Georgetown native Sarah Fillier is roundly considered the next GOAT of Canadian women’s hockey.
The first overall pick in the second ever PWHL draft, she has already represented her country at the highest levels and has Olympic gold and three World Championship gold medals along with a silver to show for it alongside the current GOAT Marie-Philip Poulin.
But it wasn’t until Friday, long after all the other early round picks from the draft had signed, that Fillier, 24, and her representatives came to an agreement with New York.
And the length of the deal appears to have been the reason for the delay, though neither side has confirmed that.
Fillier and her team have negotiated a one-year deal, the shortest contract of any of the first rounders, the rest of which were all either two- or three-year deals.
Fillier though is not free to sign elsewhere after that one year. Under a new rule passed by the league and first reported by The Athletic, teams now retain rights to their draft picks for two years, something that wasn’t in effect in the first year in the league.
In any event, both sides, as per a team release, are sounding very positive about the outcome.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Sarah Fillier to the New York Sirens family,” team general manager Pascal Daoust said in the release. “When Sarah steps on the ice, she brings an energy that ignites both here teammates and fans alike … Here’s to an exciting new chapter with Sarah Fillier, ready to elevate the game and inspire those around her with the Sirens!”
Fillier, who played her collegiate hockey at Princeton, not far from the Sirens’ new home at the Prudential Centre in New Jersey, also commented on her signing in the release.
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“Playing in the PWHL will be a dream come true, and I cannot wait to make New York my home,” she said. “I am excited to get on the ice with my teammates in front of the best fans in the league. I want to elevate women’s sport to new heights and make girls around the world realize their dreams of playing professional hockey are within reach.”
The Sirens and the other five teams in the PWHL will open training camps on Nov. 12 in their respective markets.
New York will join the Toronto Sceptres and Minnesota Frost in Toronto for a mini-camp at the Ford Performance Centre from Nov. 19-22.
The season opens Nov. 30 in Toronto with the Sceptres hosting Boston at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
New York’s first game is Dec. 1 in Minnesota. Fillier and the Sirens’ first visit to Toronto is Jan. 25, but a location for that game has yet to be announced. It is the second of two neutral sites games the Sceptres will host.