Several long time national team members who have played primarily checking line, defensive roles in international play, will be counted on to score in the PWHL.
Several long time national team members who have played primarily checking line, defensive roles in international play, will be counted on to score in the PWHL.
Players like Blayre Turnbull, Jamie Lee Rattray, Hayley Scamurra, and Kelly Pannek will no longer be counted on simply to prevent goals as they do with their respective national teams, instead, in the PWHL they'll be counted upon to score goals for their clubs.
For years, Turnbull has been key to a Canadian checking unit, taking defensive zone draws and killing penalties. While she will still be asked to complete some of those responsibilities when the game is on the line, Turnbull will more frequently be playing top line minutes as a scoring forward in Toronto.
She's not alone in that change in role. In Ottawa, Hayley Scamurra will balance more offensive responsibility with her normal defensive acumen, and the same could be said for Jamie Lee Rattray in Boston and Kelly Pannek in Minnesota.
These players will have a unique season bouncing between roles from the PWHL to IIHF, and inevitably, it could result in new opportunities with national programs.
Watch Turnbull and Scamurra's comments on their new opportunities above.