Articles of the Week

This week, we each had things to say about a different article.

Tatiana Rafter re-signs with Riveters - Blueshirt Banter
Nafio: This was a surprise. Without a local team, I don’t follow the NWHL as closely as I do the C but Tatiana Rafter’s series of articles for Stanley Cup of Chowder in 2016 grabbed my attention.  Her reaction to the mid-season salary cuts laid out in cold numbers exactly what sort of impact the drastic move would have on players.

From The Rafter: Survival of professional women's hockey hangs in the balance

Salaries for next season have not yet been made available to the public, but it’s not a reach to say they likely won’t be on the same scale as they were at the start of last season. Plus, Rafter’s Canadian, meaning immigration issues are always looming. Add to that the fact that she almost signed a contract with a Swedish team last summer... it all makes this signing very interesting.

Does it make me confident the NWHL won’t have another crisis or two in their third season? Frankly, no. But it does make me more confident they’ll at least start a third season, which I wasn’t before.

Longtime Lady Duck Selected to 2018 U.S. Women's Olympic Team
Annie: There’s a lot to like about this article—for starters, kudos to the Anaheim Ducks for putting a nicely written piece about a homegrown female player on their official website. It’s a great use of their platform, both for the US women’s national team and for Anaheim girls’ minor hockey.

It’s also great to read a piece about girls’ hockey development flourishing in a nontraditional market. The Lady Ducks program has produced a lot of talent— Pankowski, this year’s U18 team captain Cayla Barnes, and Kaliya Johnson of the Connecticut Whale, just to name a few. I’ve talked a lot on this blog about the difficulties faced by young women who want to play hockey in the Sun Belt, and it’s nice to see an article spotlighting a program that’s doing it well. The emphasis on Pankowski playing for local girls’ teams is also important, since there’s still a common bias towards assuming a boys’ team will provide better competition and development.

While southern California isn’t going to rival places like Minnesota or Massachusetts for representation on the national team roster this year, Pankowski is a fantastic example that National Team-level talent isn’t limited to places with natural ice. She’s a great player, and a great inspiration for girls playing hockey in the Sun Belt.

IIHF
BREAKING: Emma Eliasson completes career - Sports | SVT.se
Sweden's best player Emma Eliasson quit. The reason: The closed door to the national team. (google translate) s/t to @fosterwrites

Team USA announces women’s national team roster for 2018 PyeongChang Olympics - The Ice Garden
It’s not the Olympic roster...yet. But Team USA announced the 23 players who will make up the national team in the year leading up to the Olympics in PyeongChang.

USA Hockey USWNT Roster Features Notable Absences
Excitement is building in the hockey world with the US women’s national team selection camp coming to an end.

Deaf hockey

Ipswich's Karpa plays for Team USA at World Deaf Hockey Championships
McKinley Karpa loves the feeling of rushing up the ice and either sending a pass to a teammate or receiving a pass and seeing the puck go into a hockey net.

US Women's Deaf Hockey Team Preparing For International Spotlight
The national team’s battle for equality with USA hockey garnered support from almost every corner of the hockey world, and following that, the AHIHA iced its first women’s national team in two exhibitions against Canada during the World Deaf Hockey Championships.

CWHL

Five Top Prospects For The CWHL Draft And NWHL Free Agency
Olympic centralization is going to make the 2017 CWHL Draft and the NWHL college free agency period all kinds of interesting.

All general manager positions open in the CWHL for 2017-18 season - The Ice Garden
The CWHL front offices might look a little different next season.

Rebecca Michael named CWHL Director of Hockey Operations - Pension Plan Puppets
Toronto Furies GM takes on a new role with the league

Brampton Thunder hire Jim Jackson as new head coach for 2017-18 season - The Ice Garden
Former NHL player and assistant coach of UOIT Ridgebacks will step behind the Thunder bench next season.

Roustan Capital Acquires TORSPO and CHRISTIAN Authentic & Iconic Global Hockey Brands | news.sys-con.com
To celebrate, Roustan Capital donated 200 and subsidized 1,000 CHRISTIAN sticks for Project North to be donated to children in Canada's North by Canada C3, 200 to the CWHL and 100 to Warroad Youth Hockey.

Kayla Tutino Returns Home to Play for Les Canadiennes | Sports – The Link
It is a homecoming of sorts for Kayla Tutino.

NWHL

"The Boz Blast" – Megan Bozek Discusses Her Shot
Buffalo Beauts' defender Megan Bozek takes time to discuss her powerful blast from the point, and how shots are capable of changing the momentum of a game.

NWHL Restricted Free Agency: Must Re-Signs
The National Women's Hockey League opened its restricted free agent period on May 1, with an undoubtedly interesting summer ahead.

Beauts Coach Craig Muni | These Women Know They Have To Fight
Buffalo Beauts assistant coach Craig Muni has been involved in women’s sports for the better part of two decades.

Catching Up With The Riveters 2016 Draft Class
New York Riveters general manager Chad Wiseman had the first pick of the 2016 draft.

Re-signings

Connecticut Whale re-sign forward Kelly Babstock

Connecticut Whale re-sign defender Cydney Roesler

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