Connecticut Whale (NWHL)


The Connecticut Whale is a professional women's ice hockey team based in Danbury, Connecticut. It is one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League. Its name and colors are an homage to the former NHL and WHA franchise known as the Hartford Whalers.

History

For their first season, the Whale played home games in Stamford, Connecticut at Chelsea Piers. Chris Ardito was hired as the first general manager in franchise history, while Jake Mastel and Lisa Giovanelli coached the team. The team is the second professional hockey team to bear the Connecticut Whale name, following the American Hockey League team previously and currently known as the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Among their off-season acquisitions, the Whale signed Kaleigh Fratkin to a contract on July 1, 2015. She was the first Canadian player to sign a contract in the NWHL.
The team made its debut in the 2015–16 season. Jessica Koizumi was named first team captain in franchise history. The first game in NWHL history was a sell out on October 11, 2015 between the New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale. The Whale prevailed by a 4–1 tally as Jessica Koizumi scored the first goal in both franchise and NWHL history. In the same game, Kelli Stack had one goal and two assists, becoming the first player to record a multi-point performance. Whale goaltender Jaimie Leonoff was credited the win, capturing the game's First Star. Stack was recognized as the Second Star, and Kelly Babstock, who became the first Canadian-born player to score a goal in an NWHL regular season game, was acknowledged as the Third Star.
The Whale won their first three games in franchise history with three different goalies. In the first game, the Whale prevailed with Jaimie Leonoff, while former Quinnipiac goaltender Chelsea Laden captured the second win, and Nicole Stock played her first game in over five years to capture the third win on the road against the New York Riveters.
Prior to the team's second season, the Whale moved to the Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, Connecticut. This lasted one season as the Whale moved to the Terry Conners Ice Rink at Cove Island Park in Stamford, Connecticut, for the 2017–18 season.
On August 20, 2018, the Whale named active player Cydney Roesler an assistant coach for the 2018–19 season making her the first player-coach in franchise history.
After two seasons at Terry Conners Ice Rink, the Whale moved again to the larger Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, Connecticut. Former NHL enforcer Colton Orr was named as head coach for the 2019–20 season.

Season-by-season records

Players & Personnel

Current roster

Team Captains

Hannah Brandt from the Univ. of Minnesota program became the first player in franchise history to be selected in the inaugural 2015 NWHL Draft. Raised in the state capital of Albany, New York, Michelle Picard was also the first defenseman selected in NWHL Draft history.

NWHL Draft

The following were the Whale's selections in the 2015 NWHL Draft on June 20, 2015.
#PlayerPositionNationalityCollege
2Hannah BrandtForwardUniversity of Minnesota
6Michelle PicardDefenseHarvard University
10Milica McMillenDefenseUniversity of Minnesota
14Maryanne MenefeeForwardUniversity of Minnesota
18Cassandra PoudrierDefenseCornell University

The following were the Whale's selections in the 2016 NWHL Draft on June 18, 2016.
#PlayerPositionNationalityCollege
3Dani CameranesiForwardUniversity of Minnesota
7Andie AnastosForwardBoston College
11Melissa ChannellDefenseUniversity of Wisconsin
15Paige SavageForwardNortheastern University
19Sydney RossmanGoalieQuinnipiac University

The following were the Whale's selections in the 2016 NWHL Draft on August 17, 2017.
#PlayerPositionNationalityCollege
5Sam DonovanForwardBrown University
9Eden MurrayForwardYale University
13Denisa KřížováForwardNortheastern University
17Nina RodgersForwardBoston University

The following were the Whale's selections in the 2018 NWHL Draft on December 19th and 20th, 2018.
#PlayerPositionNationalityCollege
2Melissa SamoskevichForwardQuinnipiac University
7Makenna NewkirkForwardBoston College
12Katelyn RaeForwardMerrimack College
17Dominique KremerDefenseMerrimack College
22Maggie LaGueDefenseRobert Morris University

The following were the Whale's selections in the 2020 NWHL Draft on April 28th and 29th, 2020. Connecticut held the Metropolitan Riveters fifth round pick, as the future considerations from the trade of Maria Sorokina to the Riveters in 2019.
#PlayerPositionNationalityCollege
2Kayla FriesenForwardClarkson University
7Victoria HowranDefenseUniversity of New Hampshire
13Savannah RennieForwardSyracuse University
19Amanda ConwayForwardNorwich University
25Nicole GuagliardoForwardAdrian College
27Maddie BishopForwardSacred Heart University

Franchise milestones and statistics leaders

As of the 2016-17 season:
MilestonePlayerNotes
First goalJessica KoizumiOctober 11, 2015
First multi-point gameKelli StackOctober 11, 2015
First winJaimie LeonoffOctober 11, 2015
Most pointsKelly Babstock45 points