Connect with us

NWHL

Whale sign forward Meghan Huertas; Players eligible for attendance bonuses

Whale captain Molly Engstrom left the team and the NWHL in December to join a team in Sweden.

After losing two players who left the league in December, the Connecticut Whale have signed forward Meghan Huertas for the remainder of the season.

Defender and team captain Molly Engstrom, 33, left the team after Connecticut’s final game in December. A two-time U.S. Olympic player, Engstrom will be joining a team in Sweden that tried to sign her earlier this year. Rookie defender Ivana Bilic left the Whale earlier in December.

In mid-November, the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) informed the players that they would be reducing their salaries to keep the league up and running. Players were making between $10,000 to $26,000 per year. The league hasn’t announced the amount of the reduction but various writers have reported that the reductions range from 50 percent to 65 percent depending on the player’s individual salary.

Engstrom wasn’t pleased about the salary cuts. She told the Ice Garden.com, “I’m not going to Sweden because of my Swedish descent. I’m going to Sweden because of the way things were handled in the NWHL.”

Huertas, who played four years of college hockey at Vermont (2011-13) and Minnesota-Duluth (2013-15), began practicing with the Whale this week. Connecticut (4-5) resumes the season on Saturday night when they host Buffalo (3-5) at 7 p.m. at the Northfield Ice Pavilion in the Northford section of North Branford.

Huertas had 11 goals and eight assists in her season season at Minnesota-Duluth.

The Whale, which began the season with a six-game road trip, have four consecutive home games this month beginning with Saturday night’s game with Buffalo. Connecticut hosts Boston on Sunday, Jan. 15 and Friday, Jan. 27 and hosts New York on Sunday, Jan 29.

A good crowd was in North Branford for the Whale’s home opener in December.

Players eligible for attendance bonuses
Just before Christmas, the NWHL announced a bonus payment plan for players based on attendance. For each game, players will receive 100 percent of ticket revenue after 500 tickets are sold. There will be a 50/50 split between the two teams. The plan went into effect on Dec. 1.

“The decision to have the players benefit from strong attendance came out of recent discussions about how we can grow our league and business together,” said NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan. “The players make our league, and they deserve this. Our fans should know that when they come out to see NWHL games and fill the stands, they are supporting our amazing players in a big way.”

The attendance-related payout is a bonus beyond each player’s salary. NWHL players also receive 15 percent from sales of their respective jerseys.

The NWHL and the player representatives from the league’s four franchises in Boston, Buffalo, Connecticut and New York created the attendance initiative together.

“I am excited that the league is taking strides forward to remain faithful to the players,” said Connecticut’s Anya Battaglino, a defender and player representative with the Whale. “This is truly rewarding the product on the ice, and it is so important that the league honors that. To all of our fans near and far, if you want to support the league, buy a ticket, come to a game, and fall in love with our dreams.”

Four players selected for All-Star Game
Boston’s Gigi Marvin, Buffalo’s Harrison Browne, and New York’s Madison Packer and Rebecca Russo have been selected by the fans to participate in the NWHL’s 2017 All-Star Weekend in Pittsburgh on Feb. 11-12.

More than 20,000 votes were placed by fans during the two-week balloting process. Connecticut’s Kelly Babstock and Haley Skarupa were contenders from the Whale.

The selection process continues this week with a pair of selections by NWHL reporters. After the media picks are in, All-Star captains Amanda Kessel and Kelley Steadman will meet next week to select eight players each and begin to build their team rosters via a draft. The final four All-Star choices will be made by the league’s four head coaches. Complete rosters will be announced during the week of Jan. 9. Each team will have two goaltenders, four defenders and eight forwards.

The 2017 NWHL Skills Showdown will take place on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m., and the NWHL All-Star Game will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. Both events will be at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, the practice facility of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in NWHL