Huskies alumni Hatt, Demale declare for 2024 PWHL Draft
A pair of former Saint Mary's Huskies women's hockey standouts - forwards Miranda Hatt and Shae Demale - have declared for the 2024 Professional Women's Hockey League Draft, which will be held on Monday, June 10 in Saint Paul, MN, beginning at 8:00 p.m. AT.
Forward Miranda Hatt played five seasons with the Huskies from 2018-2024. In her senior season, Hatt was named the Top Defensive Player in Atlantic University Sport Women's Hockey, and was twice named an AUS All-Star.
Hatt finished her career sixth all-time in Saint Mary's program history in regular season points (103). Over 127 regular season games with the Huskies, Hatt scored 40 goals and 63 assists, adding seven goals and eight assists over 22 playoff games.
A native of Regina, SK, Hatt's accomplishments at Saint Mary's continued into the classroom, where she was a four-time Academic All-Canadian.
"Miranda is a solid two-way competitor that has pro-level habits both on and off the ice," says Huskies head coach Chris Larade. "She's a team-first player and takes pride in the defensive side of the game. She should be very proud of what she accomplished during her time at Saint Mary's and I know she's still hungry to keep proving herself on the ice. Miranda's love of the game is unmatched, and I think teams would be wise to take a chance on her."
Forward Shae Demale played four seasons with the Huskies from 2018-2023. The 2021-22 Atlantic University Sport Women's Hockey Most Valuable Player, Demale was named an AUS All-Star in all four seasons of her Huskies career, and a U SPORTS All-Canadian twice.
Demale finished her career fifth all-time in Saint Mary's program history in regular season points (109) and goals (56). Over 101 regulars season games with the Huskies, Demale scored 56 goals and 53 assists, adding 10 goals and six assists over 19 playoff games.
A native of Red Deer, SK, Demale's accomplishments at Saint Mary's continued into the classroom, where she was a four-time Academic All-Canadian, and was honoured as a U SPORTS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2021-22, becoming the first Saint Mary's women's athlete to receive that prestigious honour. Demale also represented her country, helping lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 FISU World University Winter Games.
Demale played professionally in Sweden for the 2023-24 season, suiting up for SDE HF of the Swedish Women's Hockey League, where she scored 21 goals and added 10 assists in 31 games.
"Shae has used her time at Saint Mary's as great springboard to pro hockey in Sweden's pro women's league (SDHL) and had a terrific season this year, finishing just three goals back of the league lead," says Huskies head coach Chris Larade. "Shae's scoring ability and overall game are proven on the pro side, and I think is well-suited for the PWHL. Shae's willingness to play a competitive and physical game should allow her to be a consistent performer at that level."
Hatt and Demale look to become the first Huskies alumni to suit up in the PWHL as players – Huskies hockey alumni Kori Cheverie BA'12 and Troy Ryan are both head coaches in the league for the Montréal and Toronto franchises respectively.
DETAILS OF 2024 PWHL DRAFT
NEW YORK AND TORONTO (May 25, 2024) – The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) today announced the 167 eligible players that have declared for the second annual PWHL Draft. PWHL teams will select 42 players from the eligibility list throughout the seven-round process scheduled for Monday, June 10 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, MN, beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT / 7:00 p.m. ET.
"The global interest in the PWHL continues to grow and the depth of talent across the women's hockey player pool will raise the level of play in the league's second season," said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. "Fans are going to see stars from collegiate and international programs selected by their favourite PWHL teams, which makes the draft one of the most exciting events of the year."
All 167 eligible players officially declared for the draft prior to the May 8 deadline. The group consists of 93 forwards, 48 defenders, and 26 goaltenders. There are 19 different countries represented in the player pool including 86 Canadians, 46 Americans, and 35 international players. A total of 42 players have Senior National Team experience competing for Austria, Canada, China, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United States. During the 2023-24 season, 96 of the players were collegiate athletes including 61 from NCAA women's hockey programs and 35 from U SPORTS, and another 55 players in various professional leagues around the world.
New York will select first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft after earning the most 'Draft Order Points' upon elimination from playoff contention. Ottawa will select second overall as the other non-playoff team. Based on the inverse order of the regular-season standings among the four playoff teams, Minnesota will select third overall, Boston fourth, Montréal fifth, and Toronto will select sixth. The draft will utilize the same order of selection in all seven rounds.
Undrafted players from the eligibility list will become free agents. PWHL teams can sign free agents from the 2024 and 2023 eligibility lists to Standard Player Agreements starting June 21, 2024.
A total of 268 players were eligible for the inaugural PWHL Draft with 90 selections in the 15-round process held on Sept. 18, 2023, in Toronto. Taylor Heise was selected first overall by Minnesota, with legendary sports icon Billie Jean King announcing the historic pick.