Pride Ink 2nd Round Pick Vanisova

The Boston Pride became the second team to sign two of their 2020 draft selections on Thursday, announcing that they had inked 2nd round pick Tereza Vanisova to her rookie contract.

The Strakonice, Czech Republic native is the University of Maine's all-time leading scorer, and has been a mainstay on the Czech National Team since the age of 13. Vanisova finished her outstanding career with the Black Bears with 63 goals and 69 assists for 129 points in 129 games. She was the co-Hockey East Rookie of the Year as a freshman after leading the team in scoring, then broke out as a sophomore with 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points in 37 games, finishing 6th in Hockey East in scoring and 11th in the country.

Maine's head coach, Richard Reichenbach, was consistently impressed with the Czech import in her four years in Orono. "Tereza is one of the best athletes I have ever seen," he said. "She has the ability to control the play. She is always thinking offense and is a fierce competitor. She’s incredibly strong and loves the challenge of playing against the best in the biggest games.

"Vanisova was the Czech Republic's Female Hockey Player of the Year in 2017. She is incredibly excited to join the professional ranks. "I believe the Pride will win the league next season," she said Thursday. "I’m looking forward to a fun and exciting first NWHL season, and I’m very appreciative of this opportunity to continue to progress as a hockey player and be part of this first-class organization and fantastic team."

After previously signing #1 Overall Selection Sammy Davis, the team has now signed both their 1st and 2nd round selections in the same draft for the first time in franchise history. Vanisova is also the 2nd Czech forward to call the Pride home, after Denisa Krizova spent the 2017-18 season with the team, and the 4th European to sign with the franchise, following Krizova, the Austrian-born Janine Weber (2016-17), and Swedish goaltender Lovisa Selander (2019-20).