2015-2016 Canadian Women’s Hockey League Preview

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) kicked off on Saturday evening with four of it’s five teams in action. The defending Clarkson Cup champion Boston Blades fell the Toronto Furies, 2-0. Canadian goaltending legend, Charline Labonte, pitched a shut-out for Les Canadiennes de Montreal against the Brampton Thunder.

Missed the first two games? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with an introduction to the CWHL!

League Overview

Commissioner: Brenda Andress

Regular Season: Oct. 16, 2015 to February 21, 2015; games on Saturdays and Sundays

Ultimate Prize: Clarkson Cup

Roster Size: 25 players

No. of Teams: 5

Three Strengths of the League:

1) Established hockey league. For eight years, the CWHL has been the predominant women’s hockey league throughout North America. They’ve established the ground rules for a league trying to cover as much expense as they can so that their players can continue to play the game after their college years are done. Slowly they’ve dug their niche in the sport and attracted big names on both sides of the border.

2) Partnership with three NHL franchises. The CWHL teams located in Calgary, Montreal and Toronto have established a relationship with their NHL counterparts. While the partnerships are still relatively new, the league has the opportunity to market themselves to three hockey mad markets for little to no cost. This endeavor was likely spearheaded by a member of the league’s Board of Directors, Brian Burke.

3) Canadian talent. If you want to see the best of Canadian women’s hockey, look no further than the CWHL. Names like Marie-Philip Pouline, Caroline Ouellette, Hayley Wickenheiser, Charline Labonte, Natalie Spooner, etc. have enough gold and silver medals to make so many grillz (grills?).

Three Weaknesses of the League:

1) No pay for players. The league has been around for eight years and has not found a way to be profitable to a point where they can pay their players. The league is already discussing expansion into other markets, which is great to grow the game, but when does paying the players come before growth?

2) American presence. Where the CWHL needs to capture hearts and minds is in the good old US of A. Having ‘Canadian’ in the league name is not going to help with courting sponsors in the states. The issue is compacted by the fact the team in Boston was gutted due to the defections of a majority of players to the NWHL. Now that there are two Boston women’s hockey teams, one with loads of known names and one that’s struggling to rebuild, the odds of the one American CWHL franchise surviving are significantly lower.

3) The NWHL. Plain and simple: if the NWHL’s model of paying players is successful, the CWHL should be scared. The NWHL can offer the Canadian talent work visas to play in the US. There are already rumors of mergers, expansions, takeovers, etc., but it’s way too early to consider any of those options on either side.

This Weekend’s Games:

Saturday

Brampton Thunder 0 at Les Canadiennes de Montreal 4

Boston Blades 0 at Toronto Furies 2

Sunday

Brampton Thunder (0-1-0) at Montreal Canadiennes (1-0-0), 1:30pm ET

Boston Blades (0-1-0) at Toronto Furies (1-0-0), 1:30pm ET

Live Streaming: 32 game package available for $19.95 CAD via CWHLLive.com

Team: Boston Blades

Home Arena: New England Sports Center, Marlboro, MA.

General Manager: Krista Patronick

Head Coach: Brian McCloskey

ROSTER:

#	Player	Pos.	Hometown
7	Burns, Dru	D	Plano, TX
18	DiMasi, Maggie	D	Burlington, VT
16	Duncan, Sarah	D	Dedham, MA
9	St. Germain, Clara	D	Lunenberg, MA
27	Watchorn, Tara	D	Newcastle, ON
24	Brown, Kristina	F	North Andover, MA
22	Burton, Maddie	F	Calgary, AB
11	Casian, Desiree	F	Bow, NH
20	Cottrell, Ashley	F	Sterling Heights, MI
8	Farrel, Rachel	F	Cheshire, CT
10	Flores, Nicole	F	Everett, MA
4	Giannino, Nicole	F	Bay Shore, NY
26	Gore, Maggie	F	Newburyport, MA
17	Gray, Kate	F	Northfield, VT
21	Keefe, Olivia	F	Ottawa, ON
6	Kickham, Erin	F	Needham, MA
25	Lyons, Brittany	F	Canton, MA
3	Murphy, Grace	F	Montclair, VA
15	Myers, Megan	F	Las Vegas, NV
19	Paton, Kelly	F	Woodstock, ON
23	Shea, Megan	F	Hanover, NH
5	St. Germain, Sadie	F	Ashburnham, MA
14	Tremblay, Elizabeth	F	Saguenay, QC
1	Cariddi, Amanda	G	North Adams, MA
33	Lacasse, Genevieve	G	Scarborough, ON

Three Skaters to Watch:

1) Tara Watchorn, D. Watchorn is on of the few remaining Blades from the Clarkson Cup team. Last season, she was the highest scoring defenseman on the roster with 20 points (6G, 14A). Watchorn earned a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Olympic games.

2) Kristina Brown, F. Brown was selected by the Blades in the first round of the 2015 CWHL draft. She spent last season playing for HPK of Finnish league SM-sarja. She had 18 goals and 8 assists in 26 games.

3) Nicole Giannino, F. Taken in the second round of the 2015 draft, Giannino plays into the restocking of offensive players the Blades need. In four seasons at Holy Cross, she scored 37 goals in 103 games.

GOALIES:

Cariddi, Amanda
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2013-2014	Syracuse	NCAA	2	0.897	2.54

Lacasse, Genevieve
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2008-2012	Providence	NCAA	124	0.933	1.96
2012-2013	Boston Blades	CWHL	14	0.925	1.26
2013-2014	Boston Blades	CWHL	2	0.906	3.00
2014-2015	Boston Blades	CWHL	11	0.925	1.68
2014-2015	Team Canada	IIHF	5	0.845	3.46
2013-2014	Canada	AMHL	11	0.869	3.60

Team: Brampton Thunder

Home Arena: Brampton Memorial Arena, Brampton, ON.

General Manager: Lori Dupuis

Head Coach: Tyler Fines

Assistant Coach: Kevin Stone

ROSTER:

#	Player	Pos.	Hometown
24	Birchard, Courtney	D	Mississauga, ON
13	Edney, Sarah	D	Mississauga, ON
8	Fortino, Laura	D	Hamilton, ON
3	Larocque, Jocelyne	D	Ste. Anne, MB
19	Simmonds, Dania	D	Aurora, ON
4	Styles, Candice	D	Orangeville, ON
28	Whittaker, Leah	D	Cambridge, ON
44	Cation, Tara	F	Caledon, ON
18	Fujimoto, Moeko	F	Japan
37	Hannah-Horne, Whitney	F	Guelph, ON
22	Jones, Jess	F	Picton, ON
2	King, Becca	F	Thunder Bay, ON
17	McIntosh, Laura	F	Waterloo, ON
91	McParland, Jenna	F	Schreiber, ON
16	Montgomery, Fielding	F	Toronto, ON
26	Rattray, Jamie Lee	F	Kanata, ON
9	Richards, Kristen	F	Toronto, ON
10	Scanzano, Jesse	F	Montreal, QC
11	Seedhouse, Ellie	F	Whitby, ON
15	Vine, Lindsay	F	Kirkland Lake, ON
12	Vint, Rebecca	F	Caledon, ON
27	Howe, Erica	G	Ottawa, ON
31	Knox, Liz	G	Stouffville, ON
30	van der Bliek, Sonja	G	Toronto, ON

Three Skaters to Watch:

1) Jocelyn Larocque, D. Lacoque captured the goal medal with Team Canada in Sochi. She is the most experienced player on the roster after spending seasons with the national team, University Minnesota-Duluth, the WWHL and two seasons in the CWHL.

2) Sarah Edney, D. Selected first overall in the 2015 CWHL, Edney comes to Brampton after spending four seasons at Harvard. She was an offensive-defenseman with 25 goals, 63 assists in 127 games.

3) Jess Jones, F. Jones led the squad with 16 points last season. Jones spent her college career at Mercyhurst. In her senior season, she scored 48 points in 34 games.

GOALIES:

Howe, Erica
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2010-2014	Clarkson	NCAA	140	0.932	1.57
2014-2015	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	13	0.896	3.81

van der Bliek, Sonja
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2007-2011	RPI	NCAA	116	0.914	2.13
2011-2012	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	3	0.902	2.67
2012-2013	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	18	0.883	3.62
2014-2015	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	4	0.873	3.07

Knox, Liz
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2006-2007	Wilfred Laurier University	CIS	12	0.934	1.31
2007-2008	Wilfred Laurier University	CIS	20	0.945	0.97
2008-2009	Wilfred Laurier University	CIS	23	0.953	0.93
2009-2010	Wilfred Laurier University	CIS	25	0.960	0.89
2010-2011	Wilfred Laurier University	CIS	22	0.955	0.98
2011-2012	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	20	0.828	2.94
2012-2013	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	11	0.831	4.19
2014-2015	Brampton Thunder	CWHL	11	0.888	3.92

Team: Calgary Inferno

Home Arena: WinSport Arena, Calgary, AB

General Manager: Chantal Champagne

Head Coach: Scott Reid

Assistant Coach: Gina Kingsbury

ROSTER:

#	Player	Pos.	Hometown
5	Aoki, Kanae	D	Kushiro, JPN
24	Cudmore, Hayleigh (V)	D	Hamilton, ON
8	Kromm, Erica (V)	D	Smithtown, BC
4	Lacquette, Brigitte	D	Dauphin, MB
12	Mikkelson-Reid, Meaghan	D	Regina, SK
11	Pierri, Jacquie (V)	D	Montclair, NJ
18	Takeuchi, Aina (V)	D	Kushiro, JPN
3	Webster, Kelsey (V)	D	Duncan, BC
17	Bram, Bailey (V)	F	Ste. Anne, MB
20	Campbell, Jessica (V)	F	Rocanville, SK
14	Cunningham, Jenna (V)	F	Medicine Hat, AB
9	Davis, Sarah (V)	F	Paradise, NL
7	Esposito, Brittany (V)	F	Edmonton, AB
16	Hagg, Kristen (V)	F	Edmonton, AB
21	Irwin, Haley (V)	F	Thunder Bay, ON
19	Jenner, Brianne	F	Oakville, ON
6	Johnston, Rebecca (V)	F	Sudbury, ON
10	Kurio, Rhianna (V)	F	Calgary, AB
15	Lovell, Elana	F	Kamloops, BC
27	Saulnier, Jill	F	Halifax, NS
26	Turnbull, Blayre	F	New Glasgow, NS
28	Warren, Louise (V)	F	Orangeville, ON
22	Wickenheiser, Hayley	F	Shaunavon, SK
29	Brian, Delayne (V)	G	Winnipeg, MB
1	Desjardins, Kathy	G	Loretteville, QC

Three Skaters to Watch:

1) Brianne Jenner, F. Although she spent spent four seasons at Cornell, this isn’t Jenner’s first run at the CWHL. Between 2008-2010, the-then teenager played in 28 CWHL games scoring a total of 25 points. While in college, she appeared in 129 games and earned 93 goals plus 135 assists for a total of 228 points.

2) Rebecca Johnston, F. Johnston is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada. Last season she led the Inferno in scoring with 37 points in 24 games played. Fun Fact: According to Elite Prospects, she’s the niece of Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Johnston.

3) Hayley Wickenheiser, F. The penultimate women’s hockey player. At 36 years old, it’s hard to believe she’s technically a rookie in the CWHL. The five-time Olympic medalist decided to launch the next step of her hockey career by joining the CWHL. Age ain’t nothing but a number. She just graduated from the University of Calgary, where she played on the hockey team, scoring 134 points in 68 games.

GOALIES:

Desjardins, Kathy
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2008-2009	Moncton University	AUS	19	0.946	1.51
2009-2010	Moncton University	AUS	22	0.943	1.61
2010-2011	Moncton University	AUS	18	0.922	2.25
2011-2012	Moncton University	AUS	20	0.935	1.95
2012-2013	Alberta Honeybadgers	CWHL	14	0.721	3.18
2013-2014	Calgary Inferno	CWHL	11	0.893	3.06

Brian, Delayne
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2008-2013	Wayne State/Robert Morris	NCAA	77	0.911	2.68
2013-2014	Calgary Inferno	CWHL	14	0.895	2.52
2014-2015	Calgary Inferno	CWHL	17	0.906	2.46

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Team: Les Canadiennes de Montreal (formerly Montreal Stars)

Home Arena: Étienne-Desmarteau Arena, Montreal, QC

General Manager: Meg Hewings

Head Coach: Dany Brunet

Assistant Coaches: Marc Beaudoin, Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux

ROSTER:

#	PLAYER	Pos.	Hometown
23	Brault, Sophie	D	St-Jean-Richelieu, QC
8	Chartrand, Cathy	D	Nominingue, QC
21	Chu, Julie	D	Bridgeport, CT
76	Emard, Karell	D	Marieville
6	Hill, Carly	D	Pointe-Claire, QC
5	Rougeau, Lauriane	D	Pointe-Claire, QC
12	Saunders, Chelsey	D	Ottawa, ON
24	Bettez, Ann-Sophie	F	Sept-Iles, QC
47	Blais, Emmanuelle	F	Lasalle, QC
62	Bocchia, Emilie	F	St-Leonard, QC
19	Clement-Heydra, Katia	F	St-Bruno, QC
9	Deschenes, Kim	F	St-Quentin, QC
77	Lachance, Sara	F	Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
10	Marin, Noemie	F	Acton Vale, QC
17	Morand, Audrey	F	Montreal, QC
71	Oles, Leslie	F	Beaconsfield, QC
13	Ouellette, Caroline	F	Montreal, QC
20	Peroff, Jordanna	F	Keswick, ON
29	Poulin, Marie-Philip	F	Beauceville, QC
91	Prevost, Melinda	F	Montreal, QC
11	Sherrard, Alyssa	F	Bathurst, NB
53	Anderson, Jessica	G	Pierrefonds, QC
67	Aveson, Sydney	G	West Covina, CA
32	Labonte, Charline	G	Boisbriand, QC

Three Skaters to Watch:

1) Marie-Philip Poulin, F. A two-time Olympic goal medalist with Team Canada, she is best known to American hockey fans as the women who stuck the dagger into our nations heart in overtime in Sochi. Poulin is returning to the CWHL after a five year hiatus to play for Boston University.

2) Caroline Ouellette, F. Also a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada, Ouellette has spent her entire CWHL career with the Montreal franchise. A prolific scorer no matter where she plays, what’s most remarkable is her college career. In three seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, she scored 229 points over 97 games.

3) Julie Chu, D. Chu is one of two Americans on Les Canadiennes. The two-time Team USA Olympic silver medalist enters her sixth season with the Montreal organization. Last season, she tied with teammate Cathy Chartrand as the highest scoring defensemen on the team with 17 points.

GOALIES:

Charline Labonte
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
1999-2000	Acadie-Bathurst Titan	QMJHL	26	0.841	5.22
2000-2001	Acadie-Bathurst Titan	QMJHL	2	0.786	6.00
2004-2005	Canada	WC (W)	2	1.000	0.00
2006-2007	Canada	WC (W)	2	0.913	1.85
2006-2007	McGill Univ.	CIS (W)	18	0.959	0.78
2007-2008	Canada	WC (W)	3	0.909	1.30
2007-2008	McGill Univ.	CIS (W)	17	0.971	0.47
2008-2009	Canada	WC (W)	3	0.912	1.68
2008-2009	McGill Univ.	CIS (W)	15	0.965	0.60
2009-2010	Canada	OG (W)	1	0.889	3.00
2010-2011	Canada	WC (W)	2	0.971	0.50
2010-2011	McGill Univ.	CIS (W)	17	0.953	0.71
2011-2012	Canada	WC (W)	2	0.724	4.64
2011-2012	McGill Univ.	CIS (W)	18	0.944	1.06
2012-2013	Canada	WC (W)	1	1.000	0.00
2012-2013	Montreal Stars	CWHL	14	0.916	2.19
2013-2014	Canada	OG (W)	2	0.951	1.00
2014-2015	Montreal Stars	CWHL	16	0.927	1.89

Aveson, Sydney
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2010-2014	Plattsburgh	NCAA	84	0.944	1.15

Anderson, Jessica
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
N/A	Concordia Stingers		N/A	N/A	N/A

Team: Toronto Furies

Home Arena: Master Card Centre (for Hockey Excellence), Toronto, ON

General Manager: Rebecca Davies

Head Coach: Sommer West

Assistant Coaches: Lexie Hoffmeyer, Mark Woodyatt

ROSTER:

#	Player	Pos.	Hometown
4	Bonello, Michelle	D	Mississauga, ON
22	French, Tara	D	Truro, NS
19	Gaskin, Katie	D	Pickering
10	Hill, Laurel	D	Huntsville, ON
23	Moulson, Shannon	D	Mississauga, ON
5	Saunders, Michelle	D	Oakville, ON
6	Suzuki, Sena	D	Japan
2	Allen, Julie	F	Brampton, ON
57	Baldin, Alyssa	F	Mississauga, ON
44	Cheverie, Kori	F	New Glasgow, NS
17	Fulton, Emily	F	Stratford, ON
16	Hogan, Ashton	F	Shelburne
91	Kohanchuk, Jenelle	F	Winnipeg, MB
18	Kurata, Tomomi	F	Japan
20	Lamoureux, Tanis	F	Canton, MI
27	Prevost, Carolyne	F	Sarnia, ON
24	Spooner, Natalie	F	Scarborough, ON
7	Stevenson, Sarah	F	Toronto, ON
21	Terry, Kelly	F	Whitby, ON
22	Vella, Jessica	F	Pickering, ON
8	Wilson, Katie	F	Winnipeg, MB
9	Zamora, Kristy	F	Oshawa, ON
35	Kessler, Christina	G	Toronto, ON
33	Ross, Olivia	G	Huntsville, ON

Three Skaters to Watch:

1) Jenelle Kohanchuk, F. Kohanchuk returns to the Furies as the roster’s points leader from a year prior. This is her second season with the franchise. Prior to joining the CWHL, she played for Boston University. In her senior season, she scored 46 points in 35 games.

2) Emily Fulton, F. Fulton is a second round pick from the 2015 draft. Toronto is looking to regain the offense they once had when they won the 2014 Clarkson Cup. Fulton is expected to play a major role brining back-to-back 21 goal campaigns at Cornell to the roster.

3) Natalie Spooner, F. Spoonder captured her first Olympic gold medal in Sochi as a part of Team Canada. This is her fourth season with the Furies after finishing her collegiate career at THE Ohio State University.

GOALIES:

Ross, Olivia
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2010-2011	U of Western Ont.	CIS	10	0.919	3.26
2011-2012	U of Western Ont.	CIS	13	0.917	3.20
2012-2013	U of Western Ont.	CIS	7	0.940	1.73
2013-2014	U of Western Ont.	CIS	10	0.932	2.02

Kessler, Christina
Season	Team	League	GP	SV%	GAA
2006-2010	Harvard	NCAA	86	0.942	1.35
2010-2011	Burlington	CWHL	19	0.892	3.69
2011-2012	Burlington	CWHL	11	0.837	5.10
2012-2013	Toronto Furies	CWHL	17	0.869	3.18
2013-2014	Toronto Furies	CWHL	15	0.908	2.72
2014-2015	Toronto Furies	CWHL	19	0.900	3.41