Pride Go Off-Brand for On-Brand Announcement

Image via Michelle Jay

It’s been a lot of waiting, but new GM Maddie Rigsby has one thing on her mind: three-peat. 

Instead of one drop like last year, at 7:00 PM The Boston Pride announced their first signing of 2022-23; McKenna Brand. 

It’s a familiar and stellar face to be brought back to the locker room for the Pride. The 2x Isobel Cup Champion and perennial All-Star candidate has played four seasons with the Pride. Here’s what she brings to the table (if you didn’t already know):

Offense:

We’ll start off with what Brand is known for - scoring. During her first season with the Pride in 2018-19, Brand notched 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 16 games while helping the Pride to a third place finish in the regular season. 

Following her 2018-19 campaign is perhaps the season Brand is most known for, 2019-20. Breakout season doesn’t even begin to cover the massive effort Brand had with a casual 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points en route to the first seed in the playoffs. She’d add a point in the playoff victory over Connecticut before the cancellation of the 2020 Isobel Cup.

A shortened season didn’t mean shortened stats for Brand as in 2021 in Lake Placid she’d put up 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in as many games and helped the Pride secure the final spot in the 2021 playoffs in Boston. There she’d add a goal and an assist to help bring home the 2021 Isobel Cup. 

Cup hangover wasn’t a thing for McKenna Brand. She rolled into 2021-22 with 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 20 games on the way to the 3 seed in the playoffs. 3 more assists finished off the playoffs in Tampa Bay alongside a second Isobel Cup.

Brand’s scoring prowess will help in an ever-growing league. With Montreal expected to announce their roster, Buffalo and Metropolitan loading up for Cup runs, Connecticut setting up to run it back, and Toronto and Minnesota ready to join the fun offense is a must. International talent has been hopping onto all teams and bringing better scoring alongside it. The Pride will need to keep up and Brand helps them do so.

Leadership:

Brand’s leadership need not go unnoticed. She was named an alternate captain for the 2021 Bubble and again in 2021-22. Alongside this is her considerable Isobel Cup experience. Brand has been in the playoffs with this team every year, and taken home two Cups. While we can expect a few more returners (we expect Kaleigh Fratkin, Jenna Rheault, Lauren Kelly, and Kali Flanagan ), we should also expect new players as well (according to reports, this includes former Patty Kazmaier winner Elizabeth Giguere, superstar former Whitecap Allie Thunstrom, Harvard standout and Wayland, MA native Becca Gilmore, and former Penn State and Clarkson defender Avery Mitchell). Brand’s voice is important to bringing home a third-consecutive Cup. 

Overall, the team is already shaping up alright. While rumors surround other players, Brand is the right player to start with. It’s surprising the announcement didn’t come all at once, but that being said knowing there will be strong players is a massive positive. 

The rest of the roster will be announced daily at 12PM each day. Keep checking back on the Pride social accounts as well as the Diehards accounts for more updates. 

Let’s go get our fourth Cup.