The Buffalo Beauts have signed former Minnesota Whitecaps defenseman Anne Schleper to a one-year, $21,000 contract for the 2016-17 season, the team announced Sunday.
The former Golden Gopher had an impressive collegiate track record, posting 32 goals and 82 assists in 159 career NCAA games. She has also participated in five Four Nations Cups, four IIHF World Championships and won silver at the 2014 Olympics for the U.S. National Team.
We look forward to signing our contracts this week and helping advance the league to new heights in it's second season
— Anne Schleper (@_aschlep) August 1, 2016
“Anne is a current U.S. National Team player who will be reuniting with her former collegiate teammates and competitors,” said Beauts general manager Ric Seiling. “With the addition of Anne on our blue line, we will not only strengthen our defensive core, but will also be a threat when we are in the offensive zone.”
Last season she spent time with the Whitecaps, who don’t currently play in either the NWHL or CWHL, but sport an impressive roster, including the recently committed Hannah Brandt, who was drafted second overall in the 2015 NWHL draft.
Schleper’s commitment to sign comes on the final day of NWHL free agency. Like all U.S. National Team players, who negotiate their contracts with the NWHL collectively, Schleper has not officially signed yet. The players have agreed to terms, but the future signings were announced before ink hit paper so that the NWHL could meet their self-imposed free agency deadline of July 31.