Hard work and 35,000 practice shots pay off for Clarkson defenseman Haley Winn entering PWHL draft

As accustomed as Matt Desrosiers was to seeing defenseman Haley Winn take one attempt after another at the RapidShot machine inside Clarkson’s training facility during her freshman season four years ago, the Golden Knights coach was stunned upon learning the final tally.

How does 35,000 shots sound?

“We actually had people from RapidShot grab us at the coaches’ convention and tell us they hadn’t seen anything like it,” Desrosiers said. “And that’s not including the pucks she went on the ice and shot extra, too. She’s just the most dedicated athlete we’ve been fortunate enough to have.”

The 21-year-old Winn laughed at the memory.

“Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate,” she said. “I could stay at the rink all day just because that’s what I enjoy doing. I don’t have to force myself to do it.”

The relentless work translated into Winn completing her college career ranking second among Clarkson defensemen with 130 career points (37 goals, 93 assists), seven behind Erin Ambrose at the school in upstate New York. It helped Winn, at 19, land a spot on the U.S. national team, with her already winning two gold medals in three world championship appearances.

And she’s considered a top-three pick entering the eight-team, six-round PWHL draft in Ottawa on Tuesday.

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“It doesn’t even feel real that my name should be up there,” said Winn, who got her start at 3 on her father’s backyard rink in Rochester, New York.

“When I was that young, really, all I wanted to do was go to the Olympics,” added Winn, who has an opportunity to achieve that dream at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February. “As I grew older, I realized the steps to get there and what it was going to take. So yeah, it’s just awesome.”

Sirens have No. 1 pick

The New York Sirens hold the No. 1 pick for a second straight year, followed by the Boston Fleet and Toronto Sceptres. Next year’s expansion teams, Vancouver and Seattle, pick seventh and eighth, respectively..

Rounding out the top prospects are Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova, who is from the Czech Republic and could be the first European chosen first; and Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien, this season’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner as women’s college hockey’s MVP.

The prevailing consensus has the Sirens looking for a forward to complement last year’s No. 1 pick, Sarah Fillier, who finished tied for the PWHL lead with 29 points.

New York’s offense took a hit in the PWHL’s expansion process by losing forwards Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge. They combined for 20 of the team’s PWHL-low 71 goals last season. Meantime, New York is deep at defense with the return of Ella Shelton, Maja Nylan Persson and Micah Zandee-Hart.

Not ruling out D

New York GM Pascal Daoust acknowledged a need at forward, while refusing to rule out targeting a defenseman at No. 1.

“Thinking that it automatically means we go forward is probably not covering all the angles, knowing me,” Daoust said, referring to potential trade opportunities. “There’s still a lot that can still be done between June and November.”

Sirens coach Greg Fargo previously coached Kaltounkova at Colgate, where he also faced Winn in ECAC competition.

At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, the 23-year-old Kaltounkova brings a physical style with offensive flair. She finished her five-year college career with 233 points (111 goals, 122 assists) and 218 penalty minutes in 171 games.

The only potential blemish was the ECAC assessing Kaltounkova a two-game suspension for an undisclosed reason in February 2024, after which she missed two more games to, as the school put it, “step away from the team.”

Kaltounkova staying grounded

Kaltounkova told the Rinkside Rundown podcast last week she’s doing her best to stay grounded in approaching the draft.

“There’s moments where I’m like, `Oh my god, what if this and what if that?′ And then I pause and just like, `I can’t think about that.′ Like, that would just bring me down a rabbit hole,” she said. “It kind of fuels me because it’s either people hyping you up and cheering you on, or it’s people criticizing you. And both things motivate me so much.”

Kaltounkova had four goals and six points in her world championship tournament debut on home ice in April.

“She’s coming with speed, she’s coming with physicality, she’s coming with a great shot — a PWHL shot-level quality,” Daoust said of Kaltounkova.

As for Winn, Daoust noted her puck-moving ability and defensive presence. “Great person, great leader, so a lot of positives under her name,” he said.

Winn reflected on her younger days in joining her three older brothers on the family’s rink.

“They never wanted me to play because I was the little sister. But I think I’ve earned my spot now,” Winn said. “Obviously, they were pretty tough on me. But that’s what made me who I am today.”

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey