Home arena Northford Ice Pavilion Owner(s) NWHL Arena Northford Ice Pavilion Head coach Heather Linstad Color Green, Blue, White | Colors Green, Blue, White General manager Lisa Giovanelli Captain Jessica Koizumi Founded 2015 | |
 | ||
City North Branford, Connecticut League National Women's Hockey League Location North Branford, Connecticut, United States Profiles | ||
The Connecticut Whale is a professional women's ice hockey team based in Northford, Connecticut. It is one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). It is named in honor of the defunct NHL Hartford Whalers.
Contents
History
For their first season, the Whale played home games in Stamford, Connecticut at Chelsea Piers. Chris Ardito was hired as the first general manager in franchise history, while Jake Mastel and Ashley Parker coached the team. The team is named the "Connecticut Whale" and is not associated with the CT Whale, the name used by the American Hockey League team now known as the Hartford Wolf Pack for three seasons.
Among their off-season acquisitions, the Whale signed Kaleigh Fratkin to a contract on July 1, 2015. She was the first Canadian player to sign a contract in the NWHL.
The team made its debut in 2015. The first game in NWHL history was a sell out on October 11, 2015 between the New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale. The Whale prevailed by a 4–1 tally as Jessica Koizumi scored the first goal in both franchise and NWHL history. In the same game, Kelli Stack had one goal and two assists, becoming the first player to record a multi-point performance. Whale goaltender Jaimie Leonoff was credited the win, capturing the game's First Star. Stack was recognized as the Second Star, and Kelly Babstock, who became the first Canadian-born player to score a goal in an NWHL regular season game, was acknowledged as the Third Star.
The Whale won their first three games in franchise history with three different goalies. In the first game, the Whale prevailed with Jaimie Leonoff, while former Quinnipiac goaltender Chelsea Laden captured the second win, and Nicole Stock played her first game in over five years to capture the third win on the road against the New York Riveters.
Jessica Koizumi was named first team captain in franchise history.
Prior to the team's second season, the Whale moved to the Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, Connecticut.
Current Roster
Updated June 7, 2016
Draft history
Hannah Brandt from the Univ. of Minnesota program became the first player in franchise history to be selected in the inaugural 2015 NWHL Draft. Raised in the state capital of Albany, New York, Picard was also the first defenseman selected in NWHL Draft history.
NWHL Draft
The following were the Whale's selections in the 2015 NWHL Draft on June 20, 2015.