After a long offseason, PWHL training camps finally opened this week. The Boston Fleet kicked things off on Tuesday with media availabilities for general manager Danielle Marmer, head coach Courtney Kessel, and most players. Here are some things we learned.
Season Ticket Sales Have Soared
Marmer shared that Fleet season ticket memberships have soared from about 600 last season to 1500 this year.
“That’s almost triple, if my math is correct, which is just an indicator of the success that this league has had, the impact this league has had and then just the impact that we’ve had in,” Marmer said.
The players were thrilled with the support last year, and are excited to see it grow so quickly.
“I think that’s awesome,” forward Kelly Babstock said. “Just watching the league grow as a whole, especially Boston’s market, it’s great. We’re gonna have to get a new arena next year [be]cause there’s too many fans. But that’s what we’re hoping for, so it’s good to see keep going on [an] incline.”
Defender Sidney Morin added that she especially loved how people showed up early and brought interactive signs for warmups.
“People made the drive, people made sure to be there early,” said Morin. “I think that was a really special thing about our team especially was when we hit the ice for warmups, there was so many little kids there with signs, asking for pucks, trading candy, and I think that that really grew as the season went along, and I think even more people started to join in on that trend…that really made it special.”
Knight Relaxed, Excited to Just Play
After a tough first season where she appeared to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, Hilary Knight brought a different vibe to media day. She was relaxed and told us she was excited to feel like just a player for the first time.
“I think we did a tremendous job to get to this position,” Knight said. “Obviously,… the first year is gonna have bumps along the way and people to navigate it, but now it feels like all of us [have gone from] sort of a negotiating committee a couple of years ago to players now, which is really exciting.”
She also mentioned that knowing what to expect and having a culture already built is helping her worry less heading into this season.
“I think the hardest thing for us was, one, we didn’t understand the cadence of the season,” Knight said. “A handful of us had been out of college, some were in college, it’s different. And then two, we had to build a culture from scratch and that’s no easy undertaking and what does that look like? Do we have the right people in the room? What is our level of communication? So everyone’s sort of coming to the rink buying in and making sure that we’re getting one percent better every single day, and I don’t want to give ourselves too much credit, but I think we did a really good job with that.”
She’s also healthy again. She didn’t go into details, but back in July, she posted a TikTok showing a boot on her left foot. It’s unclear how long that was nagging her, but she’ll be ready for the start of the season.
“We’re getting there,” Knight said. “We’re gearing up. Training camp is going to be awesome. I’m excited for a healthy year.”
All things considered, Knight appears to be primed for a big bounceback season, which is terrific news for the Fleet.
Markova Surprised, Grateful for the Opportunity
One of the biggest surprises of the draft was Boston going off the board to take Ilona Markova, a 22-year-old forward who has spent her career in Russia’s ZhHL. Markova herself did not expect to be drafted.
“Yes [I was surprised],” Markova said. “But because I was hardworking a lot…I was ready for that…really appreciate for this chance, for this opportunity for me.”
Markova is the first Russian player to be drafted into the PWHL, but when asked what that means to her, she said she’s trying not to think about it yet.
“I don’t think about that,” Markova said, “If I will think about it, I will maybe stress about that, [and] I don’t need that.”
However, Markova shared that it has long been her goal to play in North America and she believes that every player should do the right thing for them at the right time.
“The [visa] system changed the last years and I had a sense that this was a complicated topic for USA, and I understand it,” Markova said. “But it was my goal [to play in North America]. I think that every player should do the right step in the right time.”
While her future here is still uncertain, Markova is enjoying the atmosphere of Boston so far.
“It’s [a] really great city,” Markova said. “We have a lot of colleges..it is [a] progressive city for me. And I see a lot of people every day who inspire [me]. We are really positive people and a lot of this atmosphere [is great] for me, sunny days every day.”
Pelkey, Bilka, Hartmetz Reunite
File this under things to make a player feel old: Amanda Pelkey coached Hannah Bilka and Hadley Hartmetz at Team USA camps in 2019.
“I told her [Hartmetz], I’m like one day you’re gonna be on a team with girls you coached too, so it’s a fun vibe to it, and…it just creates different dimensions for me to be excited about,” Pelkey said.
Bilka said it’s cool she now gets to play with one of her former coaches, and that it speaks to how well Pelkey conducts herself as an athlete.
“Obviously, [it] just shows that she’s been playing for so long and being successful for so many years,” Bilka said. “It’s cool to have kind of a veteran presence on the team.”
Hartmetz echoed that and said she looks forward to continuing to play with her.
“I always look up to my coaches and they take everything that they say to heart,” Hartmetz said. “I just think it’s awesome that we’re continuing to play together.”
Peslarová ‘Choosing the Uncomfortable’, Ready for Next Step
On draft day back in June, many were surprised that Klára Peslarová’s name was not called. Heading into the draft, the Czech national team stalwart was considered the best goaltender outside of North America, boasting a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success wherever she went. Now, she’s looking forward to a new challenge as she fights for a spot at the Fleet training camp.
“Basically, I’ve been eight years in Sweden and I just want to make a step forward,” Peslarová said. “If I want to become one of the best goalies then I need to make the step and go to the best league. So, I’m pretty honored that Boston called me and I’m just glad to be here.”
At 5’5″, Peslarová is a shorter goalie. She’s looking forward to playing with fellow 5’5″ goaltender Aerin Frankel, and she hopes to add more of Frankel’s flexibility and athleticism into her game. Currently, Peslarová names her calm demeanor and positioning as her biggest strengths. In the meantime, she’s just happy to have the opportunity to learn from the best in the world.
“For me, it was always looking up to the World Championship where you can face all those players and now, you have [the] opportunity to be here and play or practice with them,” Peslarová said. “It’s just a privilege to be here and practice with them.”