With PHF signings trickling out each day, the market for European players looks to be heating up.
With Alina Muller coming off the market, putting pen to paper with the PHF's Boston Pride, the market for European born players continues to heat up.
What to make of Josefine Jakobsen's SDHL Departure
The leading scorer for Djurgårdens in the SDHL is moving on. Josefine Jakobsen spent eight seasons with Djurgårdens following her NCAA career with North Dakota.
At 31, she still has plenty of hockey left, and given Jakobsen didn't immediately announce a change of scenery in Sweden, it could signal a move to North America with the PHF.
In 57 career World Championship games with Denmark, Jakobsen has 85 points. She also added four points in four games for Denmark at the 2022 Olympic Games. Long considered one of the best in the game, Jakobsen could be looking to cash in as a free agent. She has former Djurgårdens teammates currently in the PHF with Buffalo, Connecticut, and Metropolitan.
Czech Captain Could Be Close
Many members of Czechia's bronze medal winning roster are testing free agency in the PHF. There were six Czech players in the PHF last season, five of whom suited up for their national team at the recent World Championships.
At the World Championships, there was talk that other members of the Czech roster would soon be joining the league, with the primary name discussed being captain Alena Mills.
Mills has bounced from Russia, to Finland, and last season to Brynas in Sweden. She does have North American experience, captaining Brown University in the NCAA, so she'd be comfortable playing in New England, making Boston a possible destination. Toronto and Connecticut could also be in the mix as both had strong Czech contingents last year.
Aurard and Schafzahl Locked In
Although neither has been announced, there is speculation that both Chloe Aurard, who was a star at Northeastern and for France's national team, and Austrian Theresa Schafzahl, who was a captain for the University of Vermont and was the Hockey East Player of the Year in 2022, are signed and ready to join the PHF.
From all reports, Schafzahl is headed to the Montreal Force, while Aurard is likely headed to play alongside Muller in Boston.
Both will be impact players in the near future, and with Boston and Montreal making the most noise early on, we could be seeing the age old rivalry between the two hockey cities re-ignited on the women's side.
Where will the goalie go round end?
We watched a goaltending display of soon to be NCAA graduates at the women's World Championship, and now those goaltenders are all looking for places to play.
Sweden's Emma Soderberg, Germany's Sandra Abstreiter, Switzerland's Andrea Braendli, and Czechia's Blanka Skodova were all starters at the World Championships, and all have been linked to PHF discussions.
With Corrine Schroeder leaving Boston, the Pride will be in the mix for at least one of these netminders, as will the Metropolitan Riveters.
Eyes On Finland
One name being discussed from Finland is Sini Karjalainen, who like Schafzahl was a captain at the University of Vermont. Vermont has become a hotbed for European stars looking to move to North America in recent seasons, and Karjalainen could follow her teammate to the PHF.
Karjalainen has already been a name discussed by multiple teams in the league. She's the former captain of Finland's U-18 national team, and has represented Finland's senior national team at three World Championships and the 2022 Olympics.