Beginning June 1, NWHL teams can re-sign players from their 2017-18 roster and
their draft picks. Additionally, for those players who have completed their
college eligibility and want to continue their hockey careers, NWHL Free Agency
 provides the best opportunity to continue playing at the highest level of
professional women's hockey. The fourth season of the NWHL will begin in
October as the Metropolitan Riveters defend their Isobel Cup championship, and
with the addition of a fifth team - the Minnesota Whitecaps - this will be the
most competitive season yet.

My colleague Dan Rice will keep THW readers up-to-date on Metropolitan and
Connecticut's signings throughout the summer, while I post updates on Buffalo
and Boston. Together we will be keeping readers informed of all of Minnesota';s
 signings. 

Hometown Hero Pfalzer Makes a Return to Beauts

Souliotis Returns to Pride for a Second Campaign

UNH Star Jonna Curtis Joins Hometown Whitecaps

Having graduated from Northeastern University earlier this May, McKenna Brand
has moved on from her NCAA college hockey career and will be playing
professionally in the NWHL. On Aug. 17, 2018, word was released by the league
that the 5-foot-6 forward had inked a contract with the Boston Pride. The
Minnesota native was originally drafted by the Metropolitan Riveters as the
11th overall selection of the 2017 NWHL Draft. Now she will be making her pro
hockey dreams come true as a member of "The Pack".

NEWS: We have signed 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft McKenna Brand! Welcome
 to #ThePack McKenna pic.twitter.com/O7rcjrdM7L

- Boston Pride (@TheBostonPride) August 17, 2018

"It means so much to me to have been drafted in the NWHL last year and now
being able to sign my first pro contract," Brand said in the press release
about her signing. "Playing in the NWHL has been a goal of mine since the
league started. I am super excited to have signed with the Pride to be able to
continue living in and playing for the great city of Boston. I can't wait to
get things started in September!"

Brand is only the sixth forward that the Pride have announced as being under
contract. With plenty more signings still to come, THW takes a look takes a
look at how this rookie forward will fit in on Boston';s roster and what she
brings to the lineup.Sizable Numbers With the Huskies

With the exception of her freshman season at Northeastern, Brand reached double
 digits in each of her college years with the Huskies. Her finest season was
arguably her junior campaign when she averaged better than a point per game. In
 37 contests that year she scored 23 goals (a career high) and 15 assists for
38 points (also a career high). Those 23 tallies were distributed evenly across
 the board. Three of them were power play goals, another three were shorthanded
 and five of them held up to be game-winners. All of that together saw her
assemble a plus-22 season for plus/minus. Such a performance saw Brand be named
 a Hockey East First-Team All-Star that year.

While her junior year may have been her finest offensively, Brand steadily
produced throughout all four of her seasons at Northeastern. By the time her
college career ended at the close of the 2017-18 season, she had played in 150
games - the most in Northeastern';s program history - and had scored a total of
 56 goals and 55 assists for 111 points. 11 times she scored a game-winning
goal for the Huskies. Brand can indeed produce and is capable of being timely
about it.McKenna Brand signs her first NWHL contract with the Boston Pride
(Photo courtesy of NWHL Media Relations/Chris Botta).

The other key aspect to Brand';s game is that when she is out on the ice it is
a shooting gallery for opposing goalies. In those 150 games, she compiled a
rather staggering 471 shots on goal. Averaging those numbers out you will find
that Brand was good enough for better than three shots a game. She possesses no
 hesitancy in shooting the puck, and it would behoove Boston to try utilizing
her on the power play. This also is something that Brand has recognized in
herself.

"I would say that I'm a goal-scoring, power forward that takes pride in being a
 two-way player," she would go on to say in the press release. "I hope to bring
 a lot of offensive power to the team while also being a reliable player in our
 own end. Going into the season, I want to focus on doing whatever I can to
help the team win an Isobel Cup."The Pride Are Promoting a Natural Chemistry

Brand is one of a handful of Northeastern Huskies that have been signed by the
Pride for the 2018-19 season. The others include defender Lauren Kelly and
forward Denisa Křížová. All three were teammates at Northeastern. Throw in
 a multitude of other players of similar ages from Beanpot-area schools, and
you have a lot of familiarity on one roster. Having Brand, Křížová, and
Kelly on the same unit together could be both fun and capable of paying major
dividends.

And @mckenna_brand makes 1️⃣3️⃣🦁!

Meet the newest member of #ThePack: https://t.co/VHX31lYZuy
pic.twitter.com/OzQMcUTH1T

- Boston Pride (@TheBostonPride) August 17, 2018

Another positive about this particular Pride roster is that it possesses plenty
 of youthful exuberance. Brand, Křížová, Kelly, defender Toni Ann Miano,
and goaltender Katie Burt are all rookies. Add defender Mallory Souliotis into
that same category too, considering that she only played two regular season
games for Boston this past year and they were at the very end of the season. It
 is not just that these players are up tempo and energetic, but that they will
each be able to hold their own against seasoned veterans and Olympians - they
possess the skill and confidence to do so.

Brand and Křížová are ones who can truly snipe the puck too. While there
is plenty to love about this Pride team as whole, we suggest that Boston fans
be particularly excited about these two forwards. They should each score a lot
of goals with a rapid fire approach.

With Brand';s signing, here is how the Pride look as of Aug. 17:

Goalie: Katie Burt.

Defense: Alyssa Gagliardi, Toni Ann Miano, Lauren Kelly, Lexi Bender, Kaleigh
Fratkin, Mallory Souliotis.

Forward: Emily Field, Dana Trivigno, Denisa Křížová, Haley Skarupa, Jillian
 Dempsey, McKenna Brand. 

The post Pride Sign 2017 11th Overall Selection McKenna Brand appeared first on
 The Hockey Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)