Ann-Frederique Guay discusses her path from NCAA DIII hockey, to starring in NCAA DI hockey with Maine, and then signing a pro contract in Sweden, all in under a year. One month from today, the SDHL will open their 2024-2025 season. The league, considered the second best professional league in the world, will open with five games on September 13. Opening the season will be HV71 hosting Brynas, Linkoping hosting newly promoted Skelleftea AIK, SDE welcoming Leksand, Djurgardens bringing in reigning champs Lulea, and Frolunda hosting Modo. Last season, Lulea won yet another championship, beating MoDo in the final, while Frolunda and Brynas were the other semi-finalists. Frolunda was promoted last year and had a spectacular campaign paced by stars like Michelle Karvinen. The SDHL was a hotspot for PWHL Draft prospects last season as well including the league's leading scorer Noora Tulus who went 13th overall to New York, along with 7th overall pick Daniela Pejsova, 8th overall pick Ronja Savolainen, and 10th overall pick Maja Nylen Persson. Other PWHL Draft picks who spent last season in the SDHL include Noemi Neubauerova (30th, Toronto), Anna Meixner (32nd, Ottawa), Shay Maloney (34th, Boston), Anna Kjellbin (35th, Montreal), and Anneke Linser (36th, Toronto). This season, many national team stars remain in the league including Petra Nieminen, Viivi Vainikka, Michelle Karvinen, Sanni Vanhanen, Elisa Holopainen, Jenniina Nylund, Jenni Hiirikoski, and Emilia Vesa of Sweden, Czechia's Adela Sapovalivova, Teresa Plosova, and Sara Cajanova, and almost the entirety of Sweden's national team outside of a few PWHL and NCAA players. The league also contains national team members from several other nations like Japan's Haruka Toko and Ayaka Hitosato, Switzerland's Andrea Brandli, Norway's Emma Bergesen and Mathea Fischer, Hungary's Lotti Odnoga, and Netherlands' Kayleigh Hamers and Julia Zwarthoed among others.
