The KRS Vanke Rays have opened their 2023-2024 season in China's women's league with a perfect 9-0 record.
The KRS Vanke Rays are off to an undefeated start through the opening weeks of the 2023-2024 season. The team has been dominant going 9-0, all regulation wins, while outscoring their opponents 48-5.
Leading the way for KRS is Kaitlyn Tougas, a player many expected would be signed as a PWHL free agent after going unselected in the 2023 PWHL Draft. Instead she chose to return to China where she was 12 goals through nine games.
On the blueline, Minttu Tuominen, who was a PWHL Minnesota draft pick and played with the PHF's Metropolitan Riveters last year, has two goals and 10 points in that span, and is tied with blueliner Baiwei Yu for points by a defender. Yu has five goals and five assists in that span. Baiwei Yu is China's longtime national team captain.
"So far I have noticed the biggest difference is the depth of the rosters," said KRS head coach Ivo Mocek of his team's success. "We have three lines that are capable of contributing. Majority of the other teams have 3-5 players who are very skilled and talented but then there is a drop off. Mostly it depends how good their goaltending is."
After opening their season in Qigihar, this week the team played in Harbin, and will round out their season on home ice in Shenzhen beginning the week of December 30 before playoffs begin in January in Beijing.