Women’s college hockey is experiencing a dose of global warming. The in-coming crop of players to the Beanpot schools, for instance, not only features players from the U.S. and Canada but the Euro crowd is getting in on the act.
Alina Muller of Switzerland and Chloe Aurard of France head a starry freshmen cast at Northeastern. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Muller scored the game-winning goal for the Swiss in the bronze medal-winning victory over Sweden. Muller, at 15, was the youngest women’s hockey player to win an Olympic medal. In 2018, Muller registered four goals in a win over the United Korean team as the Swiss ultimately finished fifth in the tournament.
Aurard played on the French National Team, which gained promotion to the top division for next year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship.
These are not NU’s first European players. Two of Muller’s 2014 Olympic teammates, Florence Schelling and Julia Marty, are ex-Huskies. Lucie Povova joined the Czech Republic National team in 2011, and recent grad Denisa Krizova has joined her on the club.
In addition to Muller and Aurard, NU’s incoming class features forwards Miceala Sindoris of Charlestown, Mia Brown, Sydney Herrington, Emma Jurusik, and defensemen Gillian Foote and Brooke Tucker.
While the men’s game can entice foreign players to come to North America, play junior hockey and get bigger,stronger, and faster, women’s recruiting is just beginning to go global on a wide scope.
“No question about it,’’ said Boston University coach Brian Durocher. “In North America, there’s so many more solid players out there that you have to get out and evaluate them early because of the sheer number. When it comes to international players, particuarly the European kids, there didn’t exist the same support opportunities early on in some countries like Switzerland, Finland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, but slowly it’s starting to happen. There’s diamonds in the rough in some of the smaller countries. So, definitely it’s opening up different avenues in recruiting,’’
BU’s Durocher is set to welcome forwards Courtney Correia and Mackenna Parker, both from Canada’s Under-18 squad, Kaleigh Donnelly of Wellesley, and its first-ever Alaskan recruit, Emma Wuthrich. Also, defenseman Alax Allan, goaltender Katie Stuart and Niccole McGuigan.
Harvard coach Katey Stone, the winningest coach in women’s college hockey history, has the welcome mat out for forwards Anne Bloomer, Kristin Della Rovere, Dominique Petrie, Katie Tresca of Newton and Noble & Greenough; defensemen Maryna Macdonald and Kyra Willoughby, and goalie Lindsay Reed. Former star Sydney Daniels comes aboard as an assistant coach.
Heading to powerhouse Boston College are forwards Kelly Browne of Burlington, Olivia Finocchiaro of Saugus, and Savannah Norcross of Lynn, defenseman Jillian Fey of Nantucket, and goalies Maddy McArthur and Kelly Pickreign.
On the men’s side, Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist greets the first recruiting class that will play all four years in the new on-campus DeFelice Rink at Bentley Arena. They include forwards Will Garin, Jakov Novak, Dylan Pitera, Will Schlagenhauf, and Brendan Walkom; defensemen Luke Orysiuk and Ethan Roswell; and goaltender Fraser Kirk. In addition, the Falcons have added transfers: Vermont’s Drew Best, and St. Lawrence’s Sam Kauppila. … Ex-Merrimack skaters Ludvig Larsson and Evan Bell are headed to Penn State. Larsson has a grad season while Bell has 21⁄2 seasons of eligibility.
Harvard is bringing in forwards Wyllum Deveaux, RJ Murphy of Needham, Baker Shore, and Jack Drury; defensemen Marshall Rifai, Jack Rathbone of West Roxbury; and goaltender Derek Schaedig. Drury is the son of two-time US Olympian and ex-Harvard captain Ted Drury. Shore’s brother, Nick, skates for Calgary (NHL) and Rathbone’s dad, Jason, played at BC.
NU has drawn forwards Tyler Madden, Matt Thomson of Reading; defensemen Jordan Harris of Haverhill, Julian Kislin, and AJ Villella. Madden’s dad, John, is a former three-time Selke Award winner and won three Stanley Cups during his career. Also, former UMass forward Austin Plevy graduated in three years and transferred to NU for his final season of eligibility.