With PWHL camps opening soon, the New York Sirens will have some difficult roster decisions to make as they build a roster based on young talent.
With only 23 spots available for opening night in Ottawa and 28 on the training camp roster, the competition among the New York Sirens' hopefuls will be intense enough without facing the added pressure of having to crack the lineup as a camp invitee.
However, that's exactly the situation that will bring even more intrigue inside the Essex County Codey Arena where the Sirens will start putting all the pieces to the puzzle together starting Nov. 11 in West Orange, N.J.
Head Coach Greg Fargo has some tough decisions to make as he not only welcomes 24 who had likely expected to be among those vying for positions with the team, but also four invitees whose resumes and outstanding character earned them a chance to make their mark and beat the odds.
Forwards Kira Juodikis and Alexis Paddington, and defenders Nicole Vallario and Olivia Knowles will be working incredibly hard to convince Fargo and his coaching staff that they are too valuable to be sent home when the 2025-26 season roster must be finalized just eight days later (Nov. 19).
All University of New Hampshire senior captain Kira Juodikis did over the 2024-25 collegiate season was produce six multi-point performances that earned her a third consecutive recognition as a Hockey East Third Team All-Star.
The LaSalle, Ontario forward led the Wildcats in both goals (12) and points (20) as a senior, and even more impressively recorded a team-high 87 shots. Her effort that season also consisted of three game-winning goals and a shorthanded tally, while her 29 blocks ranked her third among UNH forwards.
Perhaps her most satisfying accolade as a collegian came this past January when she netted her 50th goal in a game against the University of Maine. She became the 30th Wildcat to achieve that milestone in the history of the school.
Juodikis, who back in 2020 was invited to the training camp for the Team Canada Under-18 squad before the workouts were cancelled because of the pandemic, finished her stellar career at UNH with 56 goals and 37 assists for 93 points in 134 games.
Alexis Paddington is another high-caliber forward who brought pride -- and some eyebrow-raising offensive statistics -- to the Minnesota State University athletic annals.A member of the 2024-25 Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Team as well as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, Paddington's mindset-- like that of Juodikis -- to fire the puck on net with precision and intensity is evidenced in her 82 shots that resulted in a team-leading four power-play goals.
She also blocked 11 shots, and her 22 points (13G/9A) included a goal and a season-high eight shots in game two of the WCHA quarterfinals. A success story from her days playing youth hockey in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Paddington is also reliable at the dots as she won 247 faceoffs with the Mavericks.
On the defensive side, the Sirens will greet a familiar face and a former Olympian when training camp gets underway in just over three weeks.
Nicole Vallario, who played for the Swiss National Team at the Beijing Winter Olympics, hails from Lugano, Switzerland and subsequently traveled to the United States to also achieve stardom in Minnesota.
She attended the University of St. Thomas, where as a senior she blocked 44 shots to go along with her four goals and six assists in 35 games for the Tommies (the school's mascot is a Tiger named Tommie).
Fun fact...Vallario scored the game winning goal and added an assist against Paddington's Minnesota State University squad in a 4-3 road victory on Oct. 11. An offensive-minded defender which the Sirens covet, she totaled 53 shots on goal in her senior season.
Vallario also takes great satisfaction in her WCHA stature as both a 2024-25 All-Academic Team member and a Scholar-Athlete recipient.
And last but certainly not least, Olivia Knowles returns to the Sirens after a few stints over the 2024-25 PWHL campaign as a reserve player. She was originally signed on Dec. 6 after defender Ella Shelton was placed on injured reserve. Later that season, she signed another 10-day contract with New York.
During the inaugural 2023-24 PWHL season, the former standout at the University of Minnesota helped the Toronto Sceptres secure a spot in the playoffs.