PWHL New York coach Howie Draper discusses what he likes about his team, and what work is to come between now and the season opener. With the PWHL Preseason Camp over, teams now have only a few days to reduce their rosters before the league deadline, and before American, Canadian, Czech, Swiss, Swedish, German, and Finnish players head off to their national team programs. According to New York head coach Howie Draper, he's enthused with the product and progress his team has achieved to date. "The team's coming together really well, I really like the tempo and energy that our group has," said head coach Howie Draper. "I really like the direction we're headed." While many players will be heading to national team programs, those who stay in New York will have extra time to prepare as a group, and focus on skill development. "With the group that will be sticking around, they're going to have an opportunity to get on the ice and work on their skills a little bit, start to hone some of those and maybe get into a little bit of a build from a conditioning standpoint," said Draper. Following the Rivalry Series, team will only have a few days together before the holiday break, followed by what New York expects to be two more practices prior to travelling to Toronto for their New Year's Day league opening game at Mattamy Athletic Centre. New York opens their 2024 PWHL Season January 1 in Toronto. Watch Draper's full comments in the video above.
