Pro Scoring Totals

As the PWHL continues to forge a path forward, we shouldn't forget that there are other U SPORTS players who are playing in other leagues across the planet. While the numbers vary from a handful of players to single players, focusing on one league as being the only place to play does a disservice to those who are making waves in those other professional leagues. Today, I'll spend a little time digging through scoring totals for players with U SPORTS roots who are showing those scoring talents in other countries. The players who aren't playing in the PWHL is impressive based on accomplishments, so let's give them some credit by recognizing their efforts too!

We'll start over in the SDHL where there are a handful of players who are showing their skills in a number of Swedish cities. These players are probably familiar to you, so let's see who's doing what over in Sweden!

• Jaycee Magwood (Luleå) - 10G, 15A in 21 games.
• Mathea Fischer (SDE) - 9G, 16A in 24 games.
• Shae Demale (SDE) - 15G, 4A in 24 games.
• Anna Purschke (Leksands) - 8G, 6A in 21 games.
• Lauren Dabrowski (SDE) - 5G, 8A in 24 games.
• Lore Baudrit (Leksands) - 3G, 6A in 25 games.
• Autumn Macdougall (Leksands) - 3G, 5A in 23 games.
• Tatum Amy (Leksands) - 6G, 1A in 25 games.


• Kate Stewart (SDE) - 3-5-2, 3.13 GAA, .880 sv% in 10 games.

Former Regina Cougars forward Jaycee Magwood is having a very solid season with the SDHL-leading Luleå squad as she's brought her net-front presence, rocket of a shot, and her ability to drive plays to an already-formidable team. Former UBC Thunderbirds forward Mathea Fischer has also found her scoring touch with SDE in being one of the league's better playmakers, and former Saint Mary's Huskies forward Shae Demale has continued filling the net in Sweden for SDE as she did in Canadian university hockey. Demale is currently tied for third in overall goal scoring with Michelle Karvinen, and she's just two goals back of MoDo's Lina Ljungblom for the overall lead.

Former Mount Royal Cougars forward Anna Purschke exploded for goals over the Christmas break to push her up the scoring ranks despite Leksands' struggles. Lauren Dabrowski is showing why she was a threat from the blue line with the StFX X-Women as she's been quarterbacking their team at times. Former Montreal Carabins forward Lore Baudrit continues to play solid two-way hockey, former Alberta Pandas forward Autumn MacDougall is finding more offensive chances, and former Mount Royal Cougars forward Tatum Amy continues to score goals like she did in Canada for the Leksands squad. Former UBC Thunderbirds netminder Kate Stuart hasn't played often, but she's been solid when called upon by SDE.

We'll jump to the next league that has a number of U SPORTS players who joined, and that's the EWHL which has teams all over Europe. Whether it be Austria, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Germany or Czechia, the EWHL has teams in all five of those countries. Here are the former U SPORTS players who are putting on a show in those countries!

• Lauren Nicholson (Aisulu) - 11G, 9A in 17 games.
• Lindsay Donovan (KMH) - 2G, 12A in 12 games.
• Alex Gowie (Sabres) - 10G, 2A in 14 games.
• Olivia Atkinson (MAC) - 6G, 6A in 14 games.
• Kassandra Roache (MAC) - 4G, 8A in 14 games.
• Neisha Germann (Neuberg) - 5G, 6A in 16 games.
• Jordan Kulbida (BJA) - 7G, 3A in 14 games.
• Lauren Steele (Sabres) - 2G, 4A in 14 games.
• Jordyn Burgar (Neuberg) - 3G, 1A in 16 games.
• Sophie Vandale (MAC) - 2G, 2A in 13 games.


• Rachel Seeley (Aisulu) - 2.30 GAA, .919 sv% in 18 games.

Former TMU Bold forward Lauren Nicholson is leading all U SPORTS players in scoring in the EWHL with third-place Aisulu Almaty. Former StFX X-Women defender Lindsay Donovan is showing off her scoring talents with second-place Hokiklub Budapest who are undefeated so far, going 12-0-0 this season. Former Calgary Dinos and Alberta Pandas forward Alex Gowie has played in the EWHL before, and she's filling the nets for SKN Sabres St. Pölten as she sits tied for fourth-overall in goals in the EWHL. Former McGill Martlets forward Olivia Anderson and former Toronto Varsity Blues forward Kassie Roache are having good seasons for sixth-place MAC Budapest.

Former Trinity Western Spartans forward Neisha Germann is having a good campaign for a weaker KSV Neuberg Highlanders team while former Regina Cougars forward Jordan Kulbida is burying pucks for a weaker Budapest Jegkorong Akademia squad. Former Mount Allison Mounties forward Lauren Steele has shown flashes of brilliance with SKN Sabres St. Pölten, former Calgary Dinos forward Jordyn Burgar is settling into life in Germany with KSV Neuberg Highlanders, and former PEI Panthers defender Sophie Vandale has brought her defence-first style of play to MAC Budapest. Former TMU Bold netminder Rachel Seeley is having a very good campaign with Aisulu Almaty in Kazakhstan where she's the starter.

Sweden seems to be a good landing spot for a lot of players, though, as the Division 1 teams - the league below the SDHL - also has a pile of U SPORTS players skating for teams. Let's take a look at who is skating for whom and how their seasons are going!

• Alli Borrow (Färjestad) - 16G, 20A in 13 games.
• Ashley McCabe (Falu) - 12G, 18A in 14 games.
• Siobhan Birch (Malmö) - 15G, 13A in 18 games.
• Hunter Mosher (Södertälje) - 15G, 11A in 11 games.
• Ellen Laurence (Södertälje) - 16G, 9A in 11 games.
• Mary McDonald (Södertälje) - 10G, 10A in 11 games.
• Alexa McMillan (Färjestad) - 0G, 12A in 10 games.
• Emma Hall (Björklöven) - 8G, 3A in 10 games.
• Keagan Goulet (Falu) - 2G, 7A in 7 games.
• Alex Anderson (Färjestad) - 1G, 8A in 10 games.
• Madeline Stanley (Falu) - 3G, 4A in 8 games.


• Julianna Thomson (Karlskrona) - 1-14-1, 4.88 GAA, .890 sv%.

Without a doubt, Färjestad has to be the favorite to move up to the SDHL next season as they currently are 12-0-2-0 on the season, and former Calgary Dinos forward Alli Borrow is a big part of that. Former Saint Mary's Huskies defender Alexa McMillan and Manitoba Bisons defender Alex Anderson are a large reason why Färjestad is currently +157 in goal differential through 12 games! The Malmö RedHawks are 15-3-0-0 with former Saint Mary's Huskies forward Siobhan Birch helping their cause. Södertälje is a perfect 12-0-0-0 so far this season with former Nipissing Lakers forward Hunter Mosher and a pair of former Saint Mary's Huskies in Ellen Laurence and Mary McDonald all pacing their success. All of Färjestad, Malmö, and Södertälje lead their respective divisions to this point.

Falu sits in third-place behind Färjestad, but they're getting good contributions from former Lethbridge Pronghorns forward Ashley McCabe and former Calgary Dinos Keagan Goulet and Madeline Stanley. Former UBC Thunderbirds forward Emma Hall has helped Björklöven with her strong two-way play to a second-place standing behind Skellefteå AIK in their division. Unforunately for former York Lions goaltender Julianna Thomson, Karlskrona has had the roof caved in a number of times on them, and her stats have paid the price as they've scored just 18 goals in 18 games this season as they sit 40 points back of first-place Malmö in their division.

Another solid European league that may get forgotten is the PostFinance Swiss Women's National League that features teams all over Switzerland. Not surprisingly, those teams also boast a few U SPORTS players who have made the jump from the Canadian landscape to living in the Alps! Let's see who is playing some hockey in Switzerland!

• Lilla Carpenter-Boesch (Neuchâtel) - 8G, 4A in 13 games.
• Holly Reuther (Langenthal) - 7G, 2A in 19 games.
• Dominique Scheurer (ZSC) - 1G, 6A in 16 games.***


• Sandy Heim (ZSC) - 1.00 in 18 games.***

Lilla Carpenter-Boesch finished up her career with the Regina Cougars as one of the more lethal goal scorers in Canada West, and it seems she's becoming the same player in the Swiss League! Holly Reuther was another clutch forward with the Calgary Dinos, and she's showing her abolity to find twine in Switzerland as well. The only problem is that Neuchâtel Hockey Academy sits in fifth-place while SC Langenthal Damen is in eighth-place out of eight teams. Nonetheless, both Carpenter-Boesch and Reuther are having excellent seasons.

I asterisked the last two names on the list because they technically didn't play for a U SPORTS school despite the school currently being part of U SPORTS. Both Scheurer and Heim were part of the ACAC MacEwan Griffins who helped the team achieve their goal of joining Canada West, so I felt it was important to include them in the list. Scheurer and Heim are Swiss-born players, and they're helping the ZSC Lions Frauen push for top spot in the Swiss League. Currently, ZSC is 16-3-0-0 on the season, and they sit one point back of SC Bern for the league's top spot. Heim, it should be noted, is also the league's top netminder by goals-against-average as well. Needless to say, Scheurer and Heim are having a solid impact for the Zurich Lions.

If there's one league you certainly won't find many U SPORTS players in, it's the Zhenskaya Hockey League in Russia. With Russia virtually being cut off from the hockey world by the IIHF, virtually any and all players not of Russian descent left the league. There is one player, however, who is playing in the league that had an incredible run in U SPORTS, so here's that player's season so far.

Former Calgary Dinos forward Alexandra "Sasha" Vafina is still playing in Russia after returning home to the country due to being homesick following the 2016-17 Canada West season. She's found a home with Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg where she has six goals and nine assists in 30 games this season, but those totals are far off her point-per-game totals since arriving in 2021. Nonetheless, Vafina was always a solid defensive forward while being an exceptional offensive force, and I suspect we'll see her numbers start to trend upward.

Of course, China is still trying to keep its international hopes alive, and they have their own league as the WCIHL is playing. The hard part about this league is that the details online are few and far between. However, there are two players who are suiting up regularly for HC Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star that skated for U SPORTS teams, but details of their scoring talents are seemingly impossible to find.

That being said, former Saint Mary's Huskies defender Kiana Wilkinson and former TMU-Bold-for-one-season forward Danielle Fox are both pushing HC Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star to new heights while helping their Chinese teammates acquire more skills so they can make a bigger impact on the international stage. Again, I can't tell how their season is going statistically, but every update I've seen has Shenzhen on the winning side of the scoreboard. Things seem to be going well.

While the lack of U SPORTS players in the PWHL is a still a cause for concern about the level of play seen in U SPORTS, it shouldn't be the only level of play we can use to judge how well the Canadian university league is doing in its efforts. As shown above, there are women not only playing in leagues across the world, but they're thriving and having a ton of success in those leagues. Because we don't get to see them play often or at all, we're apt to forget that a lot of programs across Canada are developing some incredible talent!

With U SPORTS hockey starting up again this weekend, get down to your local university rink and cheer on the women or watch from the comfort of home with the streaming feeds offered by each conference. After all, one of the women playing this weekend for your local U SPORTS team might be playing in one of the above leagues next season, and you can say you saw her play before she hit the big leagues!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!