Katie Fitzgerald became the first RFA in the NWHL to re-sign with her team this year.
Fitzgerald was named NWHL’s Goaltender of the Year this season after a breakout rookie campaign. She finished the 2016-17 season with a .901 save percentage and a 3.01 goals against average.
Terms of her deal were not disclosed. It’s likely that the deal is a one-year contract, as they’ve been in the past two seasons of the NWHL, but the amount of money she signed for is unclear. In the press release, the NWHL stated:
“The NWHL will continue to compensate all players and share in revenue with them from their jersey and shirsey sales. Before the start of the 2017-18 season, the league will officially announce the details of all player contracts.”
When reached for comment, the league said that they would announce all contract deals during the week before opening weekend. Players are aware of the details of contracts, though they aren’t being made public yet.
Last year, Fitzgerald signed a deal with the Riveters after assumed starter Jaimie Leonoff was taken off the Riveter’s roster because of a season-ending injury. She quickly moved her way up the ranks and took over the starter’s position with ease, becoming a fan favorite along the way.