PWHPA Player Roundup: June 13

Keeping you up to date on all the players joining the PWHPA as of June 12

For almost a month, the PWHPA has been announcing a handful of players joining the organization for their second season of operation. Among these players are recent college graduates with national ties — like Americans Maddie Rooney and Abby Roque and Canadians Sarah Potomak and Jaime Bourbonnais — as well as a number of players returning for their second season with the PWHPA.

To keep up with commitments to the association in real time, make sure to check out our PWHPA Tracker.

Kristin O’Neill, forward, Cornell University

At the end of the regular season, Kristin O’Neill finished third in points on her team and seventh in the ECAC with a round 40. Of those 40 points, nearly all (37) were primary points, which is indicative of just how big of a playmaker she was for the Big Red’s top line and the team as a whole. Over the course of her career, she’s collected three All-Ivy first team and three all-ECAC honors, as well as being Cornell’s Patty Kazmaier nominee three years in a row. By the time her fourth year of eligibility ended, O’Neill placed in the top ten in program history for six different categories — including points (145, good for 10th), shots (546, good for third), and short-handed goals (10, good for 1st).

In 2018, she joined the Canadian senior team for the first time at the 4 Nations Cup and tallied two assists to help Canada to their eighth silver medal. While she reprised her role on the Canadian offense at the Pittsburgh joint training camp in late 2019, O’Neill was not selected to the 2020 Women’s Worlds roster.


NCAA talent populates National Team rosters


Sydney Scobee, goaltender, University of Minnesota

In a league with national team netminders like Maddie Rooney, Aerin Frankel, and Andrea Brändli, Sydney Scobee has quietly been making a name for herself since her freshman year in the NCAA. Having transferred to the University of Minnesota after two years with the University of Vermont, Scobee slid easily into the Gophers’ starter role after a junior campaign posting a .927 SV% and 1.76 GAA over 16 games.

In her final season in the maroon and gold, she was awarded WCHA Goaltender of the Year Honors and earned the WCHA Goaltending Champion award after securing the league lead in GAA through conference play. In terms of national experience, Scobee was invited to the Team USA Goaltender Development Camp in 2018, but has otherwise limited exposure to international play.

In addition to the college graduates, the following players will be returning to the PWHPA for their second season of play:

  • Karell Emard, appeared in 3 showcases
  • Hannah Brandt, appeared in 4 showcases
  • Annie Bélanger, appeared in 2 showcases
  • Alex Cavallini, appeared in 4 showcases, NHL All-Star Weekend 3v3/