A Look Back at the Inaugural NWHL Season w/Kelly Babstock.

Kelly Babstock to return to the Connecticut Whale; first player to re-sign for the 2016-17 NWHL season (Photo: Collinsville Press)

Kelly Babstock became the first NWHL player to re-sign for the 2016-2017 season. Restricted free agency began on April 1st for the new league, giving teams and inaugural players the opportunity to renew contacts before free agency will take place from May 1 through July 31. Babstock will return to the Connecticut Whale where she racked up 18 points in the regular season, the fourth highest total behind 3 USA National Team players, including Whale teammate Kelli Stack. Despite the Whale falling in the semifinals, Babstock is the 3rd highest goal scorer for the inaugural Isobel Cup Playoffs with 4 goals.

Making a Mark at Quinnipiac

However, scoring is nothing new to the Quinnipiac alum. If you take a look at program records, you will see Kelly atop four categories; games played with 147 (tied for 1st), career points with 203, career assists with 108, and 95 career goals. Additionally, she sweeps the record for most points and goals in each classmen category. She nearly completed the sweep for assists as well. Kelly Babstock showed early on in her college career that she would make a mark on the program. She was named the ECAC Player of the Year her freshman year, as well as ECAC Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Babstock was named to the first of three career All Conference First Teams.

With career stats and accolades like that, it is no wonder that Quinnipiac Coach Cassandra Turner attributes Kelly among the players that helped the program get to the next level. This year, Quinnipiac won the first ECAC Championship title in program history, defeating Clarkson 1-0. The Bobcats went 30-3-5, posting their best record in program history, and Coach Turner posted the most wins by a first time Head Coach in program history.

Babstock with an opportunity against Brown University. (Photo Quinnipiac University)

We asked Kelly about the historic run of her alma mater, “I thought it was awesome. The program has really established a strong and consistent presence at the top of the Division 1 level and I'm really happy that the team this year has taken it to the next step of being a championship program. I came into Quinnipiac wanting to make the team better each year, so I'm humbled to be a part of the process. Coach Turner is a huge part of the program's success and she was a key contributor to my personal success there. I am really happy for the team and a proud alum.”

Given the success Kelly has had in Connecticut, it is no surprise to see her re-signed. Newly named General Manager and returning Assistant Coach, Lisa Giovanelli noted Babstock’s ability to contribute to the Whale offense as a reason for her return, “We are very fortunate to have her back in a Whale jersey, as she will continue to be someone we look to bring a spark to our offense."

Giovanelli also praised for Babstock for her “hard work and tenacity”. These are the very qualities Kelly prides herself on, “I like to think that I work hard [laughs]. I like to think I’m a hard worker, a playmaker and goal scorer. I love helping out, setting up plays more than anything, that’s my favorite.” An unselfish brand of hockey is what Babstock enjoys the most, “when you’re teammate gets a goal, that’s a great feeling to be there and support them. And to be the one that passes to them is my favorite …” Babstock ranks 4th in the league with 13 assists in the inaugural season.

A Fresh Opportunity

For Kelly, the first season of the National Women’s Hockey League was an opportunity to continue playing a game that she loved. A game that is still a huge part of who she is. Babstock, like the majority of founding players of the NWHL, was unsure that she had a hockey career before the league. Having already graduated from Quinnipiac, and wanting to remain in the United States, the Canadian native had to embark on creating a future without competitive hockey, “I didn’t know if I was going to play again or not. I wanted to stay in America. I probably would have played in the CWHL, maybe, if I went home, but [pauses] I don’t know.”

Kelly didn’t need to wait too long to return to the game she loves, “I wanted to continue to play hockey … I’ve played all my life and [the NWHL] was a great opportunity that I never thought I’d never have. So, right then, when I heard about the league, I was all about it; being a part of making history in the first professional women's hockey league"

The First Season

The Connecticut Whale took the league by storm from the first puck drop on October 11th. Connecticut beat the New York Riveters 4-1. Kelly scored the third Whale goal of the contest, becoming the first Canadian player to score in the history of the NWHL. We asked Kelly about her first goal, “That’s pretty cool thinking about it. The first paid professional women’s hockey league and being the first Canadian to score a goal, what an honor. I take pride in that, thinking about it … but, I don’t think I would have thought about it if you never [asked].”

The Whale won eight straight games to start the season. During this span, a rivalry formed between the Whale and the Buffalo Beauts. Of the 8 wins, half were won against the Beauts. Additionally, of the 4 wins over Buffalo, 2 were decided by a shootout, “We just all played together … but the games were tough, it could have went [either] way. We had a motto, ‘fins up’ and we tried to play a full sixty [minutes].”

Whale game plan for Overtime (Photo: NWHL)

Babstock felt that goaltender Jaimie Leonoff stood out as a leader during the winning streak, “she really helped us. When we weren’t there, she always had our back … without her, I think it would have been a different story.” Leonoff posted a 7-3 record in the regular season and led the league with a .936 save percentage.

Despite the fact that Buffalo often came close to dethroning the Whale, it was ultimately the Boston Pride who eventually defeated the lone-standing undefeated team. The Pride topped the Whale in Connecticut in the final match of 2015. Boston would not lose to Connecticut for the remainder of the season, claiming the number one seed for the playoffs. This meant that Buffalo would travel to face the Whale in the first round of the Isobel Cup Playoffs. Despite a shutout win by Leonoff and the Whale in Game 1, the Beauts would finally get their first and second wins against Connecticut to eliminate them from the playoffs.

Memorable Moments

Young fans show off their Whale Pride during the 1st home game of the season. (Photo: NWHL)

Although the season ended just shy of the Isobel Cup Finals, there were a lot of wonderful things that came from the first season. “It’s not just a hockey game, it's a passion. For all the women that play in the league and for all the girls that dream of playing hockey, we play the game we love. Of course, now we get paid … we’ve always had hockey in our lives and for it to continue to be that way is awesome.”

Fans agree, NWHL players are making an impact, “I think it is fun too, as women, to see other women out there on the ice and being able to cheer on our fellow females. And also to see these young girls who say, ‘I’m going to be there in ten years.’”, said one fan. Although the group initially came to support co-worker at the American School for the Deaf, Michaela Long, the women were inspired by all the members of the Connecticut Whale. These die-hard Whale fans and others contributed to the team selling out 7 of 9 regular season games. The Whale played in front of three more sell outs for the semifinals against the Buffalo Beauts.

However, when we asked Kelly what moment stands out from her first season, she immediately mentioned the first game at Chelsea Piers, “it was a sold out rink and all the fans were loud. It was really loud,” said Babstock.

The energy and electrifying atmosphere from that first game, and seeing the excitement of the fans was a source of motivation for Kelly, “this is a new level of women’s hockey, professional hockey and it motivates me to continue and be better for the growth of women’s hockey.”

Looking Forward

For the second season, Babstock is confident that the level of play would continue to grow. “I think our first year gave us a strong foundation and personally, getting back into the game after a year off has made me ready to really push my limits and contribute to making this year better than the year before.” Kelly is ready to use the first season as fuel to bring her game, as well as her team, to the next level, “There’s a lot of talent in the league, and it’s only going to get better.”