Even more news is coming out of Connecticut today, as the Whale re-sign a key forward and will bring her back for Season 7.
Emma Vlasic will be back with the team for her third season in the NWHL. Last season, she was second on the team in terms of points, having posted a goal and adding 3 assists for 4 points, in the 4 games she played. In the year prior, she was the leading scorer on the team, having scored 9 goals in 24 games.
You can check out the full press release here:
EMMA VLASIC RETURNS TO WHALE
Danbury, CT – The Connecticut Whale are getting another pivotal member back for the 2021-22 season re-signing offensive stalwart Emma Vlasic.
“Pickles” returns for her third year in Connecticut and has quickly become a leader for the Whale both on and off the ice.
“We are looking forward to seeing what Emma can do in Season 7,” said Whale head coach Colton Orr. “She continues to work on her game in the offseason and has emerged into a complete player that can play in all three zones.”
The 5-6 forward was second on the team in scoring during Season 6 competition with a goal and three assists in four regular season games. She’s one of the Whale’s leading face-off takers finishing with a .570 success rate, and is relied on heavily for both the penalty kill and power play. As a result, she was named an assistant captain during the shortened 2021 season.
“She’s a player that leads by example and is a big part of the Whale leadership! It’s great to have her back,” said Orr.
During her collegiate career, Vlasic suited up for the Yale Bulldogs for four seasons, and was voted captain by her teammates during her senior year. While skating for the Bulldogs, she scored 45 points (22G, 23A) in 113 total games played.
Vlasic has a 10-3-13 scoring line in 28 games over her NWHL career. She shone as a rookie in her first pro season getting named an NWHL All-Star. She also led her team with nine goals, two power play goals, and 20 blocked shots.
The Whale will look for her to continue her scoring ways with the team this upcoming season. Vlasic has only gotten better with time, and is looking forward to her third season with the Pod.
“I am excited to be returning to the Whale for next season,” said Vlasic. “Really looking forward to getting back on the ice with my teammates and continuing to work towards our pursuit of the Isobel Cup.”
Vlasic is now the fifth player under contract with the Whale for the 2021-22 season joining top-scoring forward Alyssa Wohlfeiler, returning goaltender Abbie Ives, and a pair of newcomers in forward Kennedy Marchment and defender Allie Munroe.
Whale Signing Tracker:
Alyssa Wohlfeiler (F)
Abbie Ives (G)
Kennedy Marchment (F)
Allie Munroe (D)
Emma Vlasic (F)
NWHL News:
Today, the NWHL announced details for an inaugural International Draft that will take place on Sunday July 25th.
Check out the full press release here:
NWHL INTERNATIONAL DRAFT DEBUTS JULY 25 ON TWITCH
by PAUL KROTZ
Inaugural Event Extends the League’s Reach Beyond North America
Brooklyn, NY – The National Women’s Hockey League today announced details for the inaugural NWHL International Draft that will debut on Sunday, July 25. The historic single-round event will feature all six teams introducing their selections via Twitch online at twitch.tv/NWHL beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET.
“The NWHL International Draft will help strengthen league talent and competitiveness while growing professional women’s hockey beyond our North American borders,” said Lisa Haley, the NWHL’s Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “This is an event we hope develops over time with unique interest and exposure of our brand overseas and another opportunity to generate excitement for our fans.”
The draft is intended for players born outside of North America who are at least 21 years of age on or before September 1, 2021, and have not previously played in the NWHL or consumed any eligibility at the NCAA or U SPORTS level. Prior to the introduction of the NWHL International Draft, this eligibility description applied to all international free agents. The immediate revision has been approved by the Office of the Commissioner.
Players who are considered eligible for the 2021 NWHL International Draft may not officially sign as free agents ahead of the selection process, however, unselected players immediately qualify for free agency beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET on July 26. Teams will have a two-week window to exclusively sign their draft picks to contracts for the 2021-22 season. Any selected players who go unsigned in this timeframe will become eligible for free agency at 9:00 a.m. ET on August 9.
The order of selection among the league’s six teams will be consistent with the 2021 NWHL Draft order of selection determined using an inverse rank of winning percentages from the entire 2020-21 season considering all games played in Lake Placid and Boston and with ties decided by goal-differential.
The Buffalo Beauts hold the first overall pick in the inaugural NWHL International Draft followed by the Connecticut Whale who will choose second overall, the Boston Pride at three, Toronto Six at four, Metropolitan Riveters at five, and the Minnesota Whitecaps who will select sixth.
Slovakian defender Lenka Curmova and forward Iveta Klimasova who played for the Beauts in Season 6 would have been eligible under the terms of the NWHL International Draft. Other international-born players such as Pride goaltender Lovisa Selander (Sweden) and forward Tereza Vanisova (Czech Republic), Whale forward Janine Weber (Austria), plus Riveters forward Sammy Kolowrat (Czech Republic) all had NCAA experience and would have been eligible through the traditional draft format.
Prior to the 2021 NWHL International Draft on July 25, the 2021 NWHL Draft featuring collegiate graduates takes place on Tuesday, June 29 with 30 picks to be made over a five-round selection process presented live via Twitch online at twitch.tv/NWHL beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
RMU Petition:
It was announced last week, that the funding for the Division 1 Men’s and Women’s hockey programs of Robert Morris University was cut. Here is the statement from RMU:
If you have the time, please consider signing the petition to help save RMU’s hockey programs, link provided:
Bring Back the RMU Hockey Programs Change.org Petition
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-rmu-hockey
TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings and news are announced.
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