Kaleigh Fratkin re-signs with Boston Pride for 2019-2020 NWHL season

The Canadian defender has been with the league since its first year

The NWHL has announced its first signing of the #ForTheGame era.

Original NWHL player Kaleigh Fratkin is returning to the Boston Pride for the 2019-2020 season, which will be her third with the Pride. She previously played for the Riveters and the Whale, and has made a significant impact in each of her four NWHL seasons. Her first pro season was spent in the CWHL with the Boston Blades.

Fratkin had two goals and seven assists in 23 games last season, and her nine points were the most of any Boston Pride defender.

The NWHL provided some interesting specifics in their press release, including Fratkin’s $11,000 salary for the season. The league has not released salary figures since the 2016-17 season. They also included that players will receive “a 50 percent cut of all revenue from league-level sponsorship and media deals.” According to NWHLPA Executive Director Anya Battaglino, this was an initiative being worked on the players association this off season.

Fratkin has been one of the few players to vocalize her concerns about the #ForTheGame movement.

“I’ve decided to play a fifth season because I just want to keep playing hockey every chance I get,” Fratkin said in the NWHL’s release. She added that “the excitement of the fans and how much growth and success [the NWHL] has had in the last couple of years” drew her back for her third year in Boston.