Women’s North American Pro Hockey

[Lindsay]

Wanted a thread for this. This seems like a mostly college hockey fan crowd, but hopefully a pro hockey thread here is ok. NW and PW talk all welcome.

NW championship starts tomorrow, broadcast on nbc sports I think, at Warrior ice arena.

Before the shutdown, Toronto had all the momentum. They are the first seed, but what does any of that mean now? Boston basically has home ice. Will Minnesota go back to back? There’s never been a two time
champ in NW history. We’ll see if that holds another year. Would need Connecticut or Toronto to win to get a first time winner.

[knight7]

ST. LOUIS BLUES PARTNER WITH PWHPA TO HOST 2021 SECRET® DREAM GAP TOUR SHOWCASE PRESENTED LOCALLY BY CENTENE CORPORATION


PWHPAMarch 18, 2021Events, News, Press Release, Sponsors/Partners
https://i0.wp.com/pwhpa.com/wp-conte...46%2C476&ssl=1
In addition to game at Enterprise Center, Blues to host Women in Leadership roundtable and further invest into grassroots programming for girls


ST. LOUIS (March 18, 2021) – The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) continued its momentum today announcing a partnership with the St. Louis Blues— its fourth 2021 partnership with a National Hockey League team.

The St. Louis Blues will host a 2021 Secret® Dream Gap Tour showcase, presented locally by Centene Corporation, on April 11 and 12. The games will feature Team adidas (Minnesota) and Team Women’s Sports Foundation (New Hampshire). Team adidas came away with showcase wins in New York and Chicago earlier this year against Team Women’s Sports Foundation.

The first Secret Dream Gap Tour game in St. Louis will take place on April 11 at Centene Community Ice Center at 5 p.m. CT, and the showcase will conclude on April 12 with a 6 p.m. CT puck drop at Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues. This will be the last U.S.-based competition before PWHPA athletes head to international camps for the Women’s World Championships scheduled for May.

“We are honored to host the top women hockey players in the world for the second consecutive year and have the opportunity to continue building on the success of the women’s participation in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game,” said Chris Zimmerman, St. Louis Blues President and CEO. “Being chosen alongside markets like Toronto, New York and Chicago makes a strong statement about the state of hockey in St. Louis, along with our commitment to the advancement of the women’s game.”

There are currently three PWHPA players participating in the weekend events with ties to St. Louis, including Olympic gold medalists Alex Cavallini and Nicole Hensley, as well as Jincy Dunne, a PWHPA and international hockey standout. Cavallini currently lives in the St. Louis area, Hensley played college hockey at Lindenwood University and Dunne grew up playing youth hockey in St. Louis.

“Since moving to St. Louis recently, I have been blown away by the eagerness and drive to grow the sport of hockey – for men and women,” Cavallini said. “The St. Louis Blues hosting the PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour speaks volumes to how much they believe in our game and our mission of creating a viable, sustainable women’s professional hockey league. There’s nothing better than having visible, powerful women role models, on and off the ice, showing the next generation they, too, can dream big.”

The weekend showcase will also include community events in partnership with Bauer Hockey and feature PWHPA players and leaders. Officially kicking off on Saturday, April 10, these activities include an on-ice girls’ hockey clinic, followed by a Youth Hockey Q&A featuring PWHPA athletes.

The April 10 program will continue with a Women in Leadership roundtable—which will take place before the Blues’ game against the Minnesota Wild—and will showcase some of the most powerful and impactful business leaders and athletes in sports. Designed to enable a dialogue on equity in sports and the path forward, the two-part roundtable will also demonstrate to girls and young professional women the varied career paths available to women in sports and leadership.

“The Blues continue to be a leader investing resources to advance the women’s game and grow youth hockey participation,” said Mary-Kay Messier, a senior advisor to the PWHPA and VP of Global Marketing at Bauer Hockey. “It’s exciting to return to St. Louis, the site where women’s hockey skyrocketed forward with the 3-on-3 game and the Skills Competition. The Dream Gap Tour in St. Louis will further demonstrate just how exciting and marketable women’s hockey is and how a sustainable pro league provides opportunities for the next generation to dream.”

The Blues partnership with the PWHPA comes a year after St. Louis hosted the NHL’s All-Star Weekend in January 2020, which included a widely-successful U.S. vs. Canada women’s 3-on-3 all-star game, PWHPA player appearances during the NHL’s Skills Competition and a legacy investment by the Blues, NHL and Bauer Hockey to grow girls’ hockey. This investment included the creation of the St. Louis Blues Girls’ Hockey Development League, which provides low-cost opportunities for girls of all ages to try hockey and develop skills at a faster rate.

Fans can sign up to receive more event information including pre-sale opportunities by visiting stlouisblues.com/pwhpa. Tickets for the events will go on sale the week of March 22.

Comprised of approximately 125 of the world’s best hockey players, the PWHPA was formed to advocate for equity, fairness and opportunity in women’s professional hockey. Specifically, the group’s goal is to create a sustainable pro league that pays a living wage to players, provides appropriate elite-level resources and invests in marketing that showcases the players and game. The St. Louis showcase builds off PWHPA partnerships with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks.

“Centene is committed to the health and wellness of the communities we serve,” said Marcela Hawn, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Centene. “We are proud to sponsor the PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour and support these incredible female athletes in inspiring future generations to pursue their dreams.”

[Lindsay]

Knight thanks for sharing. So one game at Lindenwood’s rink and one at St Louis Blues rink. Nice to see. The Lindenwood rink will be better for streaming than that first rink that was used out east with the MSG event. If you see broadcast details, please share.

I hope Lindenwood can leverage some publicity and benefit from this. The article said 3 PW players have ties to St Louis. I would add a fourth - Kendall Coyne’s sister Bailey just wrapped up her senior season at Lindenwood.

[Lindsay]

Women’s hockey on tv and streaming free this weekend:

On March 26, top-seeded Toronto takes on Boston in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m. EST, followed by Minnesota facing off against Connecticut. The winners compete for the Isobel Cup at 7 p.m. EST on March 27. All three games will be televised on NBCSN and streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app exclusively in the U.S., and streamed via Twitch in Canada and other international markets.

points of interest: TO is 1 seed but Boston has 4 out 5 points leaders (TO has 1), home ice and Selander in net.

Connecticut is never favored against Minnesota but CT recently picked up former USA player Melissa Samoskevich. Could she be the difference? Samoskevich graduated from Quinnipiac and currently coaches at Penn State.

I’m picking a Boston Minnesota final with Boston winning.

[Scott_TG]

As one would expect, the production is of much higher quality than the web-exclusive streams I've seen from the NWHL.

[Scott_TG]

Really not digging the commentary. It reminds me of in pro wrestling broadcasts where the commentators will talk about everything but the action on the ice. It's one thing to acknowledge the historic nature of these broadcasts and the league overall, but they are doing it at the expense of what's happening on the ice.

And to keep the wrestling allegory, I wish color analyst AJ Mleczko was as interested in putting the players over as she is putting herself over. Any time someone she played against or with is shown on the ice or bench she's sure to tell us about it, but not much about the players on the ice.

[Lindsay]

Yea, a lot of times her (not just tonigjt) commentary partner leads her to talk about herself, but I’d rather they call the game too.

Jersey matchup in game 2 is so much better. I’m old fashioned, just like 1 set of white jerseys out there.

overall production is nice. I did like the pics they showed of the 3 broadcast ladies playing their college sports. Also liked the Madison Packer interview.

[Lindsay]

Boston wins 4-3 over Minn, to win second Isobel Cup.

great game with some nice goals. Here are a few of them. Game winner went to UNH graduate Taylor Wenczkowski.

https://twitter.com/NWHL/status/1376...020662272?s=20

[knight7]

PWHPA plays games in St. Louis this Sunday 4/11 and Monday 4/12

https://i1.wp.com/pwhpa.com/wp-conte...00%2C500&ssl=1VS


https://i2.wp.com/pwhpa.com/wp-conte...00%2C500&ssl=1TEAM ADIDAS HEADS INTO THE SHOWCASE WITH AN 8-2 LEAD OVER TEAM WOMEN'S SPORTS FOUNDATION IN THE SECRET? DREAM GAP TOUR STANDINGS. (CLICK HERE FOR STANDINGS.)

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SUN. APRIL 11, 2021
5:00PM CST AT
CENTENE COMMUNITY ICE CENTER
CBC Sports Live Stream

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MON. APRIL 12, 2021
6:00PM CST AT
ENTERPRISE CENTER
NBCSN

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https://i2.wp.com/pwhpa.com/wp-conte...00%2C762&ssl=1

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https://i2.wp.com/pwhpa.com/wp-conte...00%2C675&ssl=1

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Minnesota Roster

Name	#	Pos.	Shot	DOB	Hometown
Demi Crossman	22	D	L	12/14/1994	Duluth, MN
Savannah Harmon	14	D	L	10/27/1995	Downers Grove, IL
Margo Lund	16	D	R	5/23/1992	St. Paul, MN
Lee Stecklein	2	D	L	4/23/1994	Roseville, MN
Hannah Brandt	20	F	R	11/27/1993	Vadnais Heights, MN
Sydney Brodt	15	F	R	5/3/1998	North Oaks, MN
Dani Cameranesi	24	F	L	6/30/1995	Plymouth, MN
Kendall Coyne Schofield	26	F	L	5/25/1992	Palos Heights, IL
Samantha Donovan	23	F	R	1/3/1996	New Brighton, MN
Hilary Knight	21	F	R	7/12/1989	Sun Valley, ID
Anne Pankowski	27	F	R	11/4/1994	Laguna Hills, CA
Kelly Pannek	12	F	R	12/29/1995	Plymouth, MN
Abby Roque	18	F	R	9/25/1997	Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Sophia Shaver	11	F	R	4/3/1997	Wayzata, MN
Ryleigh Houston	28	F	R	9/14/1998	Winnipeg, MB, Can
Nicole Hensley	29	G	L	6/23/1994	Lakewood, CO
Maddie Rooney	35	G	L	7/7/1997	Andover, MN

Staff
Head Coach:	Matt Leitner
Assistant Coach:	Mira Jalouso
Team Physician/Trainer:	Dr. Christi Jo Christian
General Manager:	Justin Johnson

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https://i2.wp.com/pwhpa.com/wp-conte...00%2C675&ssl=1

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New Hampshire Roster

Player	#	Pos.	Shot	DOB	Hometown
Jincy Dunne	23	D	L	5/15/1997	O'Fallon, MO
Megan Keller	5	D	L	5/1/1996	Farmington Hills, MI
Codie Cross	4	D	L	2/22/1998	Airdrie, Alberta, CAN
Jacquie Greco	25	D	R	5/30/1991	Buffalo, NY
Kali Flanagan	6	D	R	9/19/1995	Burlington, MA
Amanda Kessel	28	RW	R	8/28/1991	Madison, WI
Haley Skarupa	22	RW	R	6/3/1994	Rockville, MD
Gigi Marvin	19	C	R	2/7/1987	Warroad, MN
Brianna Decker	13	C	R	5/13/1991	Dousman, WI
Delaney Belinskas	17	RW	R	9/9/1997	Port Orange, FL
Hayley Scamurra	14	LW	L	12/14/1994	Williamsville, NY
Alexa Gruschow	16	LW/RW	R	8/16/1994	Mechanicsburg, PA
Courtney Turner	3	C	R	6/17/1994	Milton, MA
Emily Field	15	C	L	4/6/1993	Littleton, MA
Chelsey Goldberg	24	LW/RW	R	1/30/1993	Agoura Hills, CA
Katie Burt	35	G	L	1/26/1997	Lynn, MA
Alex Cavallini	33	G	L	1/3/1992	Delafield, WI

Staff
GM/Head Coach:	Bill Flanagan
Assistant Coach:	Bill Weiand
Assistant GM:	Alex Thomas
Equipment Manager:	Alex Russo
Athletic Trainer:	Paul Andrade

[MAHOCKEY FAN]

Looks like rosters are a bit light. Only 4 and 5 d. Tough with 2 games. Forwards a bit better with 10/11

[Lindsay]

https://omny.fm/shows/girls-on-the-b...layer-us-natio

So apparently Cammi Granato and AJ Mleczko have a podcast? FINALLY! Absolutely love it. In advance of the Secret Dream Gap Tour event, PW fans may enjoy this episode with Brianna Decker. Also they have a Mark Johnson episode, but not sure how women’s hockey focused it is.

[Lindsay]

Looks like rosters are a bit light. Only 4 and 5 d. Tough with 2 games. Forwards a bit better with 10/11

You are right. Definitely light. I wonder if rosters are same as previously (other than NH adding Bellamy).

Curious what this game will look like as we approach worlds. Staying healthy has to be a priority for WC squad, and those who didn’t make WC squad, might be either a little deflated or more motivated than usual.

[Lindsay]

PWHPA event in St Louis is postponed thanks to Covid, per PW Twitter. No future date provided at this time.

[Lindsay]

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/...hip-isobel-cup

Wanted to talk briefly about brand sponsorship. IMO, brand sponsorship is the path forward forward for growth in women’s pro sports. (I consider the NHL a brand too). Women’s hockey is tiny relative to even women’s basketball or women’s soccer, but this year Secret and Discover are both reported to have invested around $1 million each in PW and NW respectively. That is simply fantastic and I hope women’s hockey can repeat or even grow that investment next year.

For fans those investments meant we got to see some games professionally broadcast on tv. For the players, I think (hope) it meant some money in their pockets. In the case of the NW, they have a 50% revenue sharing agreement, so if Discover really was $1million thats $500k to spread over like 130 players. Not bad.

I’d be interested to read about what min, max, and average salaries are in the NW these days, as they are clearly making headway. I’m also curious how brands like Discover and Secret measure whether their investment met whatever expectation they had.

Lastly, and I know I’ll never see this, but I’m just curious if brands have a “buyer persona” in mind when they invest in women’s sports, and if I personally fit in any of them. Or do they have just one buyer persona in mind, or none and it’s general allocation of spend to create good will for the brand? The least I can say is I’m thrilled at what Discover and Secret are doing, and hope to see more brands invest.

Tangentially related but USA Hockey and their players will be renegotiating their deal soon, as the landmark deal they reached in 2017 expires, end of June.

[Lindsay]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...nsorship-boom/

oh geez, this is the link I should have posted. Much more detail here. Players in the NW had salaries between $5k and $26k this year. Plus a 20% bonus for being in the “bubble.” Would still be cool to hear what the bottom line highest was after all bonuses.

Investors like the 50% to players thing, which makes sense. NWHLPA rep Anya Packer indicated in the article that salaries would be restructured for season 7, but she is no longer NWHLPA rep.