Story of the week

CWHL Draft in Review: Worcester, Toronto, and Markham

Why the Connecticut Whale should pursue Meeri Räisänen - The Ice Garden

At the CWHL draft we got answers to most of our questions about player destinations. We found out where Alex Rigsby would end up (Calgary), if Toronto would be able to snag both Mellissa Channell and Julia Fedeski (yes, and they picked up Emma Greco too!), and who Worcester had as their pre-signings (Lauren Williams and Morgan Turner). At the end of the evening, though, one big question remained: what the heck is going on with Meeri Räisänen?

As mentioned by Kirsten Whelan in her draft wrap-up for The Victory Press, first Räisänen was selected by Markham in the eighth round. Then the Worcester Blades, who are the only CWHL team with an opening in their top two goalie slots, picked her two rounds later. Thunder GM Chelsea Purcell clarified after the draft that she’d selected Räisänen either as possible trade leverage with Worcester, or if that didn’t work out, they’d tell her to play somewhere else this season—Räisänen wants to play, not sit on the bench as a third goalie—and keep her as an option for next year when Markham might have more room in goal.

(Note: While drafted CWHL prospects are usually considered free agents after a year, that’s only if they’re not kept on the 40-player roster by the team that drafted them, a lesson Purcell said she learned with Russian goalie Mariya Sorokina, who the Thunder drafted last season. Point is, with the right paperwork, the Thunder can hold onto Räisänen’s CWHL rights through to next season).

Räisänen, who is very good, would be an excellent acquisition for Worcester and a way to take some of the load off Lauren Dahm’s shoulders. Worcester also drafted the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Jessica Convery in the fourth round, though, so they do have options. As Meredith Foster points out in her piece for The Ice Garden, she’d also be a great fit for the Connecticut Whale of the NWHL, who are in even direr goalie straits than the Blades. The fact that Worcester left her until the 10th round and no other teams have jumped at the opportunity to sign her since is frankly ridiculous. The woman has made the IIHF World Championship All-Star Team twice! The only reason she isn’t Finland’s starter is because Noora Räty is Noora Räty! She’s world-class, and deserves playing time on a pro team.

Whether it’s with Worcester, Connecticut, or somewhere in Scandinavia, I hope we find out Räisänen’s destination soon—and, selfishly, I hope it’s one of the first two options. I’d love to be able to watch her play professionally.

CWHL

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NWHL

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NCAA

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European club hockey

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AWIHL (Australia)

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Women's HockeyCanadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)