter-backup role we see more frequently. Newcomer netminder Abbie Ives almost singlehandedly dragged her alma mater, Quinnipiac, to a winning record in three out of her four seasons with the club. Brooke Wolejko, on the other hand, finished last year as the Whale’s bona fide starter, and will almost definitely get the nod in net for much of this season’s opening games.

I don’t project the Whale to finish too high in the standings at the end of the season in Lake Placid, but let’s just say an upset from the green-and-blue might be a pleasant surprise.

Metropolitan Riveters

I might be a little biased because I’m on the Riveters beat for The Ice Garden this season, but I have pretty high expectations for this year’s Metropolitan squad.

Mostly because they somehow managed to acquire Kelly Babstock in a trade with the Toronto Six, adding to their already stacked forward corps of Madison Packer, Kate Leary, and Kendall Cornine. Those four are going to seriously be a force to be reckoned with on the ice, but what remains to be seen is if Babstock’s physicality will be an asset or a concern.

The Riveters’ defensive corps, as I mentioned in my preview for The Ice Garden, is pretty fresh-faced this season. They have two veterans — Rebecca Morse and Kiira Dosdall-Arena, both of whom will be serving as alternate captains this season — and one returner in Leila Kilduff, but their blue line is otherwise filled with rookies. That is not, however, a bad thing — not when your rookie defenders are the likes of Sammy Kolowrat, Bridgette Prentiss, and Saroya Tinker.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Riveters make it into the semifinals, but I would be surprised if they made it to the Isobel Cup Final. A colleague of mine over at The Ice Garden, who shall remain unnamed, is confident in the Riveters’ ability to take Izzy home this year...but I’m taking a little more of a pessimistic approach.

Minnesota Whitecaps

Minnesota Whitecaps? Good. Minnesota Whitecaps’ mascot? Scary.

The Whitecaps’ roster has remained pretty static over the last couple of years, largely in part due to their existence as an independent franchise prior to their move into the NWHL. Players like Chelsey Brodt-Rosenthal, Brooke White-Lancette, and Winny Brodt-Brown — who, at forty-two, is the oldest player in the league and still a force to be reckoned with — have anchored the squad and ensured the level of competition stays just as top-notch as it always has been.

Newcomers to the roster include transfers from the Beauts — Sara Bustad and long-time Beauts captain Corinne Buie, though the latter won’t be making the trip to Lake Placid — and NWHL rookies Maddie Rowe, from the University of Wisconsin, and Haley Mack, from Bemidji State. Both players will bring depth and a new perspective to an older team.

I anticipate the Whitecaps finishing in one of the top three spots. It’s hard to say what the level of competition will be like with such a condensed season, but I definitely feel that the Whitecaps are contenders.

Toronto Six

The newest team to the NWHL, the Toronto Six doesn’t have a lot of history to cover, but what they do have is starpower.

Mikyla Grant-Mentis, former Merrimack College standout and player of a handful of games last year on the Beauts’ roster at the end of the season, will make her return to her home province this season. She’s poised for a big one, too, after making a pretty significant impact with the Beauts in just two games played.

I will admit that a certain former Calgary Inferno goaltender might have given me a small hint that the Six’s goaltending duo is going to be the one to beat this season. Samantha Ridgewell makes her way to Toronto from the SDHL, where, in 22 games with Djurgårdens IF, she posted a .920 SV% and a 2.03 GAA. She’s joined in the crease by Elaine Chuli, who fans of the Inferno might remember squaring off against whenever the Furies came to town. Chuli is a formidable opponent and will be one of the keys to the Six’s success this season.

More names to know include forwards Taytum Clairmont, Sarah-Ève Coutu-Godbout, and Julie Allen, each of whom spent last season in a different place. For Clairmont, it was finishing up her second season at the University of Waterloo in U SPORTS. For Coutu-Godbout, it was finishing up her collegiate career at Quinnipiac in the NCAA. For Allen, it was returning to the ice after five years with the CWHL’s Toronto Furies.

My prediction for the Six is that they finish seeded either third or fourth heading into the playoffs. They have a strong team on paper, but it’s hard to tell where they’ll end up when they haven’t played a single game yet.

All statistical data courtesy of EliteProspects.

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Wow, well I sure learned some things. Like looking up how to pronounce Djurgårdens. Thanks again, Anne, for this season preview! Please wait 4-6 months for your cheque in the mail.