To Make Any League 'The Best In The World,' These Players Must Be Present

For any women's league to ultimately hold dominance like the NHL does in men's hockey, these Europeans must join.

We hear it thrown around a lot, "the best players in the world." It's in the PWHPA's marketing materials, and the PHF continues to improve as the current best professional league in the world, while the SDHL has teams that compete on that level.

For a singular, or two leagues even, to be the best in the world however, it can't be a league of only North American players. Many of the best players in the world spent last season in the NCAA. Players like Taylor Heise, Caroline Harvey, Sarah Fillier, and Nelli Laitinen would all crack a top 25 on the planet list. Recently we saw Alina Müller, Chloe Aurard, and Theresa Schafzahl sign in the PHF, a major step forward for the league.

But as the global game continues to improve, North America's claim to being the only spot where the world's elite live and play, will require the recruitment of top European talent. While most of these players are currently under contract with their European clubs and can't move now, enticing these players to North America will be an important step.

Here's a look at 15 players, not currently in the PHF or PWHPA, that any league claiming to be the best in the world needs to be targeting:

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