Pride Dip into UDFA Class, Sign UNH's Turner
Despite adding a league-high six draft picks this season, the Boston Pride have added a 7th player out of the 2020 senior class, signing University of New Hampshire captain Carlee Turner on Friday.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native just finished a brilliant career with the Wildcats, adding 27 goals and 46 assists for 73 points in 140 games in Durham. This season, she spent a decent amount of the season centering a pair of Pride draft picks - Taylor Wenczkowski (18th Overall) and Meghara McManus (29th Overall), and finished the season with 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 34 games. She has been incredibly consistent and reliable in all three zones for the Wildcats throughout her career.
Turner took a team-high 707 faceoffs this season, and won a ludicrous 424 of them. That's a nearly 60% rate over a rather large sample. She also was a positive when it comes to penalty impact, sitting at a +7 this past season, and a +3 last season, both with plenty of penalties of her own. Like her linemates, Turner plays with an edge, and is unafraid to engage physically with her opponents.Most importantly, she has a brilliant mind for the game. She consistently is able to process the play in front of her at a speed faster than her opponents, and see plays as they develop. She was counted on as the anchor of both the top powerplay and top penalty killing unit for UNH for each of the past two seasons. She had by far the highest rate of controlled zone entries of any forward on the Wildcats over the past two seasons, indicating a deeper understanding of puck possession and transitional hockey.
Anecdotally, Turner's thirst for knowledge and eagerness to find new ways to improve her game are impressive. She was the most consistent player to ask questions pertaining to the numerical data provided, and thoroughly enjoys reviewing game film in an attempt to improve herself. This is a player that will be a positive impact in all three zones of the ice and in the locker room. Now, we just have to wait for the rest of her line to officially sign. Having a line of rookies with this level of built in chemistry spells trouble for the rest of the league.