Ottawa went for a high risk, hopefully high reward strategy in this draft and I have to say, I don't hate it. If nothing else, it is going to make for interesting conversation for the rest of the season. Some teams went really straightforward with their draft, but Ottawa colored outside the lines and that automatically has my attention.
Draft Picks
Round #1: Rory Guilday (D), 2002, (#5 overall) – She's a stay-at-home defender from one of the most defensively strong programs in the NCAA. She won't be super-involved on offense, but there are others on this roster that can be more active on the blue line. The best word to describe her might be solid and I mean that in the most complimentary way. I feel like you can put Guilday on the ice and basically not think about her again. She's reliable, smart, not prone to mistakes, strong and physical. I expect her to be a player who makes an immediate impact.
Round #2: Anna Shokhina (F), 1997, (#13 overall) – This was one of the surprises of the draft. Shokhina has been a reliable scorer in the ZhHL in Russia, but it's difficult to know if the numbers are inflated by the level of play of the league and if her skills will translate. I think there's also a worry about getting a Russian player to North America. The only other Russian player drafted in the PWHL, Ilona Markova, has not yet made it stateside to play for Boston. So this might be a reach of a pick or it might be a brilliant nab to join an already varied and multinational roster.
Round #3: Sarah Wozniewicz (F), 2003, (#21 overall) – This might be a bit high for this pick, but Carla MacLeod coached her in high school and obviously thinks highly of her. She's not going to be the most creative or cerebral player, but she is going to be hard-checking and tenacious and basically never stop fighting for the puck. There's a relentless, dogged energy to her that never seems to let up. She's unafraid to fight for space in the gritty areas and does a good job working with and reading her linemates.
Round #4: Peyton Hemp (F), 2003, (#29 overall) – The Minnesota captain was an anchor on their second line while taking a bunch of faceoffs and playing on both sides of the Gophers' special teams. In addition, she has played on both wings and brings versatility alongside her leadership and ability to put the puck in the net.
Round #5: Sanni Ahola (G), 2000, (#37 overall) – Other than New York's first-round trade, this was the biggest surprise of the draft for me. Ahola was so good at St. Cloud State and has had some stellar outings for Finland, as well. This last World Championships wasn't her best showing, but I'd have thought the rest of her resume spoke for itself. Apparently there were questions for some teams, but that just makes this a big steal for Ottawa this late in the draft. I actually think she and Gwyn Philips are similarly meticulous and could make a really good goalie tandem that pushes each other. The various changes in the upcoming season is going to necessitate that teams lean more on a multi-goalie approach instead of having one main starter and I think the Charge could do a lot worse than having Ahola in net.
Round #6: Fanuza Kadirova (F), 1998 (#45 overall) – With apologies, I am not very familiar with Kadirova. GM Mike Hirshfeld mentioned there will be a transition for her in terms of the physicality of the league, but I'd imagine getting to focus solely on hockey and taking advantage of the resources in Ottawa - particularly the weight room - will help with that.
Takeaways
Ottawa played spectacular defense in the playoffs, but in the end didn't get enough offense to outpace Minnesota. With only four blueliners signed, defense had to be the first priority, but from there it seems like they were willing to take some chances and try to find a way to shake up their team in a way that wouldn't upset what they'd done well but could have a big impact and I think they did that here.
The Charge are one of the teams that came out of the expansion process with a roster that could basically take the ice and still be successful. However, Hirshfeld has been one of the more vocal GM's about a changed mentality and approach to building a roster that's more focused on immediate payoff instead of building and development because of the loss of players they had put resources into.
It's maybe an aside from Ottawa's draft, but what I learned from their approach is that this first expansion process could have some long-lasting impacts on how the league and its teams run that folks weren't anticipating.
It feels like they stayed relatively careful and calculated with their other draftees. As I mentioned above, Guilday could not be more solid and no one would ever question a defensive player who'd learned from Doug Derraugh. Wozniewicz is both familiar to MacLeod and a Wisconsin alum like MacLeod herself. It also feels purposeful that three of the picks are from the WCHA, where MacLeod would have been able to get a lot of feedback.
This is definitely a draft class that we won't really be able to get an immediate read on, but with the pieces they already had in place, Ottawa shored up the parts of the roster they needed to while also taking a swing that could bring a big payoff. The North American players they took are stable and reliable. They're unlikely to put up highlight reel plays, but they'll be a steady base the team can count on. It's a really interesting mix and we'll be waiting and watching to see if the strategy pays off.
Quotables
"We were thrilled with our picks that we made today. I continue to be blown away by our fan base and how supportive they are of our group. It was fun to be up there hearing the fans cheer for the players. I just continue to be impressed with how fortunate we are to play here in Ottawa. I’m just really, really happy about tonight and how it went." - GM Mike Hirshfeld
"We put a lot of work in over the last month. We have talked to both the players themselves. We have scouted some film that we found of them. We've talked to coaches and people who have played in that league. We’ve hired Mel Davidson as a consultant for us. She started early in the new year. She has coached them as part of the IIHF international growth program, so she knows both the players really, really well. We had Anna Shokhina as probably the fourth most talented player in this draft, that's how highly we thought of her. So we were thrilled to get her at 13. We think she’s going to be a superstar in this league.
Fanuza is a very talented player. She has a lot of skills and is a goal scorer.
And you know, again, we think she's going to have to deal with the physicality in this League that's going to be a learning curve for her. But we think the upside where we picked on the sixth round is incredibly high, and so for us it was definitely worth a shot. And bringing them both together, they played together in the past. They played on lines together for Russia. So there's a familiarity there as well.
We're comfortable because of the skill level and the talent level. I think our organization, obviously, we have focused on international players for a long time. So we think that they'll fit in really well in our culture. We think they’ll fit in our culture. We have a foundation that will support them as they come to North America." - Hirshfeld on drafting two Russian players
"We’re thrilled to get Rory. We really like what she brings to the table. She's tall, has a long reach, tough, clears the front of the net. She plays exactly the way we want to play. We think that she’ll be a natural with Ronja or Jocelyne. For us that's a home run pick that we're really happy about." - Hirshfeld on Rory Guilday
"It's an honor to be here and being here in Ottawa specifically, is pretty spectacular. Being drafted by this crowd and hearing the roar. It makes me super excited to go forward with this team." - Rory Guilday
"It feels amazing. We were once those kids asking for autographs and giving high fives. So it means that much more to be on the other side of it and realize the impact and the weight that holds. It's amazing what this game does and what kind of people it brings together." - Guilday on the the feeling of walking in on the purple carpet through fans
"A very fast, physical, hard-working player." - Sarah Wozniewicz on what fans can expect from her
"[Carla] was actually my school coach in high school and with Team Alberta and She's a great coach, and I can't wait to play for her again, because I've been there, and she's helped me succeed and make it to college. It was definitely a little emotional, because it's a full circle moment, and she's just made me such a better player already, so I can't wait to grow more with her." - Wozniewicz
Current Roster
(listed with the amount of years remaining on their current contract)
Forwards:
Rebecca Leslie - 2
Emily Clark - 1
Gabbie Hughes - 1
Brianne Jenner - 1
Kateřina Mrázová - 1
Élizabeth Giguère - 1
Taylor House - 1
*Mannon McMahon and Anna Meixner are currently unsigned restricted free agents
Defenders:
Ronja Savolainen - 2
Jocelyne Larocque - 1
Brooke Hobson - 1
Emma Bergesen - 1
*Stephanie Markowski is a unsigned restricted free agent
Goalies:
Gwyn Philips - 1
(Photo: PWHL)
