With the hockey season fast approaching it’s time to take a brief look at the incoming players for the Huskies women’s team. We’ll take a look at both freshmen and transfers and try to piece together some rough ideas of who may fit where in the lineup. There are some rather large gaps left in the team from the previous graduating class and some immediate contribution would go a long way.
Transfers
The Huskies went light on the transfer portal this year, only bringing in two players. The women’s side of college puck has never been as transfer-happy as the men’s side, but the lower number may hint that coach Flint is more than happy working with the decently sized freshmen class coming in. Targeting two graduate transfers who bring experience from mid-line play on contender caliber teams should help balance the roster.
Katie Davis – F
The first of the two NU transfers we’ll look at is Katie Davis. She comes off over 100 games and 4 full years playing for University of Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA. The past year she slotted in as a third line wing on the national tournament bound squad, tallying a 2-2-4 split in 22 games played. There’s little doubt she would have tallied more had she not been sidelined for a whopping 16 games with injury. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her slot into a similar third or second-line role where her experience will benefit the relatively young huskies core. If she can remain healthy throughout the year her speed could prove incredibly useful in the heart of the lineup. Davis is a prime example of the prototypical graduate transfer we’ve become accustomed to since the COVID shortened season added fifth-year eligibility. There have been flashes of the raw skill and upside that may need a change in scenery to flourish. One thing the huskies have struggled with in recent years is overcoming the physicality of western teams once on the national stage. Having played those teams her entire college career, Davis may be able to bring some of the edge needed to reach the next level.
Jaden Bogden – F
Another graduate transfer, Bogden played for Clarkson before deciding to take her talents to Huntington Avenue this off-season. She had a 6-6-12 split with the Knights this past season playing out of the right side of the third line. Her contributions helped the Golden Knights to the Frozen Four this past season before falling to eventual champion Ohio State. There’s a very real chance we see both transfers line up opposite each other in that 3rd line spot, but in all honesty I’d rather they space them out if possible. With decent size and speed, Bogden does a great job of providing great defense while being able to create pressure on offense. Her ability to both score and dish could work well with some of the more “shoot first” minded players currently on the Huskies roster. Bogden- much like Davis- lost significant time during her undergraduate career to injury. Once again an example of a graduate transfer with huge possible upside that may simply need a shake up. It never hurts to add players with Frozen Four pedigree, especially those who were in a middle six role.
Freshmen
With 7 graduates at the end of last season, the Huskies roster has been heavily stripped for the second time in two years. As we enter the last year of residual effects caused by the extra COVID eligibility, a decently sized class comes in to fill the gaps. The real task will be being prepared for that extra large loss of players across college hockey after this season- but that’s a problem to be discussed later.
Lisa Jönsson – G
Starting off with one of the more surprising- and late- editions. Jönsson comes over from a MoDo team (who have one of the best logos in hockey) that finished 1st place in the SDHL. Seeing 11 games of play she put up a .881 SV% to go with a 2.16 GAA. On paper these may not seem great, but consider both that this is a professional league and, frankly, pre-college goaltending statistics are often misleading (see Devon Levi’s 3.10 GAA at the AAA level). At 5’11 it’s clear that the physical build is there for success. Ascending to the SDHL at just 17 years old, she definitely has experience adjusting to large leaps in competition. She also walks into what appears to be a job open for the taking in the wake of Gwyneth Philips departure. At the very least Northeastern has grabbed more competition for the spot, at best they’ve found their eventual starter. It will be interesting to see he dynamic that plays out in the locker room with multiple goalies vying for the job. This is a position Northeastern hasn’t had to be in for a good while.
Tuva Kandell – D
Northeastern double dipped on the Swedish talent this offseason, grabbing Kandell- also from the SDHL- to join Jönsson on the way over. Kandell played 36 games to a 3-12-15 split, an encouraging sign given the skill level of the league. Usually it would be appropriate to see a freshman D take a 3rd pairing role, but given the skill level of the league Kandell is moving from, I would not be shocked to see her play 2nd pair minutes out of the gate. Her hands are incredibly skilled for a defender. Because of her puck handling abilities I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of the Huskies’ offense run through her at the blue line. She doesn’t shy away from being the one to take the puck up ice, but has the skating ability to quickly get back when needed. The experience at a highly competitive level will no doubt help her set an example for the rest of the incoming class.
Tristan Thompson – D
Tristan Thompson (no relation to Taze) comes in to provide more defensive depth. Standing 6’1″ at only 17 years of age, there’s no doubt she will often be one of the largest players on the ice during her play time. Don’t make the mistake of thinking her frame is the sole reason for her success. She has raw talent in the offensive zone which she’s honed in the OWHL over the past 3 years. Playing roughly half a point-per-game hockey as a defenseman- especially in the highest tier of women’s junior hockey in Ontario- is no small feat. Although I’m sure the coaching staff will ease her into college hockey, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see what Tristan is capable of once she settles into the competition level. If she can realize her potential at Northeastern she could easily become a fan favorite.
Morgan Jackson – F
Morgan comes in as the first- and only- freshman forward we’ll be talking about. Jackson being the only incoming forward is likely the reason for the double-dipping at forward in the transfer portal. After last year the Huskies proved they had a very capable young forward group which I’m sure Jackson aims to seamlessly join the party. Last year she put up an amazing 29-32-61 stat line with Shawnigan Lake School in British Columbia. She’ll be taking a large leap in opponent skill level this year, but the early trajectory is encouraging. Her coaches have previously hailed her work ethic, which she’ll need to make use of the next couple years. I see a lot of similarities between her and Allie Lalonde, and wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar developmental path. If she ends up panning out similarly to what we’ve seen from Lalonde so far the Huskies could have a potent 1-2 punch for years to come.
As always, go Huskies!