Hannah Bilka knows the city of Boston well, and she's excited to return to the city and to play with the stars on PWHL Boston. PWHL Boston added big name talent early in the draft in Hannah Bilka and Daniela Pejsova, they took swings at high end talent in Ilona Markova and Hadley Hartmetz late, and they have two of the most well respected veterans in the world coming to camp as free agents. Here's a look at the newcomers joining PWHL Boston for the 2024-2025 season. WHO IS NOT RETURNING? Taylor Wenczkowski and Jess Healey are out for sure, while the list of potentially not returning players is long including Kaleigh Fratkin, Gigi Marvin, Amanda Pelkey, Cami Kronish, Abby Cook, Kelly Babstock, and Nicole Kosta. MEET THE NEWCOMERS The biggest names coming in are Hannah Bilka and Daniela Pejsova, members of Team USA and Team Czechia respectively. Bilka, who is coming off a national title with Ohio State is exactly the type of fast, dynamic forward Boston needed to jumpstart their offense, while Pejsova may quickly turn into the best defender in the draft. Pejsova, who played pro for Brynas in Sweden last season [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/q-a-with-pwhl-bostons-daniela-pejsova] is still only 22. She may not add much offense this season, but she's big, physical, mobile, and smart. Also on the blueline, Boston drafted and signed Sydney Bard, another slick defender who is skilled in transition and continues to push for a roster spot with Team USA. They also signed Emma Greco who brings a wealth of championship experience from the PHF's Toronto Six in 2023 and last year winning a Walter Cup with Minnesota. UNSIGNED DRAFT PICKS AND CAMP INVITES As for the rest of their draft class, Boston has Shay Maloney, Hadley Hartmetz, and Ilona Markova in the mix. Markova is the real wildcard of the bunch. Boston may need to sign her to get her visa completed. As well, she'll need to fly to Uzbekistan to get that visa as there is currently no American embassy in Russia. Hartmetz could be an impact player, but she continues to rehab from a significant injury, which likely resulted in her sliding as low as she did in the draft. In terms of camp invites, Boston may have stolen the best player not picked in Klara Peslarova. Few teams could claim to have a third goalie who could legitimately step in and start consistency without a drop in team performance, but should Boston sign Peslarova, that's exactly what they'd be getting. Perhaps the name everyone will be watching in Boston however, isn't a newcomer at all, but rather a homecoming in Jillian Dempsey. A fan favorite in the city for more than a decade, Boston fans called for Dempsey's return all season last year. If she can crack Boston's lineup, that reunion will finally occur. As depth leadership who can move up or down a lineup, it would be hard to foresee another player with Dempsey's skillset being available at the bottom of the lineup.
