| Sam Walther | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Sam Walther at the 2020 NWHL All Star Game | |||
| Born | July 16, 1996 Gambrills, Maryland, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| Played for | Metropolitan Riveters Connecticut Whale Hamilton Continentals | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Samantha "Sam" Walther (born July 16, 1996) is an American ice hockey goaltender. She played in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Metropolitan Riveters and Connecticut Whale.
Walther attended The Gunnery, a private college-preparatory school in Washington, Connecticut, for secondary school. She spent four seasons with the school's women's ice hockey team in addition to playing soccer and lacrosse. [1]
During her first three years attending The Gunnery, Walther simultaneously played with the Pittsburgh-based Pittsburgh Penguins Elite of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL), the premier amateur youth hockey league in the United States. In her senior year of high school, she also played with the Connecticut Polar Bears of the USA Hockey Girls Tier I 19U. [2]
Walther played her collegiate career with the Hamilton College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) of the NCAA Division III. Her senior year, she was ranked second in the country with a save percentage of .960. Walther finished her hockey career at Hamilton College holding the program's records for best goals against average (1.40), highest save percentage (.948), and most shutouts (26). [3] In 2018, she was awarded the Jack B. Riffle Award for the top female athlete in the senior class at Hamilton. [4] Her senior year performance also earned her the title of 2018 NESCAC Player of the Year and as well as her second First Team All America Selection. [5] Following her graduation, she became the first Hamilton graduate to sign with a professional women's hockey team. [6]
During her time at Hamilton College, Walther suffered a torn MCL during a NESCAC quarterfinals game that ended in quadruple overtime. [6] Walther made 80 saves, a career high. [4]
On July 10, 2018, Walther signed a professional contract with the Connecticut Whale. [4] Following goaltender Mariya Sorokina's departure from the team, Walther became the backup to Whale goaltender Meeri Räisänen. [7] Walther dressed for five games for the Whale. [8] [9]
In the 2019–20 season, Walther signed a contract with the Metropolitan Riveters. [2] In her first starting goaltender role in the NWHL, Walther played 22 of 24 regular season games. [10] She played in her first NWHL playoff game, making 30 saves on 31 shots in a tight overtime loss to the defending champions, the Minnesota Whitecaps. [11] During the season, Walther sustained a hip injury after a collision with Whale defender Kaycie Anderson and missed two games. [12] She was named as one of the goaltenders for Team Packer in the 2020 NWHL All-Star Game. [13] Walther finished the season with a .892 save percentage and 3.74 goals against average. [14]
In June 2020, Riveters' coach Ivo Mocek confirmed that Walther would not be returning to the team for the 2020–21 NWHL season. [15] Walther later confirmed that she will not play in the 2021 season. [16]
Walther served as an assistant coach with the Nichols Bison women's ice hockey program during the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons. During her time at Hamilton College, Walther earned her undergraduate degree in government. In addition to coaching at Nichols, Walther is also getting her graduate degree in Counterterrorism. [9] [17] She speaks Arabic, American Sign Language (ASL), and French. [18]
She has named Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby as one of her role models, wearing number 70 because of him. Growing up, Walther was also a neighbour of Ken Klee in Annapolis. [19]
Since 2018, Walther's been an ambassador for The Goalie Guild's Lift the Mask initiative to encourages mental health awareness among ice hockey goaltenders. [20] Walther has also outwardly discussed being an advocate for mental health as an athlete. [18]
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 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).
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.
Kathleen "Katie" Fitzgerald is an American ice hockey player who currently plays for the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). She previously played for the Metropolitan Riveters in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). Having played NCAA hockey with the St. Cloud State Huskies, she was the first Husky to sign a contract in the PHF.
Kaitlin "Katie" Burt is an American ice hockey goaltender, currently playing in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Metropolitan Riveters. She was selected first overall by the Boston Pride in the 2017 NWHL Draft.
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The 4th NWHL All-Star Game took place on February 10, 2019, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. More than 6,000 people attended the game, setting an attendance record for the NWHL. Lee Stecklein of the Minnesota Whitecaps and goaltender Shannon Szabados of the Buffalo Beauts were named team captains. Slated to begin at 2:45 pm, the NWHL All-Stars took to the ice after the NHL's Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues played their scheduled game at 11:30 am. On Saturday, February 9, the NWHL hosted the All-Star Skills Challenge at Ford Ice Center.
The 2019–20 NWHL season was the fifth season of the National Women's Hockey League. All five teams from the previous season returned: the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and the Minnesota Whitecaps.
Brooke Wolejko is an American ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for the Metropolitan Riveters of the PHF.
Emma Vlasic is an American ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Connecticut Whale in the PHF.
Hanna Beattie is an American ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Connecticut Whale in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
Carly Jackson is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender, currently playing in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with PWHL Toronto.
Abbie Ives is an American ice hockey goaltender who most recently played with the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). She is currently an assistant coach for the Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey team.
Kayla Friesen is a Canadian-American ice hockey forward, currently an unrestricted free agent. She most recently played in the 2021–22 season of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Boston Pride. She was selected second overall in the 2020 NWHL Draft by the Connecticut Whale.
Sydney Rossman is American retired ice hockey goaltender, who played with both the Minnesota Whitecaps and the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
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Jaimie Leonoff is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former goaltender, who last played for the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). She currently serves as NY Hockey Holdings business analyst for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Bray Ketchum is an American former ice hockey player and executive. She played for the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), winning the Isobel Cup and the Clarkson Cup respectively, before ending her playing career and serving as general manager of the Connecticut Whale during the 2019–20 NWHL season.
Dr. Chelsea Laden is an American optometrist, paranormal investigator, television creator and retired ice hockey goaltender, who played with the Connecticut Whale and New York Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).