More than a dozen NCAA players are moving north of the border this season joining U SPORTS women's hockey programs in Canada to continue their university hockey careers.
While the NCAA transfer portal draws attention each summer as players change programs, often jumping from smaller programs to national contenders. There is, however, a smaller number of players who make the move each summer from the NCAA to Canada's U SPORTS.
This season there were 40 former NCAA Division 1 players competing in U SPORTS.
At the national championships, there were several notable former NCAA players in competition like Waterloo's Katina Duscio who spent three seasons at St. Lawrence before joining her hometown university where she scored 19 points in 25 games from the Warriors' blueline this season. She was joined on Waterloo by Sarah Hirst and Ashlyn Kroes who each spent three seasons at Merrimack before joining U SPORTS this season.
The University of Ottawa is another program that entered the national championships this season bolstered by multiple NCAA alumnae in Alexa Pongo (UConn and Merrimack), Alex Ferguson (Merrimack), Rebecca Morissette (Clarkson), and TJ Flores (Robert Morris).
Jill Hennessy was U SPORTS' top scoring NCAA transfer this season recording 26 points in 26 games with Nipissing. She might be outdone by Samantha Morrison next season after she put up 19 points in only 15 games with St. FX after spending the previous two seasons with Maine.
Next season, another wave are headed from the NCAA to U SPORTS as well.
The University of Guelph, another Ontario based participant in the U SPORTS national championships this season will gain Georgia Sambrano who is transferring from Colgate after two seasons.
Hannah Dods, will join the University of British Columbia from Lindenwood after two seasons of NCAA hockey.
Perennial powerhouse and national contender the Concordia Stingers are adding Korean national team forward NaYeon Kim and defender Taeyeon Kim. The duo are expected to be impact players. NaYeon Kim scored 16 points in 26 games as a rookie with Mercyhurst and added six points in five games at the Division 1B World Championships. Taeyeon Kim played 35 games on St. Lawrence's blueline as a rookie recording five points. Concordia certainly got stronger with the moves.
They aren't the only players with international experience moving to U SPORTS. Frederikke Foss, who will play for Denmark for the fourth time at the World Championships this November when her nation hosts the top teams in the world. Foss spen the past two seasons at Maine before moving to the University of New Brunswick this Fall.
Nipissing is gaining a pair including 6-foot-2 forward Taylor Gilmour after three seasons at Providence and defender Molly Dunn who played at Robert Morris last season.
Harvard captain Emily Davidson is heading to the Carleton Ravens. The 24-year-old netminder could be a difference maker this season.
Other NCAA to U SPORTS transfters include Paige Smith moving from Bemidji State to MacEwan, Daniella Martorana going from Merrimack to the University of Alberta, and Hannah Arnold jumping from St. Cloud State to St. Francis Xavier, Caryss Kehl going from Post to Wilfrid Laurier, Grace Littler from Saint Anselm to Ottawa, and Mikayla Todd moving from Syracuse to Ontario Tech.
