PWHL Boston and Minnesota make a splashy move.
Making history, Boston management seems to be acknowledging that they may have erred in selecting their second-round pick.
Note from the Editor: Context has been added to this article. The author’s first work has not been altered.
Boston has given up on their second round pick after just seven games.
The Boston PWHL squad created history yesterday when they acquired Finnish forward Susanna Tapani and BU alumni Abby Cook in exchange for selling rookie defender Sophie Jacques to Minnesota, the first trade in PWHL history.
TRADE: PWHL Boston has acquired defender Abby Cook and forward Susanna Tapani from PWHL Minnesota in exchange for Sophie Jaques.⁰⁰📰: https://t.co/dse70jzDrc pic.twitter.com/IJww0lvPZ1
— PWHL Boston (@PWHL_Boston) February 12, 2024
Sophie Jacques: who is she?
Sophie Jacques plays defense, and she is a young one at that, having only turned 23 in a league where starting lineups often range from 25 to 26. She was selected second in Boston’s first-ever PWHL draft, and she has a Patty Kazmeier award and collegiate point-per-game experience.
Crucially, she was the only player on the team that actually shot right-handed; this made her a RHD, which was extremely uncommon.
For what reason did they act in this way?
Briefly put? Boston needs offense and most likely wasn’t happy with the slow progress. awfully.
Boston stands out among the six clubs as a statistical outlier; with a 4-2-1 record and an identical number of points to both New York and Toronto, they are tied for third place. With a total of 17, they also have the lowest goals-for of any side in the league. It’s obvious that they can’t accomplish anything in the opposing team’s zone if Alina Muller isn’t passing the puck to these specific guys.
In theory, this accomplishes two goals at once. Still…
It seems like you made a mistake to trade someone who you ranked 28th out of all players available so quickly. Jaques began the season with five straight games ending in a loss, a -4 +/- and no points. When selecting a second pick, you usually give them more time to develop before shipping them off, but management must really not be happy with the trajectory the reigning Patty Kazmaier award winner was showing this season. Many had criticized her skating and defensive play leading up to the draft.
Boston will receive two players from Minnesota in exchange. Finish phenom Susanna Tapani is the main comeback, but Boston University’s Abby Cook will also be joining the team to take Jaques’ spot on the blue line.
Many were thrilled to see Tapani arrive in North America to routinely compete against the top players from the US and Canada. Her two goals and three assists put her in a tie for 18th place in the league’s scoring standings right now. Cook, a standout throughout her tenure on Community Avenue, has scored a goal and is currently +3 for the season. As Boston continues to look for their identity, Coach Kessel should find her to be a trustworthy candidate.
This transaction adds a fantastic scorer and a solid defense, but the fact that your second round pick is so poor speaks volumes about the leadership of the team that made the personnel decisions.
It will take time to determine whether Boston oversold on a sinking ship, whether Boston was simply the wrong place for Jaques to be, or whether Boston was simply too frantic to try to salvage anything.
