TXHT Podcast Interview with Sam Walther of the Metropolitan Riveters

Ladies and Gentlemen the TXHT podcast is back for the 2019-20 season and we kick it off with Metropolitan Riveters goaltender Sam Walther.

Audio:

We speak with Walther on a number topics including her hockey career, her time with the Connecticut Whale last season, why she decided to sign with the Metropolitan Riveters for the 2019-20 season, why she wears the number 70 and why Braden Holtby should wear her shirsey, and so much more.

Walther will receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with her name on it. You can purchase Walther’s Shirsey by clicking here, and Walther’s Jersey by clicking here.

Opening Music:

“Modern Guns” by Eyeshine

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NWHL News and Notes – September 18th, 2019

Today in the NWHL we had eight player signings and a coaching hire announced today.

Minnesota Whitecaps

Today the Minnesota Whitecaps have announced the signing of four players for the 2019-20 season.

First the Whitecaps announced that they have signed defender Rose Alleva to a one year deal.

Alleva, who was born in China and raised in Red Wing, MN, played in the CWHL the last two seasons and was a part of the Whitecaps for two seasons from 2015 to 2017. Alleva played for the Vanke Rays where she played a total of 41 games over the last two seasons. This will be Alleva’s first season in the NWHL, and third with the Whitecaps.

Then the Whitecaps announced that they have re-signed defender Emma Stauber to a one year deal.

Stauber, who is the 12th member from last season’s championship team to return for the 2019-20 season, was the Whitecaps third highest scoring defender and lead the team in blocked shots.

Next the Whitecaps announced that they have signed forward Nina Rodgers for the 2019-20 season.

Rodgers, a member of the Connecticut Whale last season, is a two time national champion with the University of Minnesota, and was fifth on the Whale in scoring last season. This will be Rodgers’ first season with the Whitecaps.

Lastly the Whitecaps announced that they have signed forward Sam Donovan to a one year deal.

Donovan, the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NWHL Draft, played the last two seasons with the Connecticut Whale, and will be entering her first season with the Whitecaps this season.

Metropolitan Riveters

The Metropolitan Riveters announced that they have signed two defenders for the 2019-20 season.

First the Riveters announced that they have signed former Connecticut Whale defender Cassie Dunne to a one year contract.

Dunne, a Philadelphia, PA native, played for the Whale during the 2017-18 season, and will be entering her second season in the NWHL with this season being her first with the Riveters.

Lastly the Riveters also announced that they have signed Leila Kilduff for the 2019-20 season.

Kilduff, a San Jose, CA native, played all four seasons of her collegiate career at Minnesota State University where she would play 92 career games for the school. This will be Kilduff’s first season in the NWHL and with the Riveters.

Boston Pride

The Boston Pride announced today that they have signed forward Carlee Toews for the 2019-20 season.

Toews, the Â former Captain of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, is a two way winger that played in every game but one for the Wildcats where she would score 14 goals with 28 assists for 42 points. This will be Toews rookie season in the NWHL.

Buffalo Beauts

The Buffalo Beauts made two announcements today as they hired an assistant coach and made a player signing.

First the Beauts announced that Rhea Coad has been hired as an assistant coach to Pete Perram.

Coad played college hockey with SUNY Canton, and is also currently an assistant coach with Nazareth College.

The Beauts also announced that they have signed forward/defender Sara Bustad to a one year deal.

Bustad played for the Minnesota State University Mavericks where she would score five goals with 11 assists in 138 career games. Bustad also attended two USA Hockey National Development Camps before she began her collegiate career. Bustad also previously worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning as Community Hockey Coordinator for Diversity Development and Sled Hockey. This will be Bustad’s rookie season in the NWHL.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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NWHL News and Notes – September 17th, 2019

Today in the NWHL it was announced that a team of investors led by Cannon Capital managing partner Miles Arnone has purchased the Boston Pride.

The Pride were informed on Monday night prior to the practice. Arnone met with the team’s players and staff, and as part of their new ownership of the team, their immediate plans for the Pride include investments in player and team development, increases in marketing and promotion, along with more youth hockey initiatives to be created. Also Arnone plans to hire a team president for the Pride to run all of the day to day operations of the team.

Per the NWHL’s Press Release this morning Arnone brings to the Pride and NWHL “more than 20 years of investment experience and a background in engineering, turn-around management and start-ups. He is the author of two books, founder of three start-ups and principal inventor on 125 patents. A Long Island native, Arnone earned bachelorâ€™s and masterâ€™s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has called Boston home for more than thirty years.”

â€œMy investors and I believe in the NWHL, and we are honored to take on the responsibility of leading the Boston Pride during this important era of growth for womenâ€™s sports. We will build the Pride into a world-class team and an innovative and thoughtful business venture that demonstrates the power of professional womenâ€™s hockey and the value of the gameâ€™s remarkable athletes.â€

– Miles Arnone

The sale of the Boston Pride to Miles Arnone’s investment group was facilitated by the Sports Advisory Group, which is an idustry leader in the sale and acquisition of major and minor league sports teams. This sale can also be viewed as a catalyst for the NWHL to consider the sale of the other current teams that the league runs, and also brings in the prospect of bringing in expansion teams with investors who are genuinely dedicated to the women’s game.

We here at TXHT see this as a huge plus for the NWHL and for Women’s Hockey as a whole. With how the offseason unfolded and with the dedication of the NWHL to continue to grow, today’s announcement proves that their vision and dedication to the women’s game is undeterred and that the 2019-20 season will be another year of growth.

Also today the Connecticut Whale have announced that former NHLer Colton Orr and NWHL Veteran Laura Brennan will be the coaches for the team this season.

Orr will be the Whale’s head coach with Brennan serving as his assistant coach. Brennan will also act as Interim Head Coach while Orr competes on CBC’s “Battle of the Blades” tv show.

â€œIâ€™m honored to have the privilege of leading the Connecticut Whale. This game means a lot to me, and these fantastic athletes on the Whale and across the NWHL are role models to the next generation â€“ including my daughter, who is in the Learn to Play program. Iâ€™m determined to take all of the hockey knowledge and life lessons learned from great NHL people like (former Rangers coach) Tom Renney and apply them to the Whale. Iâ€™m grateful to Laura Brennan for running the show while Iâ€™m away, and I canâ€™t wait to get back to Connecticut to work with her and the players and give the Whale fans a team they can believe in.â€

– Colton Orr

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NWHL News and Notes – September 13th, 2019

On Friday, September 13th the NWHL had one signing announced.

The Metropolitan Riveters announced that they have signed defender Nichelle Simon for the 2019-20 campaign.

Simon, a contestant on “American Ninja Warrior”, is a Breast Cancer survivor who completed her treatments in June 2018, and has been commited to growing the game in the South. Since defeating cancer Simon has been training and preparing for a return to hockey, and will be joing the Riveters for her first season in the NWHL.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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NWHL News and Notes – September 9th, 2019

Today in the NWHL the Buffalo Beauts announced that they have re-signed forward Taylor Accursi for the 2019-20 season.

Accursi, who will be entering her third season with the Beauts, is a fan favorite in Buffalo and has recorded 10 goals and seven assists in 28 career NWHL games. In her rookie season with the Beauts in 2017-18 she led the league in powerplay goals.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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The NWHL is Coming to Twitch!

Today in the NWHL a monumental announcement was made as the NWHL is coming to Twitch!

Twitch, the world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers and the things we love, will be the exclusive live streaming partner of the NWHL for the next three years, and will feature all regular season, Isobel Cup Playoff, and special event games. It was also announced that the league and Twitch will collaborate on innovative content that will increase the deep connection that the NWHL players have with their fans.

As part of our new three-year partnership with @Twitch, future NWHL games and programming will be on https://t.co/EHkD9gflXv! Fans will be able to watch games for free, from anywhere, on any device. #NWHLGameOnTwitch
ðŸ“°: https://t.co/b6fxM8EYlh pic.twitter.com/eMRPs1v0y9

— NWHL (@NWHL) September 5, 2019

Also as part of this agreement the NWHL will be receiving for the first time in league history a broadcast rights fee. As part of the NWHL-NWHL Playersâ€™ Association agreement, revenue from this exclusive streaming partnership with Twitch will be split in half with the NWHL players, and will result in additional income beyond their salaries for playing.

But now let’s get to the nitty gritty of what this really means, and that is the ability to use a platform that is more suited for what the NWHL needs and that is the live streaming. We here at X75 Productions utilize Twitch for various projects including TXHT, and it has been to great benefits for us especially with AwesomeMania. It allows for interactions amongst the viewers and with the streamers which let’s the broadcasts take a life of their own which is great, but also they should be wary of this.

Just like with social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Twitch does have it’s bad eggs who will troll, harrass, and essentially “ruin it for everyone”. So my piece of advice for the NWHL is to have some very dedicated moderators for all streams that are done and remove all of the people who are there to make it a negative experience for those watching. You have this new platform that will significantly increase your audience, and you will need to make this the most fan friendly environment as possible.

Also with this new partnership with Twitch you now have this channel that allows you to create new content outside of the games that will be streamed live. The NWHL can now explore alternative programming to help grow the game and give the players, and more importantly the fans, a bigger platform to interact and promote the game. Now how can the NWHL do that with Twitch? Well here are some ideas:

NWHL Recap Show
NWHL Talk Show
Gaming Competitions
Behind the Scenes Series

And so much more can be done.

The possibilities are endless, and it is simply exciting for everyone involved, and the great thing about it is that it’s all free. So head on over to Twitch.tv/NWHLÂ today, and make sure you turn on those notifications so you get notified because this season… it’s going to be a great season.

Little Bonus – Here is TXHT’s Twitch debut featuring NWHLPA Director Anya Packer.

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NWHL News and Notes – September 4th, 2019

Today in the NWHL there were six more signings announced bringing the total number of players signed for the 2019-20 season to 80.

Starting with the Metropolitan Riveters, yhey would announce that they have signed goaltender Dana DeMartino to a one year deal.

DeMartino, 24, will be playing in her first season in the NWHL and with the Riveters. DeMartino is also the second goalie to sign with the Riveters for the upcoming campaign.

Then the Minnesota Whitecaps announced a pair of signings starting with the return of forward Kalli Funk.

Funk, 25, is returning for her second season with the Whitecaps and in the NWHL. Last season with the Whitecaps Funk had a goal and an assist in six games.

The Whitecaps also announced that they have signed Kelsey Cline to a one year deal.

Cline, primarily a defender but can also play forward, played in 161 games from 2014 to 2017 for the University of Minnesota. This will be Cline’s first season with the Whitecaps and in the NWHL.

Then the Connecticut Whale would announce three signings for their 2019-20 campaign. Their first signing was goaltender Brooke Wolejko.

Wolejko, a Connecticut native, becomes the third goaltender to sign with the Whale for the upcoming season, and will be playing in her first season for the Whale and in the NWHL.

Then the Whale announced that they have re-signed versatile player Hanna Beattie to a one year deal.

Beattie, who will be entering her third season with the Whale, is the ninth member from last season’s team to return for the 2019-20 season. Beattie has played both offense and defense for the Whale in the past.

And finally the Whale announced that they have signed defender Erin Hall to a one year deal.

Hall, who played collegiately at Holy Cross, played two seasons in the CWHL for the Boston/Worcester Blades where she played in 17 career games for them. This will be Hall’s forst season with the Whale and in the NWHL.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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NWHL News and Notes – September 3rd, 2019

Today in the NWHL the Minnesota Whitecaps bolstered their defence with a new signing for the 2019-20 season.

The Whitecaps announced that they have signed defender Sydney Baldwin to a one year deal.

Baldwin, a 2018 Kazmaier Award Finalist, joins the Whitecaps for her first season in the NWHL. Balwin spent her collegiate career with the University of Minnesota where she helped lead the Golden Gophers to the NCAA National Championship in her freshman and sophmore years. During her senior season Baldwin recorded 12 goals with 20 assists for 32 points, and she also led the nation with 104 blocked shots.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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NWHL News and Notes – August 29th, 2019

Today in the NWHL there were three new signings announced as we get closer to the 2019-20 season.

First we have the Connecticut Whale signing goaltender Sonjia Shelly to a one year deal.

Shelly, recently completed at St. Lawrence University, completed her senior season with a 2.16 GAA, a .912 save percentage, and with 4 shutouts. This will be Shelly’s first season in the NWHL and with the Whale.

Then the Minnesota Whitecaps re-signed forward Meaghan Pezon for the 2019-20 season.

Pezon, returning for her second season, will be looking to help the Whitecaps with their continued success for the 2019-20 season. Pezon played in 10 games last season with the Whitecaps.

Then the Metropolitan Riveters signed goaltender Sam Walther for the 2019-20 season.

Walther, an Annapolis, MD native, will be entering her second season in the NWHL, and first with the Riveters. Last season Walther played for the Whale.

All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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NWHL News and Notes – August 27th, 2019

Today in the NWHL it was announced that they will hold their first official outdoor game.

On Saturday, December 28th, 2019 at 630p EST at RiverWorks, located on the banks of the Buffalo River, the Buffalo Beauts will host the Metropolitan Riveters in the Buffalo Believes Classic.

Capacity for the Buffalo Believes ClassicÂ will be for approximately 1,000 fans and the event will be for all ages. The outdoor game at RiverWorks will be played in aÂ unique and intimate setting aswe celebrate women’s hockey.

Season tickets for the Beauts will be going on sale later this week, and will include the Buffalo Believes Classic at RiverWorks in addition to the teamâ€™s 11 home games at Northtown Center at Amherst.

TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

*Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

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