TORONTO, ON (September 7, 2023) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced the first three players to sign free agent contracts with the league’s Boston franchise are goaltender Aerin Frankel, defender Megan Keller, and forward Hilary Knight. The trio of 2023 IIHF World Women’s Championship gold medalists from the U.S. National Women’s Team have all agreed to terms on three-year deals for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 PWHL seasons. Salary terms will not be disclosed, as per the PWHL Players’ Association.
“As a lifelong fan of Boston sports teams, I recognize the immense responsibility of building a team in this city given the high expectations of our fans, who are arguably the most passionate in all of sports,” said Danielle Marmer, General Manager of PWHL Boston.
“I’m thrilled to inform my fellow Boston fans that we have begun the process of building this team in a way that meets our city’s standards.
It’s both an honor and a privilege to announce that PWHL Boston has successfully signed three of the best women’s hockey players in the world.
“These remarkable individuals were the standout players in their respective positions on this year’s gold medal-winning IIHF championship team,” added Marmer.
“Beyond their exceptional skills, they exemplify team-first values and are outstanding individuals who I know will contribute positively to our city and will surely make all of us proud. Boston, you’ve always demanded excellence, and we are starting this the right way. I extend my congratulations to both the city and these incredible women. I eagerly anticipate our fans giving them a warm Boston welcome and witnessing the passionate support we are known for providing.”
Danielle Marmer GM of PWHL Boston
Aerin Frankel
Signs in familiar territory following a standout collegiate career at Northeastern University where she earned the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award for the 2020-21 season. Her recognition as a senior came in between two top-10 finishes for the national honor, leading her NCAA Division I competitors in goals-against-average, save percentage, winning percentage, and shutouts.
Following her graduate year with the Huskies, Frankel joined the PWHPA for the 2022-23 season, posting a stellar .937 save percentage in her first professional campaign.
The 24-year-old from Chappaqua, NY is fresh off her first World Championship title where she backstopped Team USA to victory over their Canadian rivals. The gold medal adds to her collection of two World Championship silvers from the 2021 and 2022 events.
“Boston is my home and the city that I love,” said Frankel.
“Having the opportunity to play here professionally in front of the greatest sports fans is a dream come true. I am honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent Boston in the PWHL.”
Aerin Frankel
“Great teams have great goaltending, and I am beyond thrilled to announce the signing of Aerin Frankel to PWHL Boston,” said Marmer.
“Aerin is an elite goalie who has proven her ability to win at every level. Not only is she the ultimate competitor on the ice, but she’s the ultimate teammate off of it, and I couldn’t be more excited to have her join our group as one of our first three signings in PWHL Boston history.”
Megan Keller
Has been a prolific presence on the blue line everywhere she’s played, from Team USA, Boston College, and the PWHPA. She debuted with a silver medal for the U18 National Team in 2014 and has since added two Olympic medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver) and seven World Championship medals (5 Gold, 2 Silver) to her collection.
Keller attended Boston College from 2014-17, then returned after the 2018 Olympics to captain the Eagles as a senior, leading all NCAA defenders in all offensive categories and named a top-10 finalist for the 2018-19 Patty Kazmaier Award.
The 27-year-old from Farmington Hills, MI, turned pro with the PWHPA upon graduation and played three total seasons, most recently finishing among the top-3 defenders in scoring during 2022-23 competition.
“It’s truly an honor to be one of the first of many amazing players to sign a professional contract with the PWHL,” said Keller.
“While it’s only just the beginning for the PWHL, this historic moment would not have been possible without the sacrifices and commitment of the women who paved the way before us.
Thank you to the tireless efforts of many to help make this dream a reality for generations of hockey players to come. I’d especially like to thank Mark and Kimbra Walter along with Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss for their leadership, vision, and generosity, helping to build a league alongside the voice of the players.
Lastly, thank you to Danielle Marmer and the entire Boston franchise for giving me the opportunity to play professional hockey for the greatest sports town in the World!”
Megan Keller
“Defense wins championships, and I’m proud to announce that our first signing of a defenseman is one of the best in the world in Megan Keller,” said Marmer.
“Not only is she a dominant defender, but she is also a major contributor on offense and an experienced leader on the ice and in the locker room. This is a great day for Boston!”
Hilary Knight
Is one of the game’s most recognizable names, serving more than 15 years as an integral member of Team USA.
The 34-year-old has notably represented her country at four Olympics (1 Gold, 3 Silver) and thirteen World Championships (9 Gold, 4 Silver) since 2007. Her nine World Championship golds and 13 overall medals are tied for the most all-time, while her hat-trick in April’s gold medal game extended her record point total to 101 in the IIHF’s top tournament.
The Sun Valley, ID native spent her NCAA tenure at the University of Wisconsin, where she was a three-time top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award and helped the Badgers win two National Championships.
As a pro, Knight debuted with the CWHL’s Boston Blades in 2012 and won two Clarkson Cups in three years.
She also played two PHF seasons as captain of the Boston Pride and led the inaugural season in scoring and captured the first Isobel Cup presented in 2016.
Knight returned to the CWHL for parts of two seasons with Les Canadiennes, and in 2019 became a founding member of the PWHPA where she has competed and served on the Board.
“The City of Boston and its fans have always held a special place in my heart,” said Knight.
“I am excited to return to Boston and honored by the opportunity to be a part of the original build of a successful franchise. This year will be historic in so many ways, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Hilary Knight
“We’re creating a formidable offense in Boston beginning with the best building block a team could ever ask for in Hilary Knight,” said Marmer.
“I’m ecstatic that our fans will get to cheer on a legend of women’s hockey, and I’m looking forward to the experience and leadership qualities she will bring to our team!”
The PWHL player selection process officially opened on September 1 with an initial free agency period that continues through Sept. 10. Teams are permitted to sign three players to Standard Player Agreements during this time. The 2023 PWHL Draft is scheduled for Sept. 18 where Boston holds the third overall pick.
BEIJING (AP) — Speaking less than 24 hours apart over the final two days of the women’s Olympic hockey tournament, the two captains’ messages were emphatic, emotional and similar in their desire to grow the sport.
Kendall Coyne Schofield choked back tears following the United States’ gold-medal loss to Canada at the Beijing Games by saying: “We need to continue to push for visibility. We need to continue to fight for women’s hockey because (the status quo) is not good enough. It can’t end after the Olympic Games.”
Switzerland’s Lara Stalder voiced a similar theme directed at her nation’s hockey federation after losing the bronze-medal game to Finland.
“My message is to build a league in Switzerland. Make the best league in Europe,” Stalder said, noting she and 13 of her teammates play professionally in other countries.
“Obviously, there should be one league, like the NHL, for all of us to compete against the best players,” she added, suggesting Swiss league men’s teams should consider sponsoring women’s teams. “But I think we’re far away from that in Switzerland, and that needs to change.”
Another Olympic tournament is over, and little appears to have changed. Canada and the United States met in the final for the sixth time in seven Winter Games, and the issue of how to improve the sport globally remains.
At a time when everyone agrees changes are required, there’s little concrete consensus on what needs to be done other than private or public entities making larger investments.
Such is the case in North America, where there are few signs of a thaw between the continent’s only pro women’s hockey league, the recently renamed Premier Hockey Federation, and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association, whose membership is largely made up of U.S. and Canadian national team players.
Based on player responses, the PHF remains mostly off their radar despite the league announcing last month it is expanding from six to eight teams and more than doubling the salary cap for each team from $300,000 this year to $750,000 for next season.
In one breath, Canada forward Brianne Jenner said: “That’s a really exciting thing, and I think we want to see the success of that league.”
In the next breath, however, she added: “But we also want to see something that is going to stand the test of time.”
”We have to make women’s hockey a priority.”
Asked who needs to come to the table if it’s not the PHF, Jenner said: “That’s a good question.”
The NHL was supposed to be that entity, before it backed off after the coronavirus pandemic blew a major hole in its budget.
American star Hilary Knight essentially shut the door on the PHF by reiterating the PWHPA’s mission statement to establish a player-driven league with a sustainable economic model.
The responses are a setback for the PHF, which has spent the past two years restructuring its governing model by bringing in private ownership groups. The league hoped its decision to invest $25 million over the next three years to increase salaries, provide health care and improve facilities would help lure the PWHPA members into joining.
If there was a bright side in Beijing, criticism that the world was falling behind the U.S. and Canada after several lopsided wins seemed premature.
The Americans briefly trailed the Czech Republic before pulling out a 4-1 win in the quarterfinals. Canada, meantime, was on its heels in allowing the Swiss to cut their lead to 5-2 before rallying to an eventual 10-3 win in the semifinals.
What became evident was the U.S. and Canada benefitting in the early stages after spending the previous four months playing and practicing together. Most of the other nations didn’t have that advantage. Their players didn’t have much time to be together because they have professional commitments and had to deal with COVID-19 travel restrictions. They used the preliminary round games to find their chemistry.
The Beijing Games were the first of seven Olympic women’s hockey tournaments in which every team registered a win, and with the field expanded from eight to 10 teams.
At the International Ice Hockey Federation level, newly elected president Luc Tardif attempted to fix a credibility gap, with the governing body criticized for favoring the men’s game over women. The latest example came a few months ago, when the IIHF canceled the Under-18 women’s tournament for COVID-19 reasons while pressing ahead with its men’s world junior championship.
The world juniors were eventually stopped a few days into the tournament because of COVID-19, and have been rescheduled for August. The Under-18 women’s tournament will also be rescheduled this year.
Tardif noted the IIHF added $5.4 million to its women’s hockey budget to increase its prize purse for players in both the qualifying tournaments and Olympics.
“I’m not the guy who doesn’t believe in women’s hockey. I think Zsuzsanna by my side, she’s always there to remind me, but she doesn’t have to push me a lot,” Tardif said, referring to women’s tournament organizer Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer. “I’m convinced, and I believe in women’s hockey.”
Tardif spoke at a news conference originally scheduled to start at 10 a.m., two hours before the women’s gold-medal final. The news conference was moved to 9 a.m. after the IIHF realized it could conflict with the game.
Stalder shook her head in dismay when informed of the potential scheduling conflict.
“Find your answer yourself in that,” Stalder said, sarcastically. ”We have to make women’s hockey a priority.”
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
