The Canadian Women’s Hockey League held its annual draft last night and saw a number of talented women earn the honour to don the colours of the five member teams.
The Brampton Thunder selected Canadian Women’s National Team defenseman Laura Fortino with their first overall pick. The Cornell Big Red star has been a part of the national team since 2011 where she has earned four gold medals and three silvers in numerous IIHF tournaments. Fortino also has the honour of being Co-Rookie of the Year for Cornell in 2009 along with being nominated to the All Rookie and All-Star teams.
With the second pick in the draftr, the Toronto Furies drafted towering defenseman Megan Bozek from the United States Olympic Team. The Minnesota Golden Golpher was a monumental part of Team USA’s Silver medal performance at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. A force on the blue line with an incredible point shot, it’s too bad the Furies male counterparts in the Maple Leafs couldn’t suit her up for a game or two.
Rounding out the first round, the third pick belonged to the Calgary Inferno who stuck with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and picked up forward Sarah Davis to the mix. The Boston Blades jumped in fourth and drafted dynamite forward Jenny Potter and the 5th pick went to the Montreal Stars who stayed close to home and added forward Kim Deschenes fom the L’Universite de Montreal.
Clarkson University had the most picks iced from their domain with four. Another interesting selection came in the 8th round as the Calgary Inferno drafted Aina Takeuchi from the Japan National Team. Interesting to see how that plays out.
Here’s the full 19 rounds of who was chosen:
Round 1
1 Laura Fortino D Canada Olympic Team Brampton Thunder
2 Megan Bozek D United States Olympic Team Toronto Furies
3 Sarah Davis F Minnesota Golden Gophers Calgary Inferno
4 Jenny Potter F Minnesota Whitecaps / Team USA Boston Blades
5 Kim Deschenes F l’université de Montréal Montreal Stars
Round 2
1 Jamie Lee Rattray F Clarkson University Brampton Thunder
2 Kelly Terry F University of Minnesota Toronto Furies
3 Hayleigh Cudmore D Cornell University Calgary Inferno
4 Monique Lamoureux D Team USA Boston Blades
5 Vanessa Gagnon F Clarkson University Montreal Stars
Round 3
1 Carly Mercer F Clarkson University Brampton Thunder
2 Tanis Lamoureux F Elmira College Toronto Furies
3 Louise Warren F Boston University Calgary Inferno
4 Brianna Decker F University of Wisconsin Badgers / Team USA Boston Blades
5 Sophie Brault D Carabins Université de Montreal Montreal Stars
Round 4
1 Erica Howe G Clarkson University Golden Knights Brampton Thunder
2 Candice Styles D Wilfrid Laurier University Toronto Furies
3 Jessica Campbell F Cornell Big Red / Canada U22 Calgary Inferno
4 Alyssa Gagliardi D Cornell University Boston Blades
5 Chelsey Saunders F McGill Martlets Montreal Stars
Round 5
1 Kelly O’Hanlon F University of Toronto Brampton Thunder
2 Laurel Hill D St. Norbert College Toronto Furies
3 Brittany Esposito F Northeastern University Calgary Inferno
4 Kaleigh Fratkin D Boston University Terriers Boston Blades
5 Erin Lally F Concordia University Stingers Montreal Stars
Round 6
1 Ellie Seedhouse F Western Mustangs Brampton Thunder
2 Leah Whittaker D Niagara University Toronto Furies
3 Kristen Hagg F SAWHA Calgary Chargers Calgary Inferno
4 Bray Ketchum F Boston Blades / Yale Boston Blades
5 Sydney Aveson G Plattsburgh State Cardinals Montreal Stars
Round 7
1 Jennifer Ward F Brampton Thunder Brampton Thunder
2 Danielle Butters G Minnesota State University, Mankato Toronto Furies
3 Samantha Fieseler D Pursuit Of Excellence Hockey Academy Calgary Inferno
4 Nicole Stock G Brown University Boston Blades
Round 8
1 Fielding Montgomery F Dalhousie University Brampton Thunder
2 Laura Saar D N/A Toronto Furies
3 Aina Takeuchi D Japan National Team Calgary Inferno
4 Denna Laing F Princeton University Boston Blades
Round 9
1 Michelle Ashburner G Western Mustangs Brampton Thunder
2 Camille Trautman G Red Deer College Queens Calgary Inferno
3 Janine Weber F Providence College Boston Blades
Round 10
1 Calaine Inglis F University of Calgary Dinos Calgary Inferno
2 Jordan Smelker F RPI Boston Blades
Round 11
1 Glenda Edie D University of Lethbridge Calgary Inferno
2 Rebecca Morse D Providence College Boston Blades
Round 12
1 Christina Kelly F UPEI Panthers Calgary Inferno
2 Megan Myers F Utica College Pioneers Boston Blades
Round 13
1 Olivia Ross G Western University Mustangs Calgary Inferno
2 Laura Veharanta F Providence College Boston Blades
Round 14
1 Rebecca Mosher D Saint Mary’s University Calgary Inferno
2 Taylor Holza F Boston University Boston Blades
Round 15
1 Cassidy Anderson D NAIT Ooks Calgary Inferno
2 Brooke Fernandez D ZSC Lions, Zurich, Switzerland Boston Blades
Round 16
1 Dayna King F Sask Wheat Queens Calgary Inferno
2 Corinne Buie F Providence Friars Boston Blades
Round 17
1 Denise Cardello F Castleton State College Boston Blades
Round 18
1 Alexius Schutt G Sacred Heart University Boston Blades
Round 19
1 Stephanie Ciampa G Mercyhurst University Boston Blades
marchhockey.com 
I adore Megan Bozek. I guess I have a new team to follow now! LOL!
And unfortunately it’s a Toronto one! Ha!
Eugh, I know. At least they’re more likely to succeed than their NHL counterparts!