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CWHL

Transaction Tuesday: Brownie is Back

It’s time for the sixth installment of Transaction Tuesday — catching you up on all offseason moves made by teams in the NWHL and CWHL. And there is a lot to cover now that we’re in August!

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./

Alex Carpenter has registered for the CWHL Draft, which leaves her future with the Pride and the NWHL somewhat uncertain. She was one of the league’s brightest stars in the 2016-17 season and was the first player selected in the inaugural NWHL Draft.

Buffalo Beauts

  • Centralization: Emily Pfalzer, Megan Bozek
  • Re-signed: Corinne Buie, Amanda Leveille, Sarah Casorso, Jordyn Burns, Hayley Scamurra, Kourtney Kunichika, Lisa Chesson, Jacquie Greco
  • 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, Maddie Elia
  • Out: Harrison Browne (New York Riveters), Brianne McLaughlin  (retirement), Ashley Vesci (retirement), Devon Skeats (retirement), Shiann Darkangelo, Emily Janiga, Kelley Steadman (retirement), Paige Harrington (Boston Pride)/

Jacquie Greco is back with the Beauts and she will be joined by Maddie Elia who has signed with her hometown team after completing her NCAA career.

Greco, also a native of Buffalo, scored one goal in 15 games for the Beauts last season. She took a single minor penalty last season while playing on Buffalo’s blue line.

Elia was the Beauts fifth round pick in the 2016 NWHL Draft and rewarded Buffalo’s faith in her by having the best season of her career at Boston University. She scored 36 points in 32 games for the Terriers and will likely help replace much of the offense that the defending Isobel Cup Champions lost this offseason.

Connecticut Whale

  • Re-signed: Kelly Babstock, Elena Orlando, Cydney Roesler, Juana Baribeau, Sam Faber, Jordan Brickner
  • 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), Celeste Brown (retirement), Dana Trivigno (Boston Pride)/

The Whale made a few splashes by re-signing two key players from last season: Sam Faber and Jordan Brickner.

Without Brickner the Connecticut blue line would have had a hard time being competitive next season. She’s one of the most underrated defenders in the women’s game and is an early favorite to replace Stack as the team’s captain. Expect Brickner to log a lot of minutes on the Whale’s top pair.

Faber had eight points in 18 games last season with the Whale but could be moving into more of a scoring role next season. She proved in the CWHL with the Blades that she has plenty of offensive upside. Faber will be a player to watch for Connecticut next season.

New York Riveters

  • Centralization: Amanda Kessel
  • PyeongChang-bound: Sojung Shin (Korea)
  • Out: Madison Packer (retirement), Janine Weber (Boston Pride), Milica McMillen (retirement/coaching)
  • 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, Michelle Picard
  • Signed: Sarah Bryant (practice player last season), Cheeky Herr (practice player last season), Lindsey Hylwa, Jenny Ryan, Harrison Browne
  • Front Office: Chad Wiseman will be returning as the Riveters head coach and GM./

The Riveters just keep making moves to make the 2017-18 roster better. Since last we checked in Harrison Browne and Michelle Picard have both signed to play hockey in Newark next season.

Winger Harrison Browne is putting off retirement to play a third season in the NWHL and is hoping to play in a more offensive role next season. He will be reunited with his former Beauts teammate Tatiana Rafter. With Browne signed the Riveters now have nine forwards under contract.

Thanks to the Picard signing the Riveters blue line truly looks like the best in the NWHL. The former Olympian is one of the best shutdown defenders in women’s hockey. And the importance of her return can’t be understated. The former Harvard defender led the league in blocked shots last season on the Riveters top defensive pair.

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./

GM Kristen Hagg recently confirmed that Iya Gavrilova will be playing with the Inferno next season. There was also mention of a CWHL Olympic break, which could mean that players from the Japanese national team including Hosoyamada and Takeuchi might also be playing with the Inferno next season before and after PyeongChang.

Kunlun Red Star

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

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)/

Could this be Charline Labonté’s last season in the CWHL? The speculation has already begun on social media. The Montreal netminder will be turning 35-years-old in October, but she posted exceptional numbers last year and won honors as the CWHL Goaltender of the Year. Still, Les Canadiennes could be in the market for another goaltender come draft day.

Markham Thunder (formerly Brampton)

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

From The Ice Garden’s Meredith Foster:

Also coming to MODO from the CWHL is forward Kaitlyn Tougas.  Her dismal rookie season numbers with the Brampton Thunder, just one point in 23 regular-season games and none in the playoffs, left a lot to be desired after a successful college career at Bemidji State.

Markham didn’t get a lot out of the undersized rookie last season, but Tougas’ departure gives the Thunder another forward roster spot to fill on draft day. Expect the Thunder to go aggressively after forwards who are willing to play in the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto Furies

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

Furies star forward Jenelle Kohanchuk is joining Michela Cava in Sweden next season. And that leaves Toronto with a lot of big holes to fill with the 2017 CWHL Draft approaching. Kohanchuk had 10 goals for the Furies over the last two seasons.

The loss of Kohanchuk will impact the Furies off the ice too. She was an alternate captain last season and a leader in the locker room. Kohanchuk also had valuable CWHL experience, the 2016-17 season was her third in the CWHL.

Vanke Rays

We don’t know much about the Rays, but we do know they are playing in China and that they have a great logo. Logically, many of the North American and European players who have been connected with Kunlun could be playing for Vanke.

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

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