Pride Take Davis, Vanisova with First Two Picks
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The Pride started out the NWHL Draft with a BANG Tuesday night, taking a pair of highly skilled forwards out of Hockey East with their first two picks. After the blockbuster they pulled off to move up to the 1st Overall Pick, they made Pembroke, Massachusetts native and Boston University forward Sammy Davis the second #1 Pick in franchise history after 2017 1st Overall pick Katie Burt. Davis hit another level at BU after missing her junior season due to injury, shredding Hockey East in her final two years of eligibility. She ended her career with two consecutive years of captaincy, and scored 142 points in 147 career games. Her career high was her junior campaign, where she scored 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points in 37 games. She also won the Beanpot MVP that season. "Sammy's a special player," said Pride GM Karilyn Pilch. "Any time you have the opportunity to add a player of that caliber, you can't leave anything to chance." ESPN College Hockey voice John Buccigross was tapped to announce Davis' selection.
Here’s @Buccigross to announce the First Overall Pick of the 2020 #NWHLDraft for @TheBostonPride 🦁 pic.twitter.com/s4cYt7jNuA
— NWHL (@NWHL) April 28, 2020
Davis, for her part, seems excited for the opportunity.
A few words from first overall pick @SammyDavis09 (@TerrierWHockey).#NWHLDraft | #ThePack 🦁 pic.twitter.com/w4bBfaqF0F
— Boston Pride (@TheBostonPride) April 28, 2020
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They proceeded to bookend the first night of the draft with University of Maine star Tereza Vanisova. The Strakonice, Czech Republic native brings a ludicrous amount of skill to the table, and should be viewed as quite the steal at 12th Overall. "She has hands for days," said Pilch. "We love the skill and experience she brings to the table. I think she might have been slept on a little bit because she's been at Maine, so we're excited to have her." Vanisova finished her career at Maine with exactly 129 points in 129 career games. Her career high came as a sophomore, where she had 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points in 37 games. NBC Olympic Hockey voice and legendary play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert was tapped to announce Vanisova's selection, and he had his two daughters, Amanda and Sydney, assist him with the task at hand.
Here’s @NHLonNBCSports play-by-play announcer @KennyAlbert & family to announce the 12th Overall Pick of the 2020 #NWHLDraft for @TheBostonPride 🦁 pic.twitter.com/8qLltNGjbw
— NWHL (@NWHL) April 29, 2020
Tereza seems just as excited as Davis to be joining a stacked Pride roster.
Welcome to the Lion's Den, Tereza! Our second round pick has a few words for everyone.@BlackBearsWIH#NWHLDraft | #ThePack 🦁 pic.twitter.com/4WTXRzgaHd
— Boston Pride (@TheBostonPride) April 29, 2020
The Pride will select four more players this evening as the remainder of the 2020 NWHL Draft is unveiled on Twitter. They still hold the 18th, 24th, 29th, and 30th picks. Stay tuned to Pride Diehards for continued coverage. For a full rundown of the first two rounds of the draft, check out my full draft analysis. By: Spencer Fascetta | Follow me on Twitter @PuckNerdHockey