Meet the 2016 Boston Pride Draftees

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The NWHL held their 2nd annual entry draft at the end of June. Twenty women were drafted between the founding four teams.

This year the Boston Pride held the number four pick in the draft.

Let’s meet the five ladies the Boston Pride drafted in the 2016 draft.

Ann Renee Desbiens – Goalie – Wisconsin

Desbiens started off on the right side of the ice with Wisconsin during the 2013-14 season. In her debut game, she shut out St. Cloud State with a 6-0 win. By the end of the season, Desbiens posted four shutouts for the Badgers.

Sophomore year brought even more success to Desbiens. Over the course of 37 starts, she had a save percentage of .941, shut her opponent out 14 times, and notched three assists. Her 14 shutouts were the second most in the country.

Desbiens kept the fire going during her junior season at Wisconsin. Of the 38 games she played, 21 of them were shutouts. She now holds the NCAA men’s and women’s hockey shutout record.

Sarah Nurse – Forward – Wisconsin

As a child, Nurse was an assistant captain for the Stoney Creek Junior Sabres. She also finished second on the team in points.

She spent time with Team Ontario Red winning a gold medal in 2011 and bronze in 2012 at the Canadian National Championship.

Nurse played in all 38 games her Freshman year at Wisconsin. Her 11 goals and 10 assists placed Nurse on the All-WCHA Rookie Team.

As a sophomore, Nurse tied for second on the team in goals (15) and led the team in game-winning goals (5). At the end of the 2015 WCHA tournament, she was named the most outstanding player and was named to the WCHA All-Tournament team.

During her junior year, Nurse upped her game a bit scoring 25 goals and 13 assists over the course of 36 games. At the end of the season, she led the team in shots on goal (228) and was the fourth player in program history to score multiple shorthanded goals in one game (2).

Ashleigh Brykaliuk – Forward – Minnesota Duluth

Brykaliuk was quite the player before attending college at Minnesota Duluth. During the 2012-13 season, she played for the Westman Wildcats and was named the league’s MVP.

She also made a strong showing while playing for the Canadian National team. In 2012 and 2013, Brykaliuk won gold with Canada at the U18 World Championship. She was the one to watch during the 2013 U18 World Championship as scored a hat trick in the semifinal game against Sweden. Brykaliuk ended the tournament with six points and a plus-minus rating of +5.

Brykaliuk made her presence known during freshman year of college. With 11 goals and 12 assists, she had the fourth most points of all Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs during the 2013-14 season.

She turned up the heat sophomore year, scoring 30 points (16 goals and 14 assists). Those 30 points placed her second on the team in both points and goals. Her +15 rating and five power play goals placed Brykaliuk second on the team in those categories.

At the start of junior year, Brykaliuk was named captain of the team. She finished the season with 18 goals and 26 assists.

Halli Krzyzaniak – Forward – North Dakota

Before Kryzyzaniak headed to North Dakota she won two gold medals with the Canadian National Team at the U18 World Championships.

As a freshman at North Dakota, Krzyzaniak scored 10 points over the course of 36 games. Seven of her ten points were power play points. Krzyzaniak’s 82 shots on goal placed her among the top 18 defensemen in the nation.

Krzyzaniak continued to shine on the power play during her sophomore year. She scored six power play points (one goal and five assists). At the end of the season, Krzyzaniak received All-WCHA Third Team honors.

As a junior, Krzyzaniak had a career high of 17 points which put her atop the leader board for defensive scoring. She earned All-WCHA Third Team honors for the second year in a row.

Lara Stalder – Defense – Minnesota Duluth

Before attending college in America, Stalder played for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss A League. While playing for the Lions, she won a National Championship and placed third in the league among defenders scoring 24 points over 11 games.

Stalder missed eight games her freshman season to participate in the Sochi Olympic games with the Swiss National Team. Even though she missed a bulk of the season, Stalder managed to rank fourth in the nation among rookie scorers with 22 points. She also was ranked eighth among defensemen in scoring. At the end of the season, Stalder was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team and the All-WCHA Third Team.

During junior year, Stalder scored 41 points over 34 games placing her second on the team in scoring. She also finished in the top ten in points in the WCHA.