Breaking Down the Alina Müller Signing
Image via: Northeastern Women’s Ice Hockey
Simply put, the Boston Pride do not rebuild, they reload. In a week where the Pride were dealt a tough blow of losing Elizabeth Giguere and Corinne Schroeder, Maddie Rigsby got to work in signing Olympian and Northeastern alum Alina Müller.
Müller’s resume speaks for itself. A three-time Olympian, Müller first cracked the Swiss Roster at fifteen, racking up a goal and two assists in her first bout. She would follow it up with two more Olympic Roster crackings in 2018 (7-3-10) and 2022 (4-6-10). Alongside these appearances she has been a staple on the Swiss Women’s Worlds Roster since 2015.
Perhaps what you folks will recognize her for most is her time as part of the powerhouse Northeastern squad that rocked the Hockey East for years. Müller would rack up an All-NCAA tournament team nod, three Frozen Four appearances, and 98 goals with 156 assists for a total of 254 points in 159 games.
But how does she fit into Boston?
Looking at the scoring prowess she had, she can and will be a dangerous player on the ice. Coach Paul Mara is known for his offensive approach to games and thus Müller will fall in line nicely.
On top of this, the rumored loss of several forwards on top of the confirmed loss of Élizabeth Giguère means the opportunity will present itself. In recent years the Pride have had stellar players sort of… fall off.
That’s not to say they lost any skill, however it is to say the opportunities became less for them. McKenna Brand kept scoring with assists, but the goal scoring decreased when players like Giguere joined the squad and took ice time. Taylor Wenckowski went from MVP candidate to silent observer once Gabel and Gilmore locked up higher line positioning.
Thus, with the rumored loss of some top scorers, the opportunity is fully presenting itself for Müller to hit the ice skating. The puck finds her, and she finds it. A Patty Kazmaier finalist, All-American, Hockey East Scoring Champion, and Swiss Hockey Player of the year means the accolades follow her everywhere. Expect them to follow her to the Pride.
What I see is her coming in very similar to Gabel. Swinging and scoring. On a line with Demps, Gabel, or Sammy Davis her assist abilities will shine forth. She’s used to scoring on olympic-level goalies meaning her transition to the league will be relatively smooth.
The hope is the pieces fill in around her. For the first time in a few seasons we cannot say for sure who is joining the Pride and what the lineup will look like.
Change is good, and rolling out the same squad every year will not win you a fourth Isobel Cup. The large-scale changes seem to be trending in a new direction as the players lost are being replaced with equal or if not better players signing.
Let the Müller signing be an example that this offseason is going to be an exciting one.
