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If Sarah Filje's aspirations are to become the best women's hockey player in the world, then the New York Sirens center is unlikely to be happy with her PWHL Rookie of the Year.
Despite finishing tied with Hilary Knight throughout and leading the league with 29 points, Filje spent the offseason focusing instead on the missed opportunities that contributed to New York finishing last in the standings for the second year in a row.
“There were times when the game was on my stick and we just couldn't get the puck in the net,” the 25-year-old said, referring to how New York fell out of contention during a nine-game midseason skid. “If you want to be the best in the world, these moments define you.”
No stranger to losing, the former Princeton star and 2022 Team Canada Olympian has plenty of motivation as the Sirens begin their third PWHL season in Ottawa on Saturday. And Filje has reinforcements to accompany her after the Sirens added top-tier talent to their roster in the draft.
After selecting Colgate forward Kristina Kaltunkova with the No. 1 pick, general manager Pascal Daoust acquired the No. 3 pick in a trade with Toronto and used it to select NCAA women's hockey MVP Casey O'Brien.
Add in second-round pick Anna Cherkowski, who has totaled 147 points in 168 career games, and the Sirens have the best young forwards in the league.
These additions compensated for the veteran talent the Sirens lost through trades and the expansion process. Forwards Alex Carpenter and Jesse Eldridge signed with Seattle. New York traded scoring guard Ella Shelton to Toronto for the No. 3 pick and also traded Abby Roque to Montreal to acquire Canadian forward Kristen O'Neill.
With Filje in the spotlight, Kaltunkova, O'Brien, O'Neal and Cerkovski give coach Greg Fargo plenty of options to fill the top two spots.
“This is something new. It’s exciting,” the second-year coach said. “Every year, to a certain extent, feels like the beginning of a new life. But with the turnover we’ve had, this is a new team.”
Strengthening sirens
That's a big boost the Sirens could use after struggling to win wins and attract fan attention while playing at the Devils' NHL stadium in Newark, New Jersey.
Fargo is particularly familiar with Kaltunkova, having coached her during his previous tenure at Colgate. Kaltunkova from the Czech Republic is the first player of European origin to be selected first in the PVHL draft. She is coming off a college career during which she set a program record with 111 goals and ranks second with 233 points in 171 games.
O'Brien is enjoying being back home after growing up playing hockey at New York's Chelsea Piers. She is a two-way and play-making center who led the nation with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists) in 41 games during her senior season at Wisconsin.
“I think there's a lot of buzz around it, changing what's happened over the last two seasons,” O'Brien said. “It will be easy for us to step in and create a new culture, a new team right away.”
On defense, the Sirens return captain Mika Zandi-Hart, Maia Nylen Person and Jaime Bourbonnais and add Jincy Rose in free agency.
New York is young in goal after losing two-year starter Corinne Schroeder, who signed with Seattle. Kayle Osborne, who made her Team Canada debut this month, returns after going 2-4-3 in her debut season. She was joined by draft rookies Callie Shanahan and Casey Doyle.
Filje, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft, has rejuvenated and is set to make an impact in New York after signing a two-year deal in July.
“We can build something really exciting,” Filje said.
“I really like Greg as a coach and I share his vision for us,” she added. “If you look at the talent we have from our college players, we could have a really dangerous lineup.”
