Latest news with #OttawaCharge
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coby Mayo's two-run double
Ottawa Charge Eye Key Addition with Fifth Overall Pick in 2025 PWHL Draft The Ottawa Charge head into the 2025 PWHL Draft with an opportunity to make a statement, both on the draft board and in front of their home crowd. With this year's draft taking place in Ottawa, the team will look to strengthen a roster which has seen some key departures following a run to the Finals. 1:21 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
CBC
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Meet the 6 new players for the Ottawa Charge
The Professional Women's Hockey League held its draft in Ottawa this week. Emma Weller breaks down the results for the Ottawa Charge.
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Charge expects second Russian player drafted in PWHL to be a 'superstar'
Article content Only one Russian ever had been chosen in the PWHL draft before the Ottawa Charge selected two on Tuesday night. Article content Naturally, Mike Hirshfeld expects much better luck with his picks — especially forward Anna Shokhina — than the Boston Fleet had with Ilona Markova last year. Article content 'We had her as probably the fourth-most talented player in this draft,' the Charge GM said of the team's second-round pick during a recap of the evening's events at Ottawa's new Hard Rock Casino & Resort as Tuesday night turned into Wednesday morning. 'That's how highly we thought of her, so to get her at 13 was really exciting for us. Article content Article content 'We think she's going to be a superstar in this league and we're excited to get here and have her show her skills.' Article content Article content Initially, Boston might have had similar aspirations for Markova, a skilled, then-22-year-old forward the team selected in the seventh round in 2024. But after attending training camp, she was released and returned to play in her homeland. Article content 'Sometimes you swing (and miss) and we swung a couple times last year,' Fleet GM Danielle Marmer said. 'I think of Markova, for example, as one of those.' Article content Largely because of the homework they've done on the 28-year-old, who had 30 goals and 73 points in 42 games with Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg 'A' last season. Article content Also, the recommendation of Mel Davidson — the former head coach and GM of Canada's national team — who gave a thumbs up to both Shokhina and her former Dynamo linemate Fanuza Kadirova, the Charge's sixth and last pick on Tuesday. Article content Article content 'We put a lot of work in on both of them,' Hirshfeld said. 'Over the last month, we have talked to both of the players themselves. We have scouted some film that we found of them. We've talked to coaches and people who played in that league. Article content Article content 'We hired Mel as a consultant and she started working with us early in the new year. Mel has actually coached them as part of the IIHF international growth program, so she knows both the players really well. Article content 'Fanuza is a very talented player, lots of skill, a goal scorer. We think she's going to have to deal with the physicality in this league and that's going to be a learning curve for her. But we think the upside, where we picked her in the sixth round, is incredibly high.' Article content Hirshfeld said the Charge's lawyers envision no problems obtaining work visas for the two Russians. Article content 'For us, it was definitely worth a shot bringing them both together,' he said. 'They're definitely not fluent, but they are learning English. But we're comfortable (with their overseas transition) because of the skill level and the talent level. Our organization has focused on international players for a long time, so we think they'll fit in really well in our culture.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
‘It felt awesome': Newest Ottawa Charge players describe being drafted into the PWHL in front of hometown fans
The Ottawa Charge select defender Rory Guilday, centre, during the first round of the PWHL draft in Ottawa, Tuesday June 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Two of the newest members of the Ottawa Charge say they are looking forward to playing in front of fans at the Arena at TD Place next season. The Ottawa Charge drafted defender Rory Guilday from Cornell University with their first round pick during the PWHL draft Tuesday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa. Sarah Wozniewicz of the University of Wisconsin was picked in the third round by the Charge. 'The fans, the city here and the support it has around it; it's going to be something pretty special to be a part of,' Guilday told CTV Morning Live Wednesday morning. Wozniewicz added, 'We all heard it last night. They were chanting both of our names after we got drafted and it felt awesome.' The fans attending the draft chanted Guilday and Wozniewicz's names after they were drafted Tuesday night. 'Pretty surreal moment. I don't think I was able to process it right away. Lots of emotions,' Guilday said. 'It's pretty cool. It was electric in that building and feeling that love was pretty cool.' The Charge made six picks during the PWHL draft. Anna Shokhina of Russia was selected in the second round, Peyton Hemp from the University of Minnesota was picked in the fourth round, Finland goaltender Sanni Ahola from St. Cloud State University was selected in the fifth round and Fanuza Kadirova of Russia was picked in the sixth round. Wozniewicz won the national championship at the University of Wisconsin this past season. 'That was awesome to experience that. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity in such a team event, it takes a lot of hard work and adversity to achieve that,' Wozniewicz said. Wozniewicz will be reunited with head coach Carla McLeod, who coached her in high school in Alberta. 'I'm super excited to play under her again; she's a great coach,' Wozniewicz said. 'It's a definitely a familiar face to see, it's very comforting. 'It's a whole circle moment. I never thought she would be coaching the PWHL when I was on her high school team.' Guilday admits she hasn't seen 'much of Ottawa,' but is looking forward to exploring the city more ahead of the new season.
CBC
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Ottawa Charge has big skates to fill as PWHL draft looms
Come Wednesday morning, the Ottawa Charge's roster will look vastly different following the PWHL draft. In the month since falling to the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL Championships, the Charge have lost nine players in the expansion draft and to free agency. Tuesday night's draft, which will be hosted at Ottawa's new Hard Rock Casino, will be the answer to filling some of those gaps. Each of the league's eight teams will add six new players to their roster Tuesday night. Altogether, 199 prospects are up for grabs and 48 will be selected. Who has Ottawa lost? At the end of the PWHL season, the league announced it's adding teams in Vancouver and Seattle for the 2025-2026 season. Those new teams now need to fill their rosters. Off the hop in early June, each of the six original teams lost four players to the expansion teams. But before the new teams could get their pick of the crop, the Charge protected Emily Clark, Gwyneth Philips, Ronja Savolainen and soon after, Gabbie Hughes. The Charge lost goalie Emerance Maschmeyer and defender Ashton Bell to Vancouver, and forward Danielle Serdachny and defender Aneta Tejralová to Seattle. Shortly after, when the free agency period opened up, these players also left the team: Tereza Vanišová, F: PWHL Vancouver. Shiann Darkangelo, F: Montréal Victoire. Zoe Boyd, D: Boston Fleet. Jincy Roese, D: New York Sirens. Natalie Snodgrass, F: PWHL Seattle. In total, the Charge have lost four defenders, four forwards and one goalie in the post-season — many of them key players. "There's a little bit of disappointment obviously when you lose players ... through expansion draft, particularly players that have been with us since Day 1. But also, [there's] a ton of excitement for the growth of women's hockey in this league," said Mike Hirshfeld, general manager of the Ottawa Charge. Hirshfeld said he "made very compelling offers to some of the players that left," but noted that some decided to move on based on their personal and family situations. What talent is Ottawa looking for? The Charge will get the fifth overall pick Tuesday night. "We're looking at all options, to be honest. We have a lot of spots still to fill, just because expansion really thinned us out," Hirshfeld said. Forwards and strong defenders are on their radar, but the team is not looking for a goalie, he said. "Size and physicality is important to us, but at the same time we need to improve our power play next year, and so puck-moving offensive defenders are also of interest," Hirshfeld noted. The Ottawa Charge have recently re-signed forwards Taylor House and Rebecca Leslie. Other recent additions include forward Élizabeth Giguère and defender Brooke Hobson from the New York Sirens, who have each signed for one year. The Charge have also signed defender Emma Bergesen for one year — the first player from Norway to sign with the league. Even after Tuesday's draft, Hirshfeld said the team "is talking to, and there's some trade discussions going on" with some free agents.
