Other than picking a goalie, it wasn't clear what Seattle was going to do in this draft, but I didn't expect them to pick four forwards and a defender alongside their preferred goalie.
Draft Picks
Round #1: Jenna Buglioni (F), 2002, (#8 overall) – There was no one more heartbroken by Ohio State's loss in this year's national championship game than Jenna Buglioni. I bring that up because to me it's the embodiment of who she is as a player. She was ride or die for her team, gave it her absolute everything and as such was the heart of the group and the team's captain. She's not the player that will leave you gawking, but she will never stop working or chasing the puck. She left OSU as the program leader in game-winning goals and tied for second in short-handed goals. She's the embodiment of Nadine Muzerall's "relentless" style. With the list of forwards already signed to Seattle, there weren't a ton of players in this draft that would have made me think "yeah, they'll be a difference maker there" but Buglioni is one of them.
Round #2: Hannah Murphy (G), 2003, (#15 overall) – I foresaw the way goalies were selected in this draft to go very differently, but that doesn't mean that Seattle didn't do well here. Murphy was very good and very consistent throughout her college career and basically forced her way into a tandem before taking over as the starter her final season. She moves well in all directions and hasn't had the issues with rebound control that seem to plague a lot of college netminders.
Round #3: Lily Delianedis (F), 2001, (#24 overall) – Any player coming from Cornell is going to be super well-rounded with a solid basis in defense. On a roster that really did most things by committee and with a team-first approach, Delianedis still stood out throughout the season as the player that would step up and make big plays. None was bigger than her triple-overtime game-winner over Clarkson in the ECAC semifinals that helped ensure her team made the NCAA Tournament and was on the path to the Frozen Four.
Round #4: Jada Habisch (F), 2002, (#31 overall) – She has a nose for goal and led UConn with 16 goals. The Huskies took it down to the wire this season, but as captain she kept them steady and scored 10 goals in her final 10 games and helped her team win back-to-back Hockey East titles. She will have some work to do to keep up with the physicality and pace of the game, but if she can make that jump, could be a really good bottom six option that can add scoring depth.
Round #5: Lyndie Lobdell (D), 2002, (#40 overall) – This was probably a little low for her and a bit of a defensive steal for Seattle. Sturdy and powerful, she already plays like she's in the PWHL. In the NCAA, that added up to a lot of penalty minutes, but she wasn't reckless or flagrant and I expect her style will fit right in. She doesn't back down and is constantly challenging for the puck. She's not going to lead a breakout, but she's also not going to hang back. She's got a powerful shot from the point, but is also comfortable moving the puck in closer and using her shoulders to angle in.
Round #6: Olivia Wallin (F), 2002 (#47 overall) – She was projected much higher so I think teams are a little unsure of whether her talents can elevate to the next level. That being said, even with some unanswered questions, she's a very good calculated risk to take with the second-to-last pick of the draft. She's a gifted goal-scorer and a lot of the rest can be taught.
Takeaways
I thought the mid-range defender class had a lot of good options and I'm a little surprised they went with Delianedis in the third round instead of the spate of defenders that were taken shortly thereafter. That's not a knock on her - it's just a fact that this is a pretty stacked offensive roster and while Delianedis is a very good player, I'm not sure she adds more to the offense than someone like Dayle Ross or Riley Brengman could have added to the defense.
Of course, it's not like defense is a massive need for Seattle, so I'm probably making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Mostly I'm imagining a roster that might have had both Ross and Lobdell as foils to players like Cayla Barnes and Aneta Tejralová.
A big unknown is how coach Steve O'Rourke, who has never coached women or girls and is starting in a high-profile, high-leverage situation, handles making sure everyone on this team gels together and remains happy and content. A lot of Seattle's success will hinge on communication and how the team comes together interpersonally. There are a lot of things the expansion teams have to get right and playing good hockey is only a small sliver of that equation. For me, balance is going to be crucial here.
Overall this is a very solid roster of players, but I'm not sure I see yet how it will all come together. That's not to say that I think it won't come together, just that to me it's not clear cut how the pieces slot together. The fun in being a Seattle fan right now is playing coach in your head and trying to see how all the talented players become a dangerous team.
Quotables
"We went for need based on the roster that we have, and I feel good about the players that we got." - GM Meghan Turner
"I've said it from the beginning. It's not just about always having the best players out there. You have to build the roster obviously with the identity in mind and the strategy that you want to build. But it takes different identities at different spots and different roles." - Turner
"You can look at something on paper and then as soon as you put it on the ice, you're like, oh, we kind of need to change them something. I think a lot of what I take away from my time in Boston is that not everything goes as planned all the time. Injuries happen. Things go differently in the season than how you might have planned ,so just having the flexibility to be able to kind of move players around and manage expectations with them, and also work with the coach." - Turner"Steve is going to be unbelievable. He's an amazing person. He connects with people in a way that's really unique. And he is really going to be focused on the players; well-being and making sure that he's holding them accountable and all the good stuff. But he also just cares about him a lot." - Turner on coach Steve O'Rourke
"She's big. She gets post to post really well even though she's big. She's also really athletic. She's just a great goaltender. She, I think, will complement Corinne Schroeder really, really well. The West Coast, I imagine, will be doing a little more traveling and then you have some Olympic breaks, and just the ebb and flow of the season. So I think having two really solid goaltenders is very important in this league. I think we've seen it throughout the last two years that it's important to have goalies that can really step in and jump into the game." - Turner on Hannah Murphy
"I feel like I sound like a broken record when I say how excited I am, but it's all very genuine. I am really really excited to bring this team to Seattle. Seattle's a great city. The fans have already been super engaged. The players are really really excited. I've already had discussions with many of them, and they're just ecstatic to be out in the city." - Turner
"The style of play [I want us to have] is fast and physical. On defense, I think it's going to be pretty hard to play against us. Our defensive corps I expect to keep players out of the inner slot area and not be able to get many shots on net. We have a lot of defenders that are going to really push opponents to the outside. I'm hoping that we can kind of force other teams to play on the perimeter as much as possible defensively. I think that's kind of what I would expect. I expect some sustained offense, and I would like to be possessing the puck a lot." - Turner
"I'm so excited I can't really put it into words. It feels a little bit surreal. It's really awesome to be the first pick for Seattle, you know a new team. Seattle is only two and a half hours from my hometown, so it's going to be good to be back on the West Coast. To be in the pro league is such an honor. I've worked a long time for this, but it just doesn't feel real, and I can't wait to get there and get started in November." - Jenna Buglioni
"I might be small in stature, but I play like I'm six feet, and I don't shy away from the gritty areas. You can expect me to play hard every game and to be someone that plays 200 feet." - Buglioni
"Complete shock. I was not expecting my name to be called. Seattle was one of the few teams that I didn't really hear from that much leading up to the draft, so I had no kind of expectations that I was going to get picked. But I'm so excited." - Hannah Murphy on what it was like to get selected.
"At Quinnipiac, I was lucky enough to have a really great goalie tandem in Kayle Osborne. So I'm kind of looking to bring that kind of cooperative growth mindset to Seattle to learn from each other and push each other to be better, just in hopes of doing the best we can for the team." - Murphy
"I have been talking with a lot of people about how this isn't even something that I was able to dream of as a little girl. There was no PWHL or a draft like this. So to be able to live out a dream that I never even had is super exciting. I'm just so unbelievably proud of myself and happy to be able to celebrate this moment." - Murphy
Current Roster
(listed with the amount of years remaining on their current contract)
Forwards:
Danielle Serdachny - 2
Hannah Bilka - 2
Lexie Adzija - 2
Mikyla Grant-Mentis - 2
Hilary Knight - 1
Alex Carpenter - 1
Jessie Eldridge - 1
Julia Gosling - 1
Natalie Snodgrass - 1
Defenders:
Cayla Barnes - 3
Aneta Tejralová - 1
Megan Carter - 1
Emily Brown - 1
Mariah Keopple - 1
*Anna Wilgren is a currently unsigned restricted free agent
Goalies:
Corinne Schroeder - 2
(Photo: PWHL)
