PWHL Seattle
Part of the media tour this week involves the club’s first ever 1st-round draft pick Jenna Buglioni, along with veterans Hilary Knight, Cayla Barnes, and Emily Brown.
Buglioni is originally from just up the road in Port Moody, BC, a little east of Vancouver. She played five seasons at Ohio State University where she helped win two national championships with the Buckeyes and fell just a tad short of being a point-a-game player. She finished with 166 in 170 matches.
“Jenna is a cerebral player who excels in every zone and simplifies the game,” PWHL Seattle General Manager Meghan Turner said in a statement last week. “She’s solid on the faceoff dot, demonstrates patient puck support, and shows up in big moments. Her work ethic, positivity, and competitive attitude will have a big impact on our bench and in the locker room.”
Scoring is at a premium thus far in the PWHL. Scouts and coaches would generally like players to shoot more and potentially see higher scoring games. Then again, it’s a work in progress and the overall play has been aggressive and impressive.
The recently added Seattle and Vancouver franchises gives the eight-team circuit a western presence and a national footprint.
PWHL Seattle also signed rookie goalie Hannah Murphy to what’s called a standard two-year player agreement.
While Buglioni went 8th-overall in the 1st-round of this summer’s draft, Murphy went 15th-overall in the 2nd-round. She brings size and athleticism to the goalie position. In 2024-25, she posted a 26-8-0 record with three shutouts, a 1.86 goals-against-average and a .939 save percentage at Colgate University and finished with 2nd-team All-ECAC honours.
The native of Kingston, Ontario also says the right things.
“I am extremely grateful to officially sign with PWHL Seattle and make my dream of being a professional hockey player a reality,” Murphy said after signing. “It means so much to have the chance to connect with Seattle’s passionate and supportive fanbase and play with a talented group of players to try to bring a championship to the city.”
A week earlier the Seattle franchise added veteran players Anna Wilgren, a defender, and Carly “CJ” Jackson, a netminder. Wilgren came in the expansion draft from Montreal while CJ last played for Toronto.
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