Four of the PWHL's six teams are down to three goaltenders, with only Toronto and Minnesota still with four goalies in camp. Does that mean most teams have secured their trio?
Four of the PWHL's six teams are down to three goaltenders, with only Toronto and Minnesota still with four goalies in camp. Does that mean most teams have secured their trio?
While it's no certainty each PWHL team will sign three goaltenders, each team will keep three goalies either on their roster, or as a reserve.
With that in mind, four of the PWHL's teams - Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto - are all down to three netminders.
In Boston, the trio of Aerin Frankel, Emma Soderberg, and Cami Kronish could be one of the best netminding groups, period. From last season, this trio includes a World Championship gold medal winner (Frankel), WCHA Goaltender of the Year and World Championship All-Star (Soderberg), and an NCAA national champion (Kronish). Not a bad group. Frankel and Soderberg are USA and Sweden's starting netminders respectively.
After signing Ann-Renee Desbiens and Elaine Chuli, Montreal release two netminder at the roster reduction deadline, leaving the previously mentioned Desbiens and Chuli, along with Marlène Boissonnault as the remaining trio. Desbiens is Team Canada's starter and backstopped Team Harvey's to a PWHPA title last year, while Chuli is a former PHF Goaltender of the Year and was a key piece to the Toronto Six's Isobel Cup title last year. Marlène Boissonnault spent four seasons in the PWHPA following her NCAA career at Cornell. Boissonault represented Canada at the U-18 level.
New York had one of the most competitive netminding battles for the third position. With Corinne Schroeder, the reigning PHF Goaltender of the Year, who also was a member of Canada's November Rivalry Series roster, and Team USA's third goaltender Abbey Levy ask the expected 1-2 in New York, Lindsey Post appears to have won out the third position. Post, 29, has spent the past four seasons in the SDHL playing for SDE. She was the 2020 SDHL Goaltender of the Year. Prior to that, Post spent two seasons with the CWHL's Calgary Inferno following a USports career with Alberta. She has familiarity with New York head coach Howie Draper who was her coach in Alberta, where they won a 2017 national championship with Post named MVP.
The final team now sitting with three goaltenders is PWHL Ottawa. After signing Emerance Maschmeyer, the second goalie for Canada's national team, to a three-year contract during free agency, Ottawa drafted German national team starter Sandra Abstreiter. Entering camp with a pair of PHF netminders fighting for the final crease position, Metropolitan Riveters backup and Princeton alumni Rachel McQuigge earned the third spot heading into the PWHL's preseason camp.
The two teams with four goaltenders remaining are Toronto and Minnesota. With Erica Howe and Kristen Campbell signed in Toronto, Carly Jackson and Amanda Mäkelä remain in camp looking to earn a spot. In Minnesota, Nicole Hensley is the only signed netminder in Minnesota, although it's speculated that Maddie Rooney will also sign with the team. Also in camp are Minnesota draft pick Amanda Leveille who was the Minnesota Whitecaps' starter last year, and Lauren Bench, who played for MoDo in Sweden last season.