Connecticut Whale (NWHL)

Connecticut Whale
2016–17 Connecticut Whale season
City	North Branford, Connecticut
League	National Women's Hockey League
Founded	2015
Home arena	Northford Ice Pavilion
Colors	Blue, Green, White
Owner(s)	NWHL
General manager	Lisa Giovanelli
Head coach	Heather Linstad
Captain	Jessica Koizumi
Media	The Collinsville Press NWHL Cross Ice Pass (on YouTube)
Website	Official Website

The Connecticut Whale is a professional women's ice hockey team based in North Branford, Connecticut. It is one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). It is named in honor of the defunct NHL Hartford Whalers.

History

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,^[1] while Jake Mastel and Ashley Parker coached the team. The team is named the "Connecticut Whale" and is not associated with the CT Whale, the name used by the American Hockey League team now known as the Hartford Wolf Pack for three seasons.

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. ^[2]

The team made its debut in 2015. The first game in NWHL history was a sell out on October 11, 2015 between the New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale.^[3] 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.

Jessica Koizumi was named first team captain in franchise history.^[4]

Prior to the team's second season, the Whale moved to the Northford Ice Pavilion in North Branford, Connecticut.^[5]

During home games, the Whale plays Brass Bonanza after goals, to honor the same practice done by the Hartford Whalers.

Team

Current Roster

Updated June 7, 2016^[6][7]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
8		Babstock, KellyKelly Babstock	F	L	24	2015	Mississauga, Ontario
10		Berman, LindsayLindsay Berman	D	L	28	2015	Odenton, Maryland
26		Brickner, JordanJordan Brickner	D	L	26	2015	Lake Forest, Illinois
19		Dougherty, BrittanyBrittany Dougherty	F	L	25	2015	Chesterfield, Michigan
6		Doyle, ShannonShannon Doyle	D	R	24	2015	Baldwin, Ontario
9		Engstrom, MollyMolly Engstrom	D	R	33	2015	Siren, Wisconsin
28		Faber, SamSam Faber	F	R	29	2015	Mount Sinai, New York
56		Koizumi, JessicaJessica Koizumi (C)	F	L	31	2015	Honolulu, Hawaii
78		Laden, ChelseaChelsea Laden	G	L	26	2015	Lakeville, Minnesota
16		Long, MicaelaMicaela Long	F	L		2015	South Boston, Massachusetts
17		Smolentseva, YekaterinaYekaterina Smolentseva	F	L	35	2015	Yekaterinburg, Russia
61		Stack, KelliKelli Stack	F	R	28	2015	Brooklyn Heights, Ohio
24		Stock, NicoleNicole Stock	G	R		2015	Buffalo Grove, Illinois
22		Ward, DanielleDanielle Ward	F	R	27	2015	Lansing, Michigan
88		Wohlfeiler, AlyssaAlyssa Wohlfeiler	F	R	27	2015	Saugus, California

Draft history

Hannah Brandt from the Univ. of Minnesota program became the first player in franchise history to be selected in the inaugural 2015 NWHL Draft.^[8] Raised in the state capital of Albany, New York, Picard was also the first defenseman selected in NWHL Draft history.

NWHL Draft

The following were the Whale's selections in the 2015 NWHL Draft on June 20, 2015.

#	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	Hannah Brandt	Forward	United States	Univ of Minnesota
6	Michelle Picard	Defense	United States	Harvard Univ
10	Milica McMillen	Defense	United States	Univ of Minnesota
14	Maryanne Menefee	Forward	United States	Univ of Minnesota
18	Cassandra Poudrier	Defense	Canada	Cornell

^[9]

Franchise milestones

• See also: List of Connecticut Whale records

Milestone	Player	Date
First goal	Jessica Koizumi	October 11, 2015
First multi-point game	Kelli Stack	October 11, 2015
First win	Jaimie Leonoff	October 11, 2015

References

1. http://nwhl.co/pro-hockey-returns-to-connecticut/
2. "Whale signs Kaleigh Fratkin, First Canadian in the NWHL". NWHL.co. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
3. http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/nwhl-sells-out-inaugural-game-manon-rheaume-to-drop-ceremonial-puck-in-buffalo/
4. http://nwhl.co/whale-names-koizumi-captain-and-fratkin-assistant-captain/
5. "Whale Moves to Northford Ice Pavilion for Second Season". OurSports Central. May 5, 2016.
6. "Whale Roster | NWHL". NWHL.
7. "Eliteprospects.com - Connecticut Whale". Elite Prospects.
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.

External Links

Official Website