PWHL
Less than two weeks after the PWHL Boston season resulted in the Walter Cup final, Boston strengthened its roster within the 2024 PWHL Draft – led by a speedy forward chosen fourth overall.
With their first-round selection, PWHL Boston chosen former Boston College forward Hannah Bilka. The 23-year-old figure skater is anticipated to bring much-needed speed and power to a team that has been vulnerable to long periods of listless offense through the 2023-24 season.
“Hannah is a dynamic forward who drives the game and has an incredible hockey IQ,” said Danielle Marmer, general manager of PWHL Boston, in a team statement. “She is our favorite forward in this draft.”
Bilka played 4 seasons at Boston College before transferring to Ohio State – where the Coppell, Texas native helped the Buckeyes win the national championship earlier this yr.
After scoring 127 points in her 4 years at Chestnut Hill, Bilka led the Buckeyes with 48 points (22 goals, 26 assists) in 39 games. Outside of the school game, Bilka won a gold medal (2023) and two silver medals (2022, '24) on the Women's World Championships.
Here are the opposite five players besides Bilka that PWHL Boston chosen within the 2024 PWHL Draft:
Daniela Pejšová, D (Second round, No. 7 overall)
PWHL Boston traded three spots in its draft order to bolster its defense with Pejšová – and gave picks No. 10, 16 and 28 to PWHL New York in exchange for the seventh overall selection and pick No. 37.
Pejšová is a Czech defender who has played the past six seasons in Sweden. She was named the fourth-place Czech team's best defender on the 2022 World Championship and is anticipated to get loads of playing time in Boston.
Sydney Bard, D (Fourth round, No. 22 overall)
Marmer and PWHL Boston further bolstered their defense with the fourth-round draft pick of Bard. In her five seasons with Colgate, Bard scored 13 goals and 99 assists in 180 games.
Shay Maloney, F (Sixth round, No. 34 overall)
She played within the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) last season, but Maloney spent her entire college profession in New England. Maloney played 4 seasons at Brown before ending her college years at Quinnipiac, where she scored 15 goals and recorded 16 assists for 31 points through the 2022-23 season.
Ilona Markova, F (Seventh round, No. 37 overall)
Markova was the primary Russian woman drafted by a PWHL team when Boston took her within the seventh round. Markova, 22, captained the Russian U18 team and spent the past six seasons with Agidel Ufa of the Zhenskaya Hockey League – last season she scored 14 goals and 40 points in 42 games.
Hadley Hartmetz, D (Seventh round, No. 40 overall)
PWHL Boston concluded its final draft class by signing Hartmetz, who played two seasons at BC before ending her college years with three years at Ohio State. She scored nine goals and 33 points in 39 games on defense for the Buckeyes within the 2023-24 season.
image credit : www.boston.com