PWHL Boston

Boston are a professional ice hockey team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

PWHL Boston
City	Boston, Massachusetts
League	PWHL
Founded	29 August 2023 (2023-08-29)
Home arena	Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
Colors	Forest green, grey, white
Owner(s)	Mark Walter Group
General manager	Danielle Marmer
Head coach	Courtney Kessel
Captain	Hilary Knight
Website	boston.thepwhl.com
Current season

History

It was revealed on August 29, 2023, that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Boston.^[1] Danielle Marmer, a former scout and player development assistant for the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins, was named the team's inaugural general manager.^[2][3] On September 15, Boston University women's team associate head coach Courtney Kessel was announced as the team's first head coach.^[4]

The team's first three signings during the league's initial free agency period were United States national team players Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, and Megan Keller, all signed to three-year deals.^[5][6] Boston's first selection in the 2023 PWHL Draft, held on September 18, was Swiss forward Alina Müller, taken third overall.^[7]

In November, it was revealed that the team's colors would be green, grey, and white.^[8] It was also revealed that the team would host home games at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.^[9]

Ahead of the start of the inaugural 2024 season, former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron introduced Knight as Boston's captain; Keller and Jamie Lee Rattray were introduced as assistant captains.^[10] The team hosted its inaugural game against Minnesota on January 3, 2024.^[11] The team's first ever goal was scored by Theresa Schafzahl, 7:59 into the 2nd period.^[12] Minnesota ultimately won the game by a score of 3–2.^[13]

Team

Current roster

As of March 20, 2024^[14][15][16]

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
		Lexie Adzija	F	L	23	2024	St. Thomas, Ontario
20		Hannah Brandt	F	R	30	2023	Vadnais Heights, Minnesota
2		Emily Brown	D	L	25	2023	Blaine, Minnesota
18		Abby Cook	D	R	25	2024	Kelowna, British Columbia
22		Jessica DiGirolamo	D	L	25	2023	Mississauga, Ontario
31		Aerin Frankel	G	L	24	2023	New York City, New York
13		Kaleigh Fratkin	D	R	32	2023	Burnaby, British Columbia
36		Loren Gabel	F	L	26	2023	Kitchener, Ontario
17		Taylor Girard	F	L	25	2023	Macomb, Michigan
97		Jess Healey	D	L	27	2023	Edmonton, Alberta
5		Megan Keller (A)	D	L	27	2023	Farmington, Michigan
21		Hilary Knight (C)	F	R	34	2023	Palo Alto, California
77		Nicole Kosta	F	R	31	2024	Mississauga, Ontario
35		Cami Kronish	G	L	24	2023	New York City, New York
19		Gigi Marvin	F	R	37	2023	Bemidji, Minnesota
5		Sidney Morin	D	R	28	2023	Minnetonka, Minnesota
11		Alina Müller	F	L	26	2023	Lengnau, Switzerland
16		Amanda Pelkey	F	R	30	2023	Montpelier, Vermont
47		Jamie Lee Rattray (A)	F	L	31	2023	Kanata, Ontario
37		Theresa Schafzahl	F	L	23	2023	Weiz, Austria
9		Sophie Shirley	F	R	24	2023	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
30		Emma Söderberg	G	L	26	2023	Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
88		Susanna Tapani	F	L	31	2024	Laitila, Finland
12		Taylor Wenczkowski	F	R	26	2023	Rochester, New Hampshire

Reserves

As of March 20, 2024^[14][15][16]

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
55		Kelly Babstock	F	R	31	2024	Mississauga, Ontario
14		Caitrin Lonergan	F	R	26	2024	Roslindale, Massachusetts

Draft history

The 2023 PWHL Draft was held on September 18, 2023, and used a "snake draft" format with the selection order reversing after each round.^[17] Boston's first pick was at number 3 overall.^[18]

2023 PWHL Draft

Rd	Pick	Player	Nationality	Position	Previous team
1	3	Alina Muller	Switzerland	Forward	Northeastern Huskies (Hockey East)
2	10	Sophie Jaques	Canada	Defence	Ohio State Buckeyes (WCHA)
3	15	Jamie Lee Rattray	Canada	Forward	Team Harvey's (PWHPA)
4	22	Loren Gabel	Canada	Forward	Boston Pride (PHF)
5	27	Hannah Brandt	United States	Forward	Team Sonnet (PWHPA)
6	34	Jessica DiGirolamo	Canada	Defence	Team Adidas (PWHPA)
7	39	Theresa Schafzahl	Austria	Forward	Vermont Catamounts (Hockey East)
8	46	Emily Brown	United States	Defence	Team Sonnet (PWHPA)
9	51	Taylor Girard	United States	Forward	Connecticut Whale (PHF)
10	58	Emma Soderberg	Sweden	Goaltender	Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (WCHA)
11	63	Sophie Shirley	Canada	Forward	Wisconsin Badgers (WCHA)
12	70	Shiann Darkangelo	United States	Forward	Toronto Six (PHF)
13	75	Emma Buckles	Canada	Defence	Team Sonnet (PWHPA)
14	82	Tatum Skaggs	United States	Forward	Team Scotiabank (PWHPA)
15	87	Jess Healey	Canada	Defence	Buffalo Beauts (PHF)

References

1. Wyshynski, Greg (August 29, 2023). "Six inaugural franchises revealed for new PWHL". ESPN. from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
2. "PWHL names six general managers as teams begin roster construction". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. September 1, 2023. from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
3. "Danielle Marmer, Bruins scouting assistant, named GM of Boston's PWHL team". WBZ News. CBS Interactive Inc. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
4. "Ryan, MacLeod headline PWHL coaches". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. September 15, 2023. from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
5. Kennedy, Ian (September 7, 2023). "Knight, Frankel, Keller Sign With PWHL's Boston". The Hockey News. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
6. Healy, Emma (September 7, 2023). "Boston's PWHL team signs Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller, and Hilary Knight to free agent contracts". Boston Globe. from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
7. Kennedy, Ian (September 18, 2023). "Alina Muller Picked Third Overall By PWHL Boston". The Hockey News. from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
8. Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
9. Ryan, Conor (January 2, 2024). "Here's everything you need to know about Boston's new professional hockey team". Boston.com. from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
10. Detwiler, Christopher (January 2, 2024). "Bergeron welcomes Hilary Knight as inaugural team captain for PWHL Boston". nhl.com. National Hockey League. from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
11. Porter, Matt (January 4, 2024). "'This has never been done before': Behind the scenes at the PWHL's triumphant Boston debut". Boston Globe. from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
12. "No. 1 overall pick Heise leads the way as Minnesota tops Boston in PWHL debut for both teams". CBC Sports. Associated Press. January 3, 2024. from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
13. Cornetta, Kat (January 4, 2024). "A new team is off and skating, but first game for PWHL Boston doesn't go quite as planned". Boston Globe. from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
14. Donkin, Karissa (December 12, 2023). "PWHL teams release final 23-player rosters ahead of Jan. 1 season opener". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2023. Teams will also carry 3 reserve players for 2024 season
15. "PWHL Boston Roster 2024 Regular Season". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
16. "Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Roster Updates". March 19, 2024.
17. Burgess, Melissa (September 2, 2023). "PWHL Introduces General Managers, Announces Draft Order". The Victory Press. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
18. "PWHL Draft Tracker: Round-by-round recap of all 90 selections". Sportsnet. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.

External links

• Official website