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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Dream come true': Casey O'Brien back in New York to start PWHL career with hometown Sirens
NEW YORK — Looking out over the Manhattan skyline Thursday afternoon, Casey O'Brien saw both her past and future. The 23-year-old was literally at the Top of the Rock in midtown for a photo shoot two days after the New York Sirens made a bold move to trade up and select O'Brien with the third overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft. Advertisement For O'Brien, the chance to play in The Big Apple is personal. The highly-skilled center grew up in New York until she was 10-years-old, and skated at Chelsea Piers overlooking the Hudson River as a young girl. That she could see Chelsea Piers from her perch atop Rockefeller Center was not lost on O'Brien. 'Chelsea Piers is my home,' O'Brien told reporters at her introductory press conference. 'It's the rink I learned to skate on. That's really the rink that built me, so to be able to come back and reconnect with this community and be a part of New York is just a dream of true.' O'Brien is at the center — literally and figuratively — of a fairly major retooling of the Sirens roster this offseason. Veteran forwards Alex Carpenter and Abby Roque, the first players New York signed ahead of the PWHL's inaugural season in 2024, are among those not returning. And neither is star goalie Corinne Schroeder, who signed with expansion Seattle. Advertisement Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust then charted a new course for the franchise at the draft Tuesday. With the first overall pick, the Sirens selected Czech phenom forward Kristyna Kaltounkov, and that wasn't even their biggest move of the night. Just moments after picking Kaltounkov, the Sirens traded star defenseman Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres in a deal that landed them two draft picks, including No. 3 overall. With that newly acquired selection, the Sirens drafted O'Brien. 'Obviously, I didn't know that they would make the trade… I think I blacked out,' O'Brien said. 'I was trying to stay calm, not be too nervous. And then the trade happens and I was like 'oh my god, am I going to New York?' Obviously, I didn't know that my name was going to be called next, but I knew there was a possibility of it, so it was just a lot of shock and a lot of excitement.' Advertisement It was a bold move by Daoust to trade Shelton, who finished fourth among all PWHL defenseman with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) last season and scored the first goal in League history on Jan. 1, 2024. But the chance to select O'Brien, widely-regarded as the best prospect in the 2025 draft class, trumped that. Daoust doubled down on the Sirens youth movement and came away with two of the top three selections in the draft. Related: Final 2025 NHL Mock Draft: Who follows after Islanders select Matthew Schaefer with No. 1 pick 'That's the dream': Casey O'Brien excited to join Sarah Fillier with hometown Sirens Credit: Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Playing for the Wisconsin Badgers, O'Brien led the NCAA in scoring with 88 points in 41 games, and won the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award, presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. She was also named WCHA Player and Forward of the Year. Advertisement More importantly, O'Brien helped lead Wisconsin to the National Championship. 'Every year at Wisconsin was unique,' said O'Brien. 'It depends on the team, and there are different formulas for success, but I think I can take everything that I learned, especially as a leader there, and bring it to New York.' O'Brien helped Wisconsin win the NCAA title three times in her five seasons (one extra season per the COVID-19 exemption). She is Wisconsin's all-time leader in points (274) and assists (177). Her career points total is eighth-most in NCAA history. Her resume speaks for itself. And now the Sirens bring in a talent of her magnitude to add to a young core that is continuing to look more and more dynamic. Advertisement In each of the past two seasons, the Sirens finished last in the PWHL standings. But Daoust has a vision of building a youthful group that could be explosive down the road. O'Brien seems to be fully bought into this vision. 'I think people have to be talking about what Pascal just did in the draft,' O'Brien said. 'He kept his D-core intact for the most part and completely transformed the forwards. 'I think this team is going to be something special. I think if I was looking at each roster now after the draft, and what players they have, I would want to be on New York 100 percent.' It was just about one year ago when the Sirens drafted forward Sarah Fillier with the first overall pick. Advertisement Fillier tied Hilary Knight for the PWHL scoring lead with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) this past season, and won the League's rookie of the year award. However, Fillier's individual success did not translate to team success, and the Sirens tied for the fewest goals scored (71) in the League over its 30-game season. Now, Fillier gets some much-needed scoring help with the addition of O'Brien and Kaltounkov. O'Brien is excited to not only play on the same team as Fillier, but maybe even be paired on a line with the emerging superstar. 'That's the dream,' O'Brien said about playing with Fillier. 'I mean growing up, even when I was little, I was hearing her name. I was watching her play youth hockey and then into Princeton and Team Canada, wherever it may be. I'm a really big fan of her game. She can score, she can pass, she can set people up, she can kind of do it all. I'm really excited for the opportunity to play with her, and I hope we can be linemates at some point.' Advertisement O'Brien is really living out the dream. She has the opportunity to play with some of the most talented women hockey players in the world and gets to do it where her hockey journey all began in New York. She's already accomplished so much throughout her hockey career thus far, yet now the real work truly begins. 'It's been an absolute whirlwind,' O'Brien remarked. 'I didn't pack for this, I wasn't expecting this, so to hear my name called by the city that I grew up in, and then to be here in person a few days later, it's surreal. It's amazing.' Related Headlines
Yahoo
14 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
17 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
An Olympic year and a contract for Fillier: 4 PWHL storylines to watch this summer
When the Minnesota Frost lifted the Walter Cup just one month ago, players across the league knew things were about to change. With the dust now settled from the PWHL's expansion draft, free-agent signing window and entry draft, it's clear that there's been a massive, league-wide roster reset. Seattle and Vancouver accumulated a wealth of talent through the expansion draft, and GMs of the existing six teams have been working to fill the gaps. With further expansion on the horizon, and lots of big contracts across the league expiring after next season, it feels like teams have to prioritize the immediate future. Long-term planning is next to impossible. "I think if you ask most of the general managers in this league, this league has transitioned a little bit now," Ottawa Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld, who prioritized draft-eligible players with previous pro experience, said on draft night. "It's really focused on winning now and players who can step in right away." All of that led to an action-packed draft day in Ottawa, where three blockbuster trades were announced. WATCH | Biggest takeaways from the PWHL Draft on Hockey North: Biggest takeaways from the PWHL Draft 2 hours ago Duration 14:28 Defender Ella Shelton is a massive addition to Toronto's defensive core, and gives the Sceptres two of the best defenders in the world. Abby Roque, meanwhile, will make Montreal harder to play against, as the Victoire look to translate regular-season success to a Walter Cup. The PWHL's signing window is now closed until July 8 at 9 a.m. With the off-season in full swing, here are four storylines to watch as we look ahead to the PWHL's third season next fall. Talent on paper There's no question that Seattle and Vancouver look like two of the strongest teams in the league. Both stockpiled young talent. Vancouver has the deepest blue line in the league, and two reliable goaltenders. Seattle, meanwhile, has a top six with skill and size in spades. But how will that translate on the ice? It's a problem Seattle GM Meghan Turner knows well, having been the assistant GM in Boston before heading west. "You can look at something on paper and then as soon as you put it on the ice, you're like, oh, we kind of need to change something," Turner said. "A lot of what I take away from my time in Boston is not everything goes as planned all the time. Injuries happen, things go differently in the season than how you might have planned." In the first season of the PWHL, it took every team time to adjust to a brand new league with a physical playing style. There are plenty of veterans on Seattle and Vancouver, but it could still take some time for everything to gel. How will Ottawa fill out its team? Ottawa lost a lot of talent in free agency and the expansion draft. Tereza Vanišová and Shiann Darkangelo, in particular, were important adds by Hirshfeld at the 2024 trade deadline, and helped the team clinch its first playoff berth. But despite the Charge's run to the PWHL Finals, both left. Vanišová signed with Vancouver and Darkangelo picked Montreal. Hirshfeld said the Charge made "compelling" offers to both players. Ultimately Vanišová wanted a new opportunity in Vancouver and Darkangelo was attracted to the idea of getting to play and compete each day with Marie-Philip Poulin in Montreal. "People want to play in Ottawa," Hirshfeld said. "People believe in this city. They love the fans in this marketplace. Again, it just came down to personal situations and personal decisions. Again, unfortunately for us, we were second a couple different times in free agency." Asked if that could be contagious, that players pick other markets over Ottawa, Hirshfeld admitted it's prompted "a lot of looking in the mirror" about what team could have done differently. "We've talked to agents," he said. "We've talked to other players around the league. We've talked to players on our team. There's some tweaks we're going to make internally to help us enhance our reputation among players around the league." Ottawa has only 12 of 23 players signed heading into the off-season break, and how he fills out the rest of the roster will be something to watch heading into next season. Hirshfeld also drafted two players out of Russia, which hasn't competed on the international stage since 2022 due to the invasion of Ukraine. Nonetheless, Anna Shokhina and Fanuza Kadirova came highly recommended by women's hockey legend Mel Davidson, who recently joined the Charge as a consultant. Will Sarah Fillier sign long term in New York? The New York Sirens look dramatically different from the team that 2024 first-overall pick, Sarah Fillier, signed a one-year contract with last year. The Sirens lost top-six forwards Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge to expansion, as well as starting goaltender, Corinne Schroeder. Then, Daoust flipped Shelton to Toronto on draft night. This team is clearly built around Fillier now. But as of this writing, she doesn't have a contract for next season. Teams hold draft picks' rights for two seasons, which means Fillier can't sign with another team unless New York trades her rights. Given all the moves during the last month, there should be plenty of cap space to make a big offer to Fillier. Daoust also did a good job of rebuilding his forward group at the draft. Thanks to the Shelton trade, he was able to draft the top two forwards available: sharp-shooting Kristýna Kaltounková and Casey O'Brien, who had one of the best offensive seasons of all time at Wisconsin. WATCH | Sirens select Kaltounková with 1st pick in the 2025 Draft: New York Sirens select Kristýna Kaltounková as 1st overall pick in PHWL draft 3 days ago Duration 1:56 "Definitely when you get these players joining Sarah Fillier, we feel that we're going to have some great players on the power play, but also to create more at five-on-five," Daoust said. Whether it will be enough to convince Fillier to stay in New York long term remains to be seen. Just as GMs are thinking short term, players are doing the same. A lot of big contracts around the league are set to expire after next season, and more expansion could be on the horizon. Several players who signed with Seattle and Vancouver opted for shorter contracts, just not knowing what the future holds. An Olympic year For the first time, the PWHL will have to navigate an Olympic break in the middle of the season. The best players in the world will head to Italy to compete for Olympic gold, and it's going to be unlike no other Olympic tournament for women's hockey. For one, Team Canada hopefuls won't be moving to Calgary for months for centralization, the grueling process of trying out for and training for the Olympic team. Instead, Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan will be relying more on PWHL performance as they select the team looking to defend Canada's gold medal from 2022. With many likely returnees from 2022, that may not affect team chemistry as much this time around. But it could be a game changer in the future. Another factor: So many big-name players switched teams this off-season. How will that impact their ability to make an Olympic team? Will some players get more opportunity to shine? Could others get left behind? Already, you can see how an Olympic break, combined with the additional travel that comes with having teams on the west coast, is affecting roster decisions. Several teams are leaning toward having a goaltending tandem instead of relying on one goaltender to play big minutes during a busy year. Vancouver, where Team Canada goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer is the starter, is one example. The team acquired Kristen Campbell from Toronto in a trade on draft night. "We know that [Maschmeyer] would love a good partner that can take some minutes, especially during an Olympic year," Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey said. "It's a long season, so we want someone that's tested and ready, and Kristen Campbell is certainly that goalie." The thinking was similar in Seattle, where the team drafted goaltender Hannah Murphy in the second round to team up with Schroeder. "Having two really solid goaltenders is very important in this league," Turner said. "I think we've seen it throughout the last two years that it's important to have goalies that can really step in and jump into the game."
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
‘Dream come true': PWHL drafts local hockey player
A hockey player from Spirit River is going pro after being selected in the PWHL draft this week. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny reports. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual 'Think of me as a little girl who has had everything she ever wanted.' Dayle Ross answered the interviewer on Tuesday night in Ottawa with tears in her eyes, elated from being drafted 25th overall to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The 22-year-old defender from Spirit River in northeast Alberta was drafted first pick in the fourth round by the New York Sirens. 'To play with these players now is going to be amazing,' she told media later, once the news had sunk in. 'They're going to make me that much better.' Ross thanked her supporters back in her hometown who she said watched the draft on a big projector screen. She came to the draft with her parents, her boyfriend and some friends. Dayle Ross drafted to the PWHL (Source: TSN) Dayle Ross was drafted 25th overall to the PWHL by the New York Sirens on June 25, 2025. (Source: TSN) This past season she played for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, U. S.. She was named co-captain in her final National Collegiate Athletic Association season. Her stats on screen at the draft announcement read 40 points and 269 blocks in 142 games with St. Cloud State. 'I'm not very flashy or score lots (of) goals, but I do one job really well and defend,' she described about her game-style. 'I think shutting down some of those players and trying to defend well and blocking shots are my specialty,' she added. 'You might be seeing me block a couple shots in the (penalty kill).' National Tournament in 2019 (Supplied) Dayle Ross in team photo at the National Tournament in 2019. (Supplied) Ross finished playing in the minor hockey league closer to home in St. Albert. Her coach at the time, Dan Auchenberg, was not surprised she is moving to the professional league. 'She's a great team player and she'll do whatever it takes to win,' he said, remembering her determination during a semifinals game against the Saskatoon Stars where she 'busted down the wing' and shot from the corner to score a tying 1-1 goal. 'She actually caused that one break by just her assertiveness and determination and put the puck to the net,' he recalled. The team would go on to win 2-1 in overtime. And it was that winning spirit and drive that moved Auchenberg as a coach. '(She) was committed to getting better and very excited to get to the next year and the following year … and growing,' he said. 'She just inspired you to coach.' That strength was also highlighted this past year where she played through the whole season with a torn ACL injury. She opted to wait until the post-season to get surgery and spend the summer recovering - but not staying idle. 'It's all about getting that strength back. I'm doing a lot of skill work, so stickhandling (and) anything I can that's within my control I can do,' Ross said. Dayle Ross drafted to the PWHL (Source: TSN) Dayle Ross speaks to a reporter after being drafted to the PWHL on June 25, 2025. (Source: TSN) She was one of 17 Canadians and two Albertans drafted to the PWHL on Tuesday. 'I just want to thank the PWHL for everything,' Ross said after the draft, still emotional from the news. 'It's a dream come true.' Her former coach says Ross is proof that hard work can pay off in the sport. 'It doesn't matter where you are, you can play the game,' Auchenberg said, hoping other players will be inspired by Ross. 'You can get there somehow.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenney
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Casey O'Brien had homecoming dream fulfilled as Sirens' draft pick
Sitting with her family at Tuesday's PWHL Draft in Ottawa, Ontario, Casey O'Brien was talking through her most likely landing spots — Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa — when she learned the Sirens had traded up for the third pick. 'Oh, my god,' she thought to herself. 'Wait, am I going to New York?' O'Brien knew there was a good chance. And when the Sirens confirmed her suspicions by picking her a few moments later, she felt a mix of 'shock and excitement.' Advertisement Casey O'Brien was drafted by the Sirens. NCAA Photos via Getty Images 'I think I blacked out,' O'Brien told reporters Wednesday, overlooking the city from the observation deck atop Rockefeller Center. 'We were kind of just sitting there, trying to stay calm, not be too nervous, and then the trade happens.' Moments after selecting Czech forward Kristyna Kaltounkova first overall, the Sirens traded forward Ella Shelton to Toronto for the Nos. 3 and 27 picks, setting the stage for O'Brien's selection. The 5-foot-4 forward out of Wisconsin said she had 'great conversations' with Sirens management ahead of the draft, but she had no idea New York would trade up for her. Advertisement It was the result she secretly had hoped for all along, because she grew up in SoHo and learned to play hockey at the Chelsea Piers sports complex, which she called 'the rink that built me.' O'Brien would take constant trips to Chelsea Piers, even before she learned to skate, because her older brothers, Jack and Max, played hockey there, and her dad, James, coached the house league team. 'I always wanted to do what they were doing, so they let me hop on the ice with them, and I immediately fell in love with the game,' she said. Advertisement She eventually shipped off to Minnesota prep powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary's in 2017, where she posted 211 points in 122 games over a three-season stretch. Casey O'Brien played collegiately at Wisconsin. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images She continued to excel with Wisconsin, winning three national titles in five seasons and earning the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best collegiate player after a terrific senior season. Now, after eight years of starring on winning teams, she'll look to help the Sirens develop a winning culture after two seasons at the bottom of the standings. Advertisement 'We're not looking at the past at all. None of the players are. I don't think the management is either,' O'Brien said. 'We're coming in with a blank slate, and we're ready to get going together.' The 23-year-old will get to do so with several teammates she knows, including Sarah Fillier, Anne Cherkowski and Makenna Webster, a longtime teammate O'Brien described as her 'best friend in the world.' 'I think most of these players I've at least shared the ice with at one point or another, and we're all familiar with each other,' O'Brien said. 'And so I think we're going to all have chemistry right away.'
