PWHL Boston's blueline has undergone a lot of change, but it's made their back end stronger.
PWHL Boston's blueline has undergone a lot of change, but it's made their back end stronger.
When PWHL Boston finished their initial signings, Megan Keller was the headliner of their blueline, and remains so as the PWHL season progresses. At the PWHL Draft, Boston added to their blueline selecting Sophie Jaques, Jessica DiGirolamo, Emily Brown, Jess Healey, and Emma Buckles, in what many considered would be their top six heading into the season.
The morning after the draft, Boston general manager Danielle Marmer wasted no time locking in Kaleigh Fratkin, who received a contract offer on the spot bringing their defensive corps to seven. Boston quickly signed all seven players heading into the preseason, but that changed again when Sidney Morin became available on waivers from Minnesota.
The addition of Morin meant Boston had to move Emma Buckles from a full time contract to a reserve, and this week, Buckles will be on the move again to join PWHL Ottawa.
A month into the inaugural PWHL season, things have changed, but Boston's blueline continues to take shape.
The pick up of Sidney Morin couldn't have gone better for Boston, as Morin is playing key minutes often on their top pairing alongside Keller. Morin won Olympic gold in 2018 before spending four seasons in Europe, and last year in the PHF with the Minnesota Whitecaps. She's a mobile defender who loves to join the play, and uses her speed to take away time and space on the ice. Similarly, Fratkin has joined Boston's top four at times and has showcased not only her mobility early, but also her physicality. Jessica DiGirolamo, a stalwart on Boston's blueline has played well enough to earn herself a spot on Canada's Rivalry Series roster, as has Emily Brown, who will play on USA's Rivalry Series team. The final member of Boston's blueline is Sophie Jaques, who was awarded one of Boston's six coveted three year guaranteed contracts after winning the Patty Kazmaier Award last season playing for Ohio State.
While Morin and Fratkin have worked their way in, and Emma Buckles has found a new opportunity in Ottawa, the biggest developments have occurred from within the original core.
Sophie Jaques has found herself as the seventh defender of late after early struggles. It started with a performance for Canada at the first stops on the Rivalry Series that sparked concern. That play, however, has continued into the PWHL season. Jaques has consistently struggled with on ice decision making and positioning. She often finds herself ahead of pucks, and putting pucks into bad spots resulting in turnovers. The other concern that did not present itself against NCAA competition is Jaques skating, particularly in her pivots that is causing her to lose a step while defending. Through six games, Jaques has yet to register a point, and is a team worst -5. Don't write off Jaques yet however. With the PWHL, we will certainly see that being a good NCAA player doesn't automatically translate into being a good professional, but the real issue is a lack of developmental options for players like Jaques who could use seasoning against better players without the do-or-die pressure of international competition and a shortened PWHL season. With protected starts, Boston will need to do the development from within, which likely isn't a best-case scenario for a player eating a large percentage of their salary cap, but the hope will be this is just a bump on the way to stardom for Jaques. He offensive instincts are undeniable, and like an NHL rookie, the true test of her career will be evaluated five years from now, not in year one when many young players are experiencing the challenges of pro hockey.
If anything, Boston's ability to keep Jaques protected speaks more to the strong play of her teammates than to her own play.
Boston's final option on the blueline is veteran Gigi Marvin who the team has deployed at forward all season, but who spent much of her career with the US national team as a blueliner. Marvin's versatility was likely a factor in their willingness to make changes on the blueline following the draft.