Fifteen Sign Contracts for 2018-19 Season
September 5, 2018 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release
With Season 4 of the NWHL beginning next month, the league's five teams are in the process of completing their rosters. Over the last week, 15 players signed contracts for 2018-19.
Recap of recent signings, by club:
Connecticut Whale
Melissa Sheeran: The 5-4 forward from Plattsburgh State was the 2018 recipient of the Laura Hurd Award, given to the best player in Division III women's hockey. Sheeran was also the 2018 Northeast Women's Hockey League Player of the Year and the 2017 ECAC West Player of the Year.During her time at Plattsburgh from 2014-2018, the Schaghticoke, N.Y. native scored 97 goals and added 89 assists for 186 points in 112 games.
Kayla Meneghin: A Clifton, N.J. native, Meneghin was as explosive offensively as Sheeran at Plattsburgh. In 117 games over the last four seasons with the Cardinals, the 5-4 forward was 86-102-188. Meneghin was named First Team AHCA All-American in her sophomore and junior years, and Second Team All-American as a freshman and senior.
Juana Baribeau: The popular Baribeau returns for her third season with the Whale. A top player at Clarkson from 2008-2012, the Quebec native graduated as the third-leading scorer in school history.
Kaycie Anderson: A Laura Hurd Award finalist during her collegiate career at Norwich, Anderson is entering her second season with the Whale. The Minnesota native had a goal and an assist in 12 games as an NWHL rookie last season.
Boston Pride
Jordan Smelker: The relentless forechecker is back for her fourth season with the Pride. A member of Team NWHL last season, the Anchorage native has won an Isobel Cup and Clarkson Cup after a notable collegiate career at RPI. In 46 games with the Pride, Smelker is 15-17-32.
Dru Burns: The 27-year-old defender is joining the NWHL after playing the previous five seasons in the CWHL (7-19-26 in 86 games). Burns was a CWHL All-Star in 2015-16. She played at Boston College from 2009-2013, and played hockey and golf at Shattuck-St. Mary's.
Mary Parker: The Harvard and Boston University star returns for her second full season with Boston after joining the Pride late in the 2016-17 season. Parker had a goal and two assists as a rookie. mes in 2013-14 with ERC Ingolstadt in Frauen-Bundesliga.
Madison Litchfield: The former No. 1 goalie at Vermont will play her second season with the Pride. As a rookie, Litchfield saw action in one regular season game - stopping 16 of 19 shots.
Minnesota Whitecaps
Katie McGovern: A standout at Minnesota Duluth, the 23-year-old McGovern is joining the Whitecaps after spending last year as an assistant coach at Arizona State University (she is a native of Scottsdale). In her senior year at UMD, the 5-4 forward was 17-17-34 in 37 games.
Tanja Eisenschmid: For the last decade, Eisenschmid has been a player in the German National Team program, representing her country in Olympic qualifiers and World Championships. The 5-7 defender played at North Dakota between 2012-2016, going 7-32-39 in 139 games.
Winny Brodt Brown: An original Whitecap, Brown was the first-ever winner of the Ms. Hockey Award for high school hockey in Minnesota and a member of the U.S. National Team program for a decade. A defender from Roseville, Minn., Brown started her college career at New Hampshire, where she won the inaugural 1998 AWCHA national championship and was named the MVP of the tournament. She then transferred to Minnesota, leading the Gophers to the 2000 AWCHA championship. In February, she served as a coach at the NWHL All-Star Game in Saint Paul.
Chelsey Brodt Rosenthal: In the defender's four years at Minnesota, the Gophers reached the Frozen Four every year and won the national championship twice. The Roseville native, a longtime member of the Whitecaps, is also a former Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalist.
Kalli Funk: The 25-year-old wing from Roseville returns for her third season with the Whitecaps as the club begins play in the NWHL. Previously, Funk played one year at Niagara, three years at St. Cloud State, and one season professionally with Goteborg HC of the SDHL before joining the Whitecaps.
Margo Lund: The White Bear Lake, Minn. native was a forward at St. Lawrence and New Hampshire before joining the Whitecaps last season.
Haylea Schmid: Schmid, a 27-year-old forward from Minnesota, played collegiately at St. Cloud State from 2009-2013 and was 8-11-19 in 23 games.
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