2022-23 PHF Opening Weekend Primer
November 5, 2022 – Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release
BOSTON, MA – – The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is back for its eighth season and officially begins with six games and all seven teams in action over the course of opening weekend, November 5-6. The 2022-23 campaign features a record 84 regular season games over 19 weeks leading up to the coveted Isobel Cup Playoffs.
Here’s a closer look at what’s in store for puck drop.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2022
2:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps vs Toronto Six
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with Maura Sheridan and Alexis Pearson)
The first puck of the new season drops north of the border with an afternoon matinee in Toronto where the Six host the Minnesota Whitecaps. Home ice advantage cannot be overstated when it comes to the Six who were perfect at Canlan York in their Canadian ice debut last season winning all 10 of their games. Two of those wins came against the Whitecaps February 12-13 by 6-2 and 2-1 scores which gave T6 a season sweep combined with 4-0 and 2-1 triumphs in Minnesota December 18-19. PHF Goaltender of the Year Elaine Chuli was between-the-pipes for all four of those contests posting a sparkling goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .961 in head-to-head action. This time around the Whitecaps are sure to counter with Kingston, Ontario native Amanda Leveille, a two-time Goaltender of the Year who missed out on action in last season’s series played in her home province due to injury. Last season no player contributed more to their team’s offense than Jonna Albers who had a hand in 46% of Minnesota’s goals and finished the year with 24 points. Toronto’s top returning scorers are three-year team veterans Shiann Darkangelo and Emma Woods who produced 20 and 18 points respectively. Expect incoming talents like Sydney Brodt (MIN) and Brittany Howard (TOR) to contribute early and often to their team’s offense.
7:00 PM ET – Montreal Force vs Buffalo Beauts
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with Maura Sheridan and Alexis Pearson. French at TVASports.ca)
The Montreal Force make their long awaited debut on the road in Buffalo to take on the Beauts at Northtown Center. It’s going to be a weekend of firsts for nearly the entire expansion roster making their PHF debuts with the exception of forward Brooke Stacey. She returns to familiarity having played two seasons with the Beauts including an All-Star 16-point campaign in 2019-20. 11 members of the Force join the team after training together in the PWHPA and will be counted on for early chemistry. All eyes will be on new Beauts forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis in her season debut after lighting the lamp for 39 points over 25 games the last two seasons in Toronto. Her very first three pro games were played as a Beaut including a two-point effort at home on March 6, 2020. Her and newcomer Emma Nuutinen, and returning top scorer Autumn MacDougall will try and spark a Beauts offense that finished last in scoring a year ago. This series will feature a league weekend high of 15 players making their pro debuts immediately following their collegiate careers. Among them are a trio of University of Vermont grads in Montreal’s Alyssa Holmes and Kristina Shanahan who line up opposite their former Catamounts teammate in Buffalo’s Antonia Matzka.
7:00 PM ET – Connecticut Whale vs Boston Pride
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with David Gascon and Erica Ayala)
It’s a rematch of the 2022 Isobel Cup Final where on March 28 the Boston Pride captured their third title and second straight championship in a 4-2 win over the Connecticut Whale who were making their first ever appearance in the last dance. Playoff MVP Taylor Wenczkowski scored the cup-winning goal for the second year in a row and finished the postseason with goals in three-straight games, while Pride defender Kali Flanagan led playoff scoring with five points in three games. The Whale are the only team to return three scorers from the league’s top-10 including Season 7 MVP Kennedy Marchment who led the way with 33 points in 20 games, Newcomer of the Year Taylor Girard who had 24 points in 20 games, and Amanda Conway who had a breakout year with 21 points in 18 games. 12 of Boston’s 20 players were part of last year’s championship and will take pride in watching another banner raised to the rafters at Warrior Ice Arena, including captain Jillian Dempsey who has been a part of all three historic wins. Also sharing in the celebration on the other side of the ice will be Mallory Souliotis and Tori Sullivan who departed Boston for Connecticut this offseason. Prior to playoffs the Whale won the head-to-head season series with three wins including a decisive 6-1 victory in Boston on February 6 which was the Pride’s most lopsided loss of the year.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2022
11:00 AM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps vs Toronto Six
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with Maura Sheridan and Alexis Pearson)
1:00 PM ET – Montreal Force vs Buffalo Beauts
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with Josh Eastern and Kaylyn Kyle. French on TVA Sports)
2:00 PM ET – Metropolitan Riveters vs Boston Pride
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with David Gascon and Erica Ayala)
The Metropolitan Riveters make their season debut on Sunday in Boston, a place they were victorious in last season’s encounter on January 23 by a 4-3 score. The Pride also earned a home ice win over the Riveters by a 3-1 score on January 22 then split the two March games played in New Jersey to keep the season series even. Those old scores won’t matter much to this year’s Riveters with just three returnees and 18 new faces including a league-high seven international players. Top scorer and captain Madison Packer is back for an eighth season following a 23-point campaign, joined by veterans Kelly Babstock and Kendall Cornine who were both among the team’s top-five point producers. It will be a homecoming of sorts for one new Riveter in particular as Amanda Pelkey takes on her former team. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time IIHF World Champion with Team USA was a member of the Pride for three seasons including the inaugural 2015-16 campaign where she and the team won the Isobel Cup. Boston has some new faces of their own including former Patty Kazmaier winners Loren Gabel and Elizabeth Giguere who will make their PHF debuts this weekend, and Allie Thunstrom who debuts with the Pride after four seasons in Minnesota where she last led the league with 18 goals in 20 games.
WATCH THE PHF LIVE
Fans in the United States can enjoy live PHF action all season long exclusively on ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). In Canada, live coverage of the PHF is available to TSN subscribers through the network’s five television feeds as well as live streaming via TSN.ca and the TSN app. PHF games that are part of the ESPN International distribution network may be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa via ESPN Player, in Latin America via Star+, the Caribbean through ESPN Player via the ESPN App, and Oceania through Watch ESPN via the ESPN App. All Montreal Force games are available in French exclusively on TVA Sports.
ROSTER RUNDOWN
A total of 146 athletes have signed contracts for the 2022-23 PHF season. By team, Montreal has commitments from 22 players, followed by Buffalo, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Toronto each with 21, while Boston and Metropolitan have 20 players each.
SIGNINGS
Of the 146 players under contract, 58 re-signed with their Season 7 clubs and 88 are free agent acquisitions. Of the 88 free agents there are 66 PHF newcomers, while 15 players changed teams following Season 7, and seven players returned to the league after time away. Of the 66 newcomers there are 30 players who are turning pro immediately following their collegiate careers, and 36 players who joined the league from other professional experience.
POSITION
84 of the players under contract are forwards, 48 are defenders, and 14 are goaltenders. 76 of the skaters are left hand shots, while 56 are right hand shots. Among the goalies, 13 are left hand gloves and one is a right hand glove.
HEIGHT & AGE
The tallest player in the league is Lindsay Eastwood of the Toronto Six (6’1”), while Autumn MacDougall of the Buffalo Beauts (5’0”) is the shortest. The oldest player in the league is Ann-Sophie Bettez of the Montreal Force (October 14, 1987) who is 35 years and 22 days, and Ronja Mogren of the Minnesota Whitecaps (March 21, 2001) is the youngest at 21 years, seven months, and 15 days.
NATIONALITY
The PHF has a record 66 Canadian players with hometowns across seven different provinces. They include Ontario (30), Quebec (16), Manitoba (6), British Columbia (5), Alberta (4), Nova Scotia (3), and New Brunswick (2).
There are 60 American players in the PHF with hometowns representing 15 different states. They include Minnesota (17), Massachusetts (12), Michigan (6), New York (5), California (3), Connecticut (3), Florida (2), Illinois (2), New Hampshire (2), Vermont (2), Wisconsin (2), Louisiana (1), Mississippi (1), New Jersey (1), and Pennsylvania (1).
A record 20 international players will compete in the PHF this season representing six different European countries. They include Finland (6), Czechia (5), Sweden (4), Austria (2), Hungary (2), and Switzerland (1). There are another four North American players who have competed internationally for countries that include China, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia.
NCAA GRADUATES
120 PHF players competed in NCAA women’s hockey graduating as part of 36 different programs. They include Quinnipiac University (11), University of Minnesota-Duluth (11), Boston University (7), University of New Hampshire (6), Clarkson University (5), Northeastern University (5), Providence College (5), Robert Morris University (5), University of Connecticut (5), Merrimack College (4), St. Lawrence University (4), University of Minnesota (4), University of Vermont (4), Yale University (4), Boston College (3), Mercyhurst University (3), Ohio State University (3), University of Maine (3), University of Wisconsin (3), Colgate University (2), Cornell University (2), Harvard University (2), Norwich University (2), Penn State University (2), Rochester IOT (2), St. Cloud State University (2), Syracuse University (2), Bemidji State University (1), College of Holy Cross (1), Liberty College (1), Middlebury College (1), Minnesota State University (1), Nazareth College (1), Neumann University (1), Princeton University (1), and RPI (1).
U SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
A record 18 PHF players developed as part of U SPORTS women’s hockey and graduated from 10 different programs. They include McGill University (4), University of Montreal (4), University of Alberta (2), York University (2), Concordia University (1), St. Francis Xavier University (1), St. Mary’s University (1), University of Ottawa (1), University of Prince Edward Island (1), and University of Toronto (1).
PHF EXPERIENCE
The Connecticut Whale have 18 players with PHF experience on their roster heading into Season 7 that totals 612 career games, 361 points, and 14 wins in goal. The Boston Pride have 13 players with past PHF experience but have the most career games played at 666, most points at 471, along with 21 wins. The Toronto Six have 14 players with PHF experience who have totaled 290 games, 162 points, and 27 wins. Both Minnesota and Buffalo have 12 players with PHF experience however the Whitecaps lead with 454 games, 253 points, and 53 wins compared to the Beauts 288 games and 113 points. The Metropolitan Riveters have 10 players who have amassed 486 career games and 307 points, and the Montreal Force have one player with 20 games and 17 past points.
SENIOR NATIONAL TEAMS
A total of 35 players in the PHF have senior national team experience broken down by PHF team with Metropolitan (8), Connecticut (7), Boston (5), Minnesota (5), Buffalo (4), Toronto (4), and Montreal (2). By country the break down is United States (9), Czechia (6), Finland (6), Sweden (4), Hungary (3), Austria (2), Canada (2), China (1), Slovakia (1), and Switzerland (1).
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