AMESBURY, Mass. – Hockey East will see 35 alumnae representing eight of the league’s 10 member institutions begin the 2024-25 PWHL’s sophomore season with the six charter teams and represent nearly a quarter of the 143 NCAA products in the PWHL.

In addition to the 35 players, four alums serve in PWHL front offices, including Boston Fleet head coach Courtney Kessel (New Hampshire) and Minnesota scout Hayley Skarupa (Boston College). Boston University’s Alexis Cross Miller serves as the Sr. Director of Player Experiene for the PWHL and New Hampshire’s Annie Camins is the VP of Hockey Operations for the league.

Each PWHL team can roster 26 players, including three signed to Reserve Player Contracts. Additionally, teams can carry players on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Of the 159 players listed for opening weekend, 143 are former college hockey standouts. Notably, the Minnesota Frost roster is made up entirely of NCAA alumnae.

The 143 NCAA alumni in the PWHL represent 34 schools across nine countries. Twelve NCAA programs have at least five former players on league rosters, led by Ohio State and Wisconsin with 15 each, followed by Minnesota Duluth (13), Clarkson (12), Northeastern (11), and Quinnipiac (10).

Seven alumnae of the Hockey East Association were selected in the 2024 PWHL Entry Draft, highlighted by a trio of players from Boston College and Northeastern, and one Providence product.

In total, 34 players selected were former NCAA Division I players – including all six first-round picks. Of the 42 total selections in the seven-round draft, 81 percent of them were former college hockey standouts. Twenty different schools had at least one former player drafted, led by Ohio State (eight), Colgate (six) and Clarkson (four). Boston College, Minnesota, Northeastern and Wisconsin had three each.

Four Hockey East products claimed the 2024 Walter Cup, winning the inaugural playoff tournament of the Professional Women’s Hockey League with PWHL Minnesota. The champions included captain Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Northeastern, 2011-16), Denisa Krizova (Northeastern 2014-18), Dominique Kremer (Merrimack, 2015-19), and Michela Cava (UConn, 2012-14).

In total, Hockey East claimed 39 league alumnae named to inaugural PWHL rosters during the 2024 season. The 39 players represented nine of the 10 Hockey East programs, led by Boston University (9), Northeastern (9), and Boston College (6). UConn has five, Merrimack and Vermont each boast three, and Maine, New Hampshire, and Providence send two alumnae to the PWHL. Two players skated for multiple Hockey East programs.

ABOUT THE HOCKEY EAST ASSOCIATION

The Hockey East Association is an 11-team Division I college men’s hockey conference founded in 1984 and a 10-team Division I women’s league which began play in 2002-03. The men’s league has won 10 NCAA championships, most recently in 2021. Since 1999, Hockey East has won eight men’s NCAA Championships with 18 NCAA Championship Game appearances, while placing 31 teams in the Frozen Four and 83 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Hockey East has sent 127 teams to the men’s NCAA Tournament since its inaugural season, more than any other conference in that span. Hockey East is home to 12 Hobey Baker winners and four Patty Kazmaier winners.

ABOUT THE PWHL

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprised of six teams in Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto, each with rosters featuring the best women’s hockey players in the world. Launched on Jan. 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and mer- chandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter to receive the latest league updates. Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six team accounts @pwhl_boston, @ pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @ pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.