Some big news out of Toronto today, as defender Saroya Tinker will be taking her talents to The Six for the upcoming Season 7. It is Tinker’s second year in the league and her second team that she will play for.
During her rookie campaign, she played for the Metropolitan Riveters. She played 3 games for the club, registering 1 assist, as the Riveters season was cut short. She was however, the recipient of the NWHL Foundation Award, which goes to the player to the player most actively applying the core values of hockey to her community as well as growing and improving hockey culture. She also received the Denna Laing Award, which goes to the player who most exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to her sport.
You can check out the full press release here:
DEFENDER RETURNS TO HER ROOTS AS TORONTO SIX LOCK UP SAROYA TINKER
by Justin Levine
Toronto, ON- Moving forward with much anticipation, the Toronto Six made a big splash on Wednesday, landing a hometown defender in Saroya Tinker, who has signed with the club as a free agent for Season 7.
âI really loved seeing the Toronto Six [in Lake Placid] and realizing thatâs my hometown and realizing I might be missing out on a few things in terms of fans and my family from Toronto,â Tinker said of her newest chapter. âI thought that it would be the best decision to sign with the Six and play close to my hometown.â
The fourth overall pick in the 2020 NWHL Draft is a native of Oshawa, Ontario and returns to her roots for her second pro season. The righty was drafted by the Metropolitan Riveters after playing collegiately at Yale University.
Competing with the Bulldogs womenâs hockey team, Tinker took the ice in New Haven alongside goaltender Tera Hoffman, who would also join her with the Riveters. She also played with current league stars such as Emma Vlasic and Mallory Souliotis.
Making her debut during Lake Placid competition, the now 23-year-old played in just three games during the Riveters shortened campaign. She earned her first point as a pro with a secondary assist on a goal from Cailey Hutchison and played a role in two wins against Toronto and Connecticut.
While her action on the ice was limited, Tinker used her platform and voice to bring awareness to issues such as Black Lives Matter. The Canadian was a central piece to those conversations, gaining support from her teammates and helping lead initiatives exemplified by other teams. For her perseverance and dedication to change, she was widely voted as the leagueâs Denna Laing Award winner, and was also one of six recipients of the NWHLâs Foundation Award along with Torontoâs Mikyla Grant-Mentis.
“As the Toronto Six, weâre always looking for players who believe in the mission and stand by our three pillars; inclusion, education, empowerment,â said Digit Murphy, President of the Toronto Six. âWhile we fit another piece in the puzzle, we also welcome in a leader who exemplifies our core values on and off the ice. Her skill set as a defender will help add depth to an already strong corps and her exceptional puck handling ability will add an increased offensive presence to our blue line. In addition, as a voice for the BIPOC community, Saroya is a leader and example of how sports can amplify conversations that can lead to change!”
Prior to committing to Yale, Tinker played junior hockey at home, where she competed for two seasons with the Durham West Lightning. After the 2015-16 PWHL campaign, the former ECAC All-Academic was named to the U18 Womenâs World Championship, where she played in five games and secured a silver medal for Canada. While unable to get on the scoresheet, Tinker finished in a three-way for Plus/Minus at +7.
Excited to hit the ice in Toronto, Tinker canât wait to get going and sport the red, white and gold in the city she grew up in.
âI think just being back on home soil, I get to play for my 11-year-old brother. Heâs definitely a big fan of mine and heâll be able to come to all my games,â she said. âIâm also honestly really looking forward to being closer to my mentorship girls and being able to help them from a personal standpoint and not have to talk to them via Zoom. But again, playing on home soil, I donât think thereâs anything better than that and Iâm looking forward to developing more fans and having my hometown and my family be able to watch me play.â
RMU Petition:
It was announced, 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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