The Boston Fleet’s roster is set for the start of the new season. Here’s a closer look at the players.
In addition to the 23 players signed to standard player agreements, three players are signed to reserve contracts.
The Boston Fleet on Friday finalized their roster, which includes 13 forwards, seven defenders, and three goaltenders. In addition to the 23 players signed to standard player agreements, three are signed to reserve contracts.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League season kicks off with a doubleheader Saturday when Boston takes on Toronto at 2 p.m., followed by Ottawa at Montreal at 7.
The Fleet’s home opener at Tsongas Center in Lowell is at 7 p.m. on Dec. 4, with reigning champion Minnesota in town.
Here’s a look at who made the Fleet’s opening-day roster (*Indicates players signed to reserve contracts).
Forwards
Sophie Shirley: Shirley signed a two-year extension in the offseason after putting up three goals and two assists in 20 regular-season games. The 24-year-old began her professional career after five years at Wisconsin, where she posted 189 points in 177 games.
Alina Müller: The Northeastern product was a finalist for the PWHL’s rookie of the year after she led Boston with 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) in the regular season, then had two goals and an assist in the postseason. Müller, 26, is a crafty forward and has been building up her strength and physicality, which could take her game to the next level.
Jillian Dempsey*: There are few players more beloved by Boston fans. The 33-year-old from Winthrop is due for a homecoming after spending last season with Montreal, where she posted a goal and three assists skating primarily on the fourth line. Dempsey attended Boston’s camp as a free agent and earned a roster spot that returns her to her roots. She played NCAA hockey at Harvard and competed for the CWHL’s Boston Blades, with whom she won a 2015 Clarkson Cup, and the PHF’s Boston Pride, with whom she won Isobel Cups in 2016, 2021, and 2022.
Amanda Pelkey: A Vermont native and University of Vermont alumna, the 31-year-old relishes the opportunity to play close to home. She hit her stride in the playoffs last season, scoring two goals and adding an assist in eight games after having just a pair of points during 23 regular-season appearances.
Taylor Girard: Girard, 26, missed the last month of last season after sustaining an injury to her left knee against Minnesota on April 27. It wasn’t until September that Girard began skating again, but the forward, who put up four goals and two assists last season, returned to training camp fully healthy.
Hannah Bilka: The Fleet hope they found the missing piece to their offense. The 2024 first-round pick is a dynamic scorer, putting up 22 goals and 26 assists in 39 games at Ohio State, where she assisted on the winning goal in the national championship game. The 23-year-old also notched an assist in Boston’s preseason scrimmage against Montreal.
Hannah Brandt: A two-time Olympic medalist, Brandt, 31, signed a two-year extension this offseason following her five-goal, five-assist regular season. The 5-foot-6 center added a goal and an assist in the playoffs.
Hilary Knight: Knight is one of the most experienced players in the league, having played professionally since 2012, when she was drafted by the CWHL’s Boston Blades. She was the inaugural IIHF player of the year after leading the US Women’s World Championship team to a gold medal, and she’s won four Olympic medals in her storied career. The 35-year-old captain dealt with an injury in the offseason, but said she is fully healthy.
Shay Maloney: The Fleet picked Maloney 34th in this year’s draft, a bit higher than she was projected. After four years at Brown, Maloney, 25, spent 2022-23 as a graduate transfer at Quinnipiac, where she tallied 15 goals and 16 assists on the Bobcats’ top line before playing parts of two seasons in Sweden.
Loren Gabel: Gabel, 27, came to Boston in 2022 after signing with the Pride, and in her first PHF season was named league MVP. The speedy forward was drafted in the fourth round of the inaugural PWHL draft and posted four goals and three assists, though she missed time with an upper-body injury suffered in Boston’s game in Detroit on March 18.
Theresa Schafzahl: After setting records for points (145), goals (71), and assists (74) at the University of Vermont, the 24-year-old Austrian made an immediate impact for Boston with three goals and six assists across 28 games (including postseason).
Jamie Lee Rattray: Rattray, 32, was widely expected to go to her hometown Ottawa in the early rounds of the inaugural PWHL draft; when she was still available in the third, Boston snatched her up. She’s a former teammate of coach Courtney Kessel — who she played with on the Brampton Thunder of the CWHL — and has won an Olympic gold medal, two world championships, an NCAA title, and a Patty Kazmaier Award.
Susanna Tapani: Part of a February trade between Boston and Minnesota, Tapani was crucial in the playoff run, scoring three goals and assisting on another in eight playoff games. The 31-year-old didn’t miss a beat after being traded midseason, her 13 regular-season points split between Minnesota (2 goals, 3 assists) and Boston (2 goals, 6 assists).
Lexie Adzija: At 5 foot 10, she brings size and power to Boston’s already physical front. Adzija, 24, arrived through a trade with Ottawa at the deadline and put up 3 points (goal, 2 assists) in seven games. She signed a one-year contract extension in June.
Kelly Babstock*: Babstock, 32, went undrafted last season and was released after receiving a camp invitation from New York. After signing a reserve contract with Boston, the Quinnipiac alumna played four games and recorded one assist.
Defenders
Emily Brown: Brown, 25, signed a two-year contract extension over the summer after anchoring Boston’s defensive group last season. She went in the eighth round of the inaugural draft, and scored a goal and added five assists in 32 games.
Megan Keller: Considered one of the best American defenders of all time, Keller was a force in the PWHL’s inaugural season. The assistant captain led Boston in regular-season (11) and postseason (4) assists, and was second in regular-season points (15). She played four years at Boston College, where she set program records for points (158), goals (45), and assists (113) by a defender. The 28-year-old has won two Olympic medals (gold, silver) and seven World Championship medals (5 gold, 2 silver).
Hadley Hartmetz: The Fleet signed their 2024 seventh-round pick to a one-year standard contract at the beginning of training camp, but the rookie out of Boston College and Ohio State remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. There’s no timeline for her return, but the 23-year-old will fit well in Boston’s signature physical defense.
Sidney Morin: Morin, 29, signed a one-year extension in the offseason after posting a goal and five assists in 32 games. Drafted by Minnesota in 2023 before signing with Boston, she’s a two-way player with loads of experience, including in Switzerland and Sweden.
Sydney Bard: After a standout career at Colgate, Bard was chosen in the fourth round of this year’s draft and signed a two-year deal. She has a high hockey IQ and is quick in transition, which plays to one of Boston’s strengths. In five seasons at Colgate, the 23-year-old totaled 112 points in 180 games.
Jessica Digirolamo: Signed to a two-year contract prior to last season, Digirolamo appeared in all 32 regular-season and postseason games, totaling three assists. The 25-year-old is an alumna of Syracuse, where she played five seasons. In her last, Digirolamo was named the 2021-22 College Hockey America Best Defenseman.
Emma Greco: The Fleet signed one free agent over the summer, inking Greco to a one-year deal. The 29-year-old played last season with Minnesota after going undrafted and did not record a point in 32 games, but she was on the ice when her team won the Walter Cup.
Daniela Pejsova: Boston selected the Czech defender seventh in this year’s draft. Pejsova, 22, is coming off a successful season in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL), where she won a title with Luleå HF/MSSK.
Olivia Zafuto*: Played 13 games last season with New York and had one assist. Zafuto played for the Boston Pride in the 2022-23 season after four seasons at Colgate University.
Goaltenders
*Indicates players signed to reserve contracts
Klara Peslarova: Peslarova played the past two seasons with Brynäs IF Dam in the SDHL. Her .935 save percentage was good for third in the league last season. In 2022 Peslarova, who plays for the Czech national team, was named an All-Star at the Olympics, an All-Star at the World Championships, and the SDHL’s Goaltender of the Year.
Emma Söderberg: Last season, Söderberg split time with Frankel, finishing 4-3 with a 2.54 goals against average. A member of the Swedish women’s national team, the 26-year-old posted a 3.47 GAA and .913 save percentage in five games during the 2022 Olympics.
Aerin Frankel: The Northeastern product was one of the top goaltenders in the league’s inaugural season, finishing with the third-best goals against average (2.0) and save percentage (.929) among qualified players. While Boston’s offense struggled to score, Frankel consistently kept her team in games. The 25-year-old made 286 saves on 300 shots in the playoffs, more than twice as many as second-place Kristen Campbell (126) and nearly 75 more than the combined efforts of Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney (110) and Nicole Hensley (103).
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