The Disappearance Of The Buffalo Beauts and Metropolitan Riveters

The Buffalo Beauts and Metropolitan Riveters have a total of one drafted player attending PWHL training camp, and if their free agents fail to grab spots, they'll be two of the least represented pro teams in the new league.

When the PHF was acquired to help form the PWHL, it was known there would be players from both the PHF and PWHPA who would not continue with their hockey careers.

When the puck drops on the PWHL season, perhaps no former teams will have less representation in the new league than the PHF's Buffalo Beauts and Metropolitan Riveters. At the PWHL Draft, only one player, defender Jessica Healey was selected. Healey was picked 87th overall in the 90 player draft by Toronto. The Riveters similarly had one player, Minttu Tuominen, picked, although offseason signings Susanna Tapani, Olivia Zafuto, Lexie Adzija, and Katerina Mrazova were all drafted.

Heading into training camp, Buffalo goaltenders Samantha Ridgewell (Ottawa) and Kassidy Sauve (New York), defender Dominique Kremer (Minnesota), and forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis (Ottawa) will all compete for spots, with Kremer and Grant-Mentis looking like locks. Akane Shiga, who signed with the team in the offseason will also compete for a spot with Ottawa.

From the Riveters, a large group including Madison Packer, Sarah Bujold, Amanda Belkey, Fanni Gasparics, Kendall Cornine, Kelly Babstock, Rachel McQuigge, and Hayley Lunny all earned invites, as did offseason signings Kaleigh Fratkin, McKenna Brand, Abby Cook, and Anneke Linser.

From both teams, large groups went to Europe. From Buffalo Emma Nuutinen, Jenna Suoko, Madison Traux, Autumn MacDougall, Allison Attea, Antonia Matzka, and Lovisa Berndtsson all found spots in Europe. From the Riveters, this list includes Tuominen, Anna Kilponen, Ebba Berglund, Eveliina Makinen, and Reka Debasi are all playing in Europe. New signings from both teams now in Europe include Tatum Amy, Naomi Rogge, Lauren Dabrowski, Noemi Neubauerova, Emma Seitz, and Amalie Andersen all signed in Europe.

But similarly large cohort will walk away from the game, including several of Buffalo's top scorers from recent seasons. Buffalo's second, third, and fourth leading scorers from last season - Claudia Kepler, Courtney Maud, and Summer-Rae Dobson - are all gone. As is their second leading scorer from the blueline Whitney Dove. From Metropolitan this group includes Kennedy Ganser, Emilie Harley, Regan Rust, and Sarah Forster, as well as goalie Katie Burt.

There will however, be a separate group of Beauts alumni in the PWHL. Savannah Harmon, Hayley Scamurra, Shaiann Darkangelo, Nicole Hensley, and Amanda Leveille were all drafted, while another handful will attend as free agent invites.

The Beauts and Riveters were beloved and well supported fixtures in the women's hockey world, but will have among the smallest groups representing the clubs of any pro team moving forward to the PWHL.