The Sceptres made two trades over the course of the draft, receiving Ella Shelton from New York in exchange for Toronto's 1st and 4th round picks (3rd and 27th overall) and sending Kristen Campbell and their 3rd round pick (19th overall) to Seattle in exchance for Vancouver's 2nd and 3rd round picks (16th and 23rd overall).
Draft Picks
Round #2: Emma Gentry (F), 2002, (#11 overall) – This felt like a bit high for Gentry, but I'm not mad at it. At 5'11" she'll be one of the taller players in the league. Incredibly difficult to separate from the puck, she thrives by staking space in front of the net and provides a skill not seen elsewhere on the roster. She's not going to race down the ice, but they have players for that and she'll be great at crashing the net, cleaning up pucks and generally getting in the way and creating lanes. Her long reach means she's often able to poke check and stop a breakout before it can even start.
Round #2: Kiara Zanon (F), 2002, (#16 overall) – Maybe a slightly low spot for her, but I don't blame them for taking Gentry and her unique skills first. I like that Zanon already showed an ability to up her game and compete on a different level moving form Penn State to Ohio State. I also like her shot and the way she can disguise her release. She should mix in well with the group they have. She may start on the lower lines, but I can also see her moving up the depth chart once she's found some chemistry and comfort in the league.
Round #3: Clara Van Wieren (F), 2002, (#23 overall - from Montréal) –
Beyond being really responsible and smart with the puck, she was a leader at Minnesota Duluth. At 5'10" she's a big presence, particularly as a center. I use reliable a lot for players that are just calm, cool and collected, but in addition to that, Van Wieren played on both sides of special teams and was the player most likely to be in on big plays.
Round #5: Sara Hjalmarsson (F), 1998, (#35 overall) – I'm not sure I'll explain this well, but I like about this pick for Toronto is the experience Hjalmarsson brings to a roster of youngish players who probably feel like veterans but could still use some leadership and mentoring. She's worn the A for Sweden and played in six World Championships and two Olympics with a third on the horizon. I think she's a big value add at this part of the draft and her skills with the puck are a bonus.
Round #6: Hanna Baskin (D), 2003 (#43 overall) – There is room for improvement in Baskin's defense, but this is a good staff to help with that. What she has is great skating skills and an instinct for when direction of play will change, the presence of mind to use her good edges and movement to make small changes in direction to evade opponents and soft enough hands to deliver good outlet passes. She's vulnerable to getting beat defensively and has relied on her skating to cover some of that shortcoming, but that won't be as easy in the PWHL and she'll need to imrove a bit defensively if she's going to be a mainstay in the league.
Takeaways
Despite the losses to expansion, the Sceptres roster is still loaded with national team players. I was so impressed with the move to get Ella Shelton and I agreed with Kingsbury when she said both Toronto and New York won that trade. I don't know who pursued who, but I think it says good things about this front office that they recognized that their spot in the draft order wouldn't give them the game-ready, strong defender they wanted so they started looking for other options. While it's true that no team is going to say they don't "need" a top-tier forward, Toronto is in a really good spot offensively and knew that they could fill out their roster in the rest of the draft and could leverage their third overall pick.
What I see in this class are a lot of workhorse players who weren't necessarily in the spotlight on their teams or in their leagues, but were dependable as well as trusted in high-leverage situations and with a lot of time on ice and who have very good fundamentals.
In the moment I was a bit suprised they were willing to let Kristen Campbell go for basically a 2nd round pick, but they likely moved some salary space and I think are clearly showing faith in what Raygan Kirk and Elanie Chuli can provide for them in the future. I expect they'll pick up a third goalie from the undrafted free agents and there's a good group there to choose from in that role. Campbell was inconsistent over her time with the Sceptres and in a league where the margins on goals for and against are so slim, I'm guessing they want a more dependable solution in net.
Quotables
"We always would have liked Ella Shelton in Toronto. Anyone would want her." - Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury
"Once (New York GM) Pascal (Daoust) had more signings at defense, we felt he might be willing to let Ella go. I do think both teams won in that trade, which is great." - Kingsbury
"It completely solidifies our defensive corps. It gives the opportunity for Renata (Fast) to not play as much. It solidifies our back end. Some of our offense is going to come from the back end. I love the fact that our defense is as good as they are. I think it was important. We have two new #1 goalies or however you want to say it, so it’s great to have some really solid defense in front of them for them to settle into their role. I really like the position we’re in now with Ella in the back end." - Kingsbury
"Moving (Campbell) and having the opportunity to pick again in the 2nd round gave us more courage to give up our 1st round pick." -Kingsbury on the how all the trades and moving parts had to work together on draft night to make it all come togther.
"It wasn’t necessarily that we just went for size, but when you have size and you're able to move and you have potential… In this league, size matters in a physical matter. The size matched the skill and the potential." - Kingsbury
"They're great. They're going to be great in the community. I think Toronto is going to absolutely love them. They're going to embrace the city. All of those players were really, really excited about Toronto. They wanted to be in Toronto, and in a lot of ways we were one of their top picks. So you know, we're bringing in players that want to be there excited to be there, and that will be a big part of our culture." - Kingsbury
"I chatted with Gina prior to the draft and felt we really connected. I'm just really excited to go to Toronto and feel that my values align with theirs, and I think that I'll have a really good opportunity to make an impact in Toronto and the league." - Emma Gentry
"I feel like I'm a stereotypical power forward. I love to play physical. I love to play fast, but also I love to compete." - Gentry
"I like to say I'm super super competitive and passionate. I love what I do. I love to play hockey and I'm excited to have you as my job. I'm definitely a very versatile 200-foot player. I'm a good skater. I like to make plays, be creative and use my vision all over the ice. I like to call myself a 200-foot player and take a lot of pride in that." - Kiara Zanon
"(Kingsbury) talked so much just about what Coach Ryan is building here. It seems like he takes such a detailed scientific approach to things, and they have such a pro environment. I think that they're at the cutting edge of every single thing that they do, and she really painted that picture well for me, so I'm so excited to be joining." - Clara Van Wieren
"Clara (Van Wieren) has been one of my best friends all four years at Duluth. We were roommates. I just have learned from her, and grown with her, so to be able to do it at the next level is just an even more exciting opportunity." - Hanna Baskin
Current Roster
(listed with the amount of years remaining on their current contract)
Forwards:
Natalie Spooner - 2
Jesse Compher - 2
Blayre Turnbull - 1
Emma Maltais - 1
Daryl Watts - 1
Claire Dalton - 1
Maggie Connors - 1
Emma Woods - 1
Clair DeGeorge - 1
*Noemi Neubauerová and Anneke Rankila are currently unsigned restricted free agents
Defenders:
Renata Fast - 1
Ella Shelton - 1
Savannah Harmon - 1
Kali Flanagan - 1
Allie Munroe - 1
Jessica Kondas - 1
*Anna Kjellbin is a currently unsigned restricted free agent
Goalies:
Elane Chuli - 1
Raygan Kirk - 1
(Photo: PWHL)
