Advanced PWHL Drafting: Purposeful Plays

In hockey, certain plays lead to good results. Whether it’s a pass into the slot that leads to a shot, or the decision to carry a puck over the blueline instead of dumping it in. Defensively, it’s the decision to fill a lane and block a shot. Positive passing and puck possession decisions and execution maintain control, and result in offensive opportunities. They also reduce the time opponents are in possession, and ultimately, offensive opportunities against.

To date, we’ve looked at possession stats including Corsi and Fenwick, puck battle and puck acquisition metrics, and expected goals. Next up, it’s a look at some of the smaller plays that can have a big impact. Here’s a look at what we’re calling, Purposeful Plays. We look at the top NCAA performers in each who are eligible for the 2025 PWHL Draft.

Blocked Shots

Haley Winn, D, Clarkson – 133
Abbey Murphy, F, Minnesota – 133
Nicole Gosling, D, Clarkson – 105
Sydney Pederson, D, Mercyhurst – 86
Dayle Ross, D, St. Cloud State – 76
Lyndie Lobdell, D, Penn State – 75
Brianna Brooks, F, Penn State – 71
Clara Van Wieren, F, Minnesota-Duluth – 69
Julia Shaunessy, D, Boston University – 68
Kendall Cooper, D, Quinnipiac – 65
Brooke Becker, D, Providence – 64
Maya Labad, F, Quinnipiac – 64
Vanessa Upson, F, Mercyhurst – 64
Abby Hustler, F, St. Lawrence – 62
Ava Rinker, D, Connecticut – 62
Morgan Neitzke, F, Lindenwood – 62
Nina Jobst-Smith, D, Minnesota-Duluth – 61
Kristyna Kaltounkova, F, Colgate – 60
Tamara Gianquinto, D, Boston University -60
Olivia Muhn, D, Yale – 60
Emma Gentry, F, St. Cloud State – 59
Sidney Fess, D, Clarkson – 59
Natalie Mlynkova, F, Minnesota – 58
Brynn Saarela, F, Syracuse – 54
Jada Habisch, F, Connecticut – 54

Pre-Shot Passes and Pre-Shot Pass Conversions

Finding a player in scoring position is the most difficult pass to make. Some players see their final pass result in a shot more often than others. While many metrics result in individuals shooting, this data set is a measure of passes resulting in a shot by a teammate. Here’s a look at the top PWHL Draft eligible NCAA players in per game pre-shot passes.

In brackets, we’ve included how the ratio of pre-shot passes resulting in a primary assist on a goal which we’ll call PSP Conversions. While this ratio will be impacted by the quality of shooter and location of the shot, over time it could also show ability of a passer to find shooters in high payoff locations. For example, Haley Winn was 19th in Pre-Shot Passes, but when you look at how many of those passes resulted in a goal and primary assist, she moves into third behind Casey O’Brien and Vanessa Upson. Ella Huber, who was not among leaders in pre-shot passes per game, but when you look at the percentage of her pre-shot passes that translated to goals for Minnesota, she would be the leader among draft eligible players at an eye popping 0.523 rate.

Kylie Aquaro, F, RIT – 2.56 (0.119 PSP Conversions)
Casey O’Brien, F, Wisconsin – 2.05 (0.450 PSP Conversions)
Anne Cherkowski, F, Clarkson – 1.95 (0.205 PSP Conversions)
Jenna Bulgioni, F, Ohio State – 1.76 (0.169 PSP Conversions)
Makenna Webster, F, Ohio State – 1.70 (0.314 PSP Conversions)
Laura Fuoco, F, Dartmouth – 1.61 (0.088 PSP Conversions)
Clara Van Wieren, F, Minnesota-Duluth – 1.57 (0.172 PSP Conversions)
Vanessa Upson, F, Mercyhurst – 1.57 (0.379 PSP Conversions)
Sarah Marchand, F, St. Lawrence – 1.56 (0.164 PSP Conversions)
Morgan Neitzke, F, Lindenwood – 1.55 (0.146 PSP Conversions)
Olivia Wallin, F, Minnesota-Duluth – 1.51 (0.320 PSP Conversions)
Nicole Gosling, D, Clarkson – 1.48 (0.305 PSP Conversions)
Abbey Murphy, F, Minnesota – 1.45 (0.328 PSP Conversions)
Abby Hustler, F, St. Lawrence – 1.41 (0.254 PSP Conversions)
Anna Segedi, F, Colgate – 1.41 (0.200 PSP Conversions)
Lacey Eden, F, Wisconsin – 1.38 (0.315 PSP Conversions)
Kiara Zanon, F, Ohio State – 1.36 (0.226 PSP Conversions)
Maddi Wheeler, F, Ohio State – 1.33 (0.154 PSP Conversions)
Haley Winn, D, Clarkson – 1.26 (0.354 PSP Conversions)
Brianna Brooks, F, Penn State – 1.22 (0.244 PSP Conversions)

Controlled Zone Entries

Some teams play dump and chase, others keep the puck on their sticks. It’s well known that entering the offensive zone in complete control of the puck benefits possession and offensive chances. Here’s a look at the players in the NCAA eligible for the 2025 PWHL Draft who had the most controlled (via stickhandling) zone entries per game.

Abbey Murphy, F, Minnesota – 6.1
Morgan Neitzke, F, Lindenwood – 5.3
Skylar Irving, F, Northeastern – 4.9
Anne Cherkowski, F, Clarkson – 4.85
Abby Newhook, F, Boston College – 4.44
Casey O’Brien, F, Wisconsin – 4.38
Natalie Mlynkova, F, Minnesota – 4.18
Clara Van Wieren, F, Minnesota-Duluth – 3.97
Makenna Webster, F, Ohio State – 3.97
Kira Juodikis, F, New Hampshire – 3.93
Lacey Eden, F, Wisconsin – 3.90
Kiara Zanon, F, Ohio State – 3.90
Jada Habisch, F, Connecticut – 3.83
Vanessa Upson, F, Mercyhurst – 3.81
Emma Gentry, F, St. Cloud State – 3.69
Kristyna Kaltounkova, F, Colgate – 3.68
Sarah Machand, F, St. Lawrence – 3.59
Olivia Mobley, F, Minnesota-Duluth – 3.46
Anna Segedi, F, Colgate – 3.46
Lauren Messier, F, Dartmouth – 3.43

Penalties Drawn

Let’s call this the pest factor, which makes it unsurprising that Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy draws the most penalties per game, by a landslide, of any PWHL draft eligible player in the NCAA. While drawing penalties is beneficial, and can show a measure not only of the “pest factor,” but also generally indicates that a player is more difficult to contain. Players who can separate with their skating, who take pucks into dangerous zones, and can protect pucks more effectively, often face actions resulting in penalties to stop them. Here’s the top PWHL Draft eligible NCAA players in penalties drawn per game.