Connecticut Whale | |
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City | Simsbury, Connecticut |
League | Premier Hockey Federation |
Founded | 2015 |
Folded | 2023 |
Home arena | International Skating Center of Connecticut [1] |
Colors | White, blue, green |
Owner(s) | Shared Hockey Enterprises (SHE), LLC |
General manager | Alexis Moed [2] |
Head coach | Colton Orr |
Captain | Shannon Turner |
The Connecticut Whale were a professional ice hockey team based in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Simsbury, Connecticut at the International Skating Center of Connecticut. The team was established in 2015 as one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which became the PHF in 2021. Their name and colors paid homage to the Hartford Whalers, a former NHL and WHA franchise based in Connecticut. The team folded along with the PHF in 2023 as part of the creation of a new, unified women's league, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
For their first season, the Whale played home games in Stamford, Connecticut at Chelsea Piers. Chris Ardito was hired as the first general manager in franchise history, [3] while Jake Mastel and Lisa Giovanelli coached the team. The team is the second professional hockey team to bear the Connecticut Whale name, following the American Hockey League team previously and currently known as the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Among their off-season acquisitions, the Whale signed Kaleigh Fratkin to a contract on July 1, 2015. She was the first Canadian player to sign a contract in the NWHL. [4]
The team made its debut in the 2015–16 season. Jessica Koizumi was named first team captain in franchise history. [5] The first game in NWHL history was a sell out on October 11, 2015 between the New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale. [6] The Whale prevailed by a 4–1 tally as Jessica Koizumi scored the first goal in both franchise and NWHL history. In the same game, Kelli Stack had one goal and two assists, becoming the first player to record a multi-point performance. Whale goaltender Jaimie Leonoff was credited the win, capturing the game's First Star. Stack was recognized as the Second Star, and Kelly Babstock, who became the first Canadian-born player to score a goal in an NWHL regular season game, was acknowledged as the Third Star.
The Whale won their first three games in franchise history with three different goalies. In the first game, the Whale prevailed with Jaimie Leonoff, while former Quinnipiac goaltender Chelsea Laden captured the second win, and Nicole Stock played her first game in over five years to capture the third win on the road against the New York Riveters.
Prior to the team's second season, the Whale moved to the Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, Connecticut. [7] This lasted one season as the Whale moved to the Terry Conners Ice Rink at Cove Island Park in Stamford, Connecticut, for the 2017–18 season. [8]
On August 20, 2018, the Whale named active player Cydney Roesler an assistant coach for the 2018–19 season making her the first player-coach in franchise history. [9]
After two seasons at Terry Conners Ice Rink, the Whale moved again to the larger Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, Connecticut. [10] Former NHL enforcer Colton Orr was named as head coach for the 2019–20 season. [11] The team was eliminated in the semifinal game by the Boston Pride, the eventual league titlist, prior to the championship being cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following season was then delayed amidst the capacity and travel restrictions during the pandemic. The 2020–21 season eventually started on January 23, 2021, with the entire season to be played at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York, without fans in attendance and teams kept in isolation. However, the Metropolitan Riveters were forced to withdraw from the two-week season on January 28 after several members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19. [12] The schedule was then adjusted to have the top three teams at the time play a round-robin tournament to determine playoff seeding with the Whale as the second seed. Connecticut then lost to the expansion Toronto Six 0–6 on January 31. The next day, the team forfeited their final game to the Minnesota Whitecaps and withdrew from the playoffs [13] citing concerns with increased positive cases within the bubble and protecting their players from the virus. [14] Two days later, the league suspended the season before the playoffs could commence due to several more positive tests throughout the league. [15] The league then re-scheduled the playoffs to be held at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts, with the Whale re-entered as the third seed to face the Minnesota Whitecaps, who they would have faced regardless of the outcome of the game the Whale withdrew from in Lake Placid, in a semifinal game. [16] The Whale then lost to the Whitecaps 7–0 in the semifinal game.
On May 10, 2021, the league announced it had sold the Whale to a new independent ownership group called Shared Hockey Enterprises (SHE), LLC, led by Tobin Kelly, reducing the league operated teams to three. [17] [18]
On June 29, 2023, it was announced that the PHF and its assets had been purchased as part of a bid to create a new, unified women's professional league. [19] The league and its teams were dissolved in the process and a new league, the Professional Women's Hockey League, was slated to begin play in 2024. [20] While Simsbury was not granted one of the six charter PWHL franchises, the New York franchise announced in November that it would host the majority of its home games at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. [21] PWHL New York hosted its first game in Bridgeport on January 5, 2024. [22]
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts [lower-alpha 1] | GF | GA | Playoffs | Home Arena |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015–16 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 61 | 51 | Lost Isobel Cup Semifinal series to Buffalo Beauts | Chelsea Piers |
2016–17 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 60 | 77 | Lost Isobel Cup Semifinal to Boston Pride | Northford Ice Pavilion |
2017–18 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 26 | 55 | Lost Isobel Cup Semifinal to Metropolitan Riveters | Terry Connors Ice Rink |
2018–19 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 64 | Lost play-in game to Metropolitan Riveters | |
2019–20 | 24 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 39 | 100 | Lost Isobel Cup Semifinal to Boston Pride | Danbury Ice Arena |
2020–21 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 12 | Lost Isobel Cup Semifinal to Minnesota Whitecaps | Herb Brooks Arena |
2021–22 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 74 | 44 | Lost Isobel Cup Final to Boston Pride | Danbury Ice Arena |
2022–23 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 83 | 66 | Lost Isobel Cup Semifinal to Toronto Six | International Skating Center of Connecticut |
PHF Totals | 140 | 56 | 73 | 11 | 0 | 151 | 374 | 469 |
Coaching staff and team personnel
Hannah Brandt from the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey program became the first player in franchise history to be selected in the inaugural 2015 NWHL Draft. [29] Michelle Picard was the first defenseman selected in NWHL Draft history.
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2015 NWHL Draft on June 20, 2015. [29]
Pick # | Nat | Player | Pos | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | ![]() | Hannah Brandt | F | University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers) |
6 | ![]() | Michelle Picard | D | Harvard University (Crimson) |
10 | ![]() | Milica McMillen | D | University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers) |
14 | ![]() | Maryanne Menefee | F | University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers) |
18 | ![]() | Cassandra Poudrier | D | Cornell University (Big Red) |
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2016 NWHL Draft on June 18, 2016. [30]
Pick # | Nat | Player | Pos | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 | ![]() | Dani Cameranesi | F | University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers) |
7 | ![]() | Andie Anastos | F | Boston College (Eagles) |
11 | ![]() | Melissa Channell | D | University of Wisconsin (Badgers) |
15 | ![]() | Paige Savage | F | Northeastern University (Huskies) |
19 | ![]() | Sydney Rossman | G | Quinnipiac University (Bobcats) |
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2017 NWHL Draft on August 17, 2017. [31]
Pick # | Nat | Player | Pos | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | ![]() | Sam Donovan | F | Brown University (Bears) |
9 | ![]() | Eden Murray | F | Yale University (Bulldogs) |
13 | ![]() | Denisa Křížová | F | Northeastern University (Huskies) |
17 | ![]() | Nina Rodgers | F | Boston University (Terriers) |
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2018 NWHL Draft on December 19 and 20, 2018.
Pick # | Nat | Player | Pos | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | ![]() | Melissa Samoskevich | F | Quinnipiac University (Bobcats) |
7 | ![]() | Makenna Newkirk | F | Boston College (Eagles) |
12 | ![]() | Katelyn Rae | F | Merrimack College (Warriors) |
17 | ![]() | Dominique Kremer | D | Merrimack College (Warriors) |
22 | ![]() | Maggie LaGue | D | Robert Morris University (Colonials) |
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2020 NWHL Draft on April 28 and 29, 2020. Connecticut held the Metropolitan Riveters fifth round pick (27th overall), as the future considerations from the trade of Maria Sorokina to the Riveters in 2019.
Pick # | Nat | Player | Pos | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | ![]() | Kayla Friesen | F | Clarkson University (Golden Knights) |
7 | ![]() | Victoria Howran | D | University of New Hampshire (Wildcats) |
13 | ![]() | Savannah Rennie | F | Syracuse University (Orange) |
19 | ![]() | Amanda Conway | F | Norwich University (Cadets) |
25 | ![]() | Nicole Guagliardo | F | Adrian College (Bulldogs) |
27 | ![]() | Maddie Bishop | F | Sacred Heart University (Pioneers) |
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2021 NWHL Draft on June 29, 2021.
Pick # | Nat | Player | Pos | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Taylor Girard | F | Quinnipiac University (Bobcats) |
8 | ![]() | Emma Polaski | F | Syracuse University (Orange) |
20 | ![]() | Hannah Bates | D | St. Cloud State University (Huskies) |
26 | ![]() | Grace Middleton | F | University of New Hampshire (Wildcats) |
![]() | This section needs to be updated.(August 2019) |
As of the 2023-23 season:
Milestone | Player | Notes |
---|---|---|
First goal | Jessica Koizumi | October 11, 2015 |
First multi-point game | Kelli Stack | October 11, 2015 |
First win | Jaimie Leonoff | October 11, 2015 |
Most points | Kennedy Marchment | 62 points (27G, 35A) |
Most goals | Kennedy Marchment | 27 goals |
Most assists | Shannon Turner | 42 assists |
Most points per game | Kennedy Marchment | 1.55 PPG |
Most PIM | Shannon Turner | 120 PIM |
Most Games Played | Shannon Turner | 128 GP |
Jessica "Jess" Koizumi (COY-Zoo-Mee) is an American ice hockey coach and player, currently serving as the associate head coach of the Vermont Catamounts women's ice hockey program. She won a gold medal as a member of the United States national women's ice hockey team at the 2008 IIHF Women's World Championship. During her playing career, Koizumi played with the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL), the Montreal Stars and the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), and the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). She scored the first goal in PHF history in the league’s inaugural game, which featured the Whale facing off against the New York Riveters.
Kateřina Mrázová is a Czech ice hockey forward and a member of the Czech national team, currently playing with Ottawa of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Known for her stickhandling skill, she was the first European player to win the Clarkson Cup, winning the championship with the Boston Blades in 2013, and the first Czech player to score a goal in the National Women's Hockey League.
Janine Weber is an Austrian professional ice hockey player and member of the Austrian national team, currently playing in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Connecticut Whale. She previously played with the Boston Pride and the New York Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League, the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), and the EHV Sabres Wien and Ravens Salzburg of the Elite Women's Hockey League (EWHL). With the Blades, Weber scored the game-winning goal of the 2015 Clarkson Cup.
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a women's professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from March 2015 until June 2023. The league was established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), comprising four league-owned teams. Over time, some teams gained independent ownership and the number of teams grew to seven; teams during the league's final season in 2022–23 included the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Montreal Force, and Toronto Six. The Isobel Cup was awarded annually to the league playoff champion.
The Metropolitan Riveters were a professional women's ice hockey team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with home games at the American Dream Meadowlands ice rink.
The Boston Pride were a professional women's ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They were one of the four charter franchises of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). The Pride played at Warrior Ice Arena, which is also the practice facility for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. The Pride won the inaugural Isobel Cup in 2016 and became the first professional women's ice hockey team to win three championship titles when they claimed consecutive victories in 2021 and 2022.
The Buffalo Beauts were a professional ice hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, at the Northtown Center.
Kelly Babstock is a Canadian-American ice hockey player, currently playing in the Swiss Women's League with HC Ladies Lugano. She has Ojibwe roots and is originally from Little Current on Manitoulin Island, part of the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.
Kaleigh Fratkin is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for PWHL Boston of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The second-longest tenured player and leading scorer among defenders in PHF history, she was the first Canadian player to sign a contract in the league, is a five-time PHF all-star, and is a two-time PHF Defender of the Year in 2020 and 2021. She was also a member of the Boston Pride roster that captured the 2021 and 2022 Isobel Cup, and was one of three 2023 PHF All-Star captains. Previous to the joining the NWHL, she won the Clarkson Cup in 2015 and was the first girl to play boys' midget AAA hockey in British Columbia.
Denisa Křížová is a Czech ice hockey player for PWHL Minnesota of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and a member of the Czech Republic women's national ice hockey team.
Madison Packer is an American professional ice hockey forward for New York of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)
The Premier Hockey Federation Players' Association (PHFPA), formerly known as the National Women's Hockey League Players' Association (NWHLPA), was a representative body for professional ice hockey players in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). The association was founded in 2015, the year of the league's founding, and disbanded in 2023 after the league was purchased and dissolved as part of the establishment of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Former PHF players now playing in the PWHL are members of the PWHL Players Association.
Amanda Boulier is an American ice hockey player and coach, currently playing in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with PWHL Montreal.
The Toronto Six were a professional women's ice hockey team in Toronto, Ontario, playing out of Canlan Ice Sports – York. They were one of two Canadian teams in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) along with the Montreal Force, and the first expansion team to join the league since the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) in 2019. The team was founded in 2020 with their inaugural regular season held in Lake Placid, New York, followed by the Isobel Cup playoffs in Brighton, Massachusetts.
Carly Jackson is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender, currently playing in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with PWHL Toronto.
Saroya Tinker is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenseman. She last played for the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), with whom she won the 2023 Isobel Cup championship.
Kate Whitman Annis is an American ice hockey executive, currently serving as executive director of the Devils Youth Foundation, the youth outreach arm of the New Jersey Devils. She previously served as executive of operations for W Hockey Partners, the organization that oversees the league-owned teams in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
Emma Greco is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman for PWHL Minnesota of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Greco has been described as a reliable stay-at-home defenceman.
The 2021–22 PHF season was the seventh season of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), which was known as the National Women's Hockey League during the previous six seasons, in North America. After mostly playing in a bubble environment the previous season due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the PHF commenced the 2021–22 season with a normal travel-based schedule.
Taylor Girard is an American professional ice hockey forward for PWHL Boston of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played for the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). She was drafted first overall in the 2021 NWHL Draft.