# 2015–16 NWHL season

The 2015–16 NWHL season was the first season of operation of the National Women's Hockey League. Four teams competed for the inaugural Isobel Cup: the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, New York Riveters, and Connecticut Whale.

## League business

* July 2015: The NWHL Foundation hosted a Canadian Training Camp Series in four different Canadian cities (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor).
* Late July 2015: A training camp for European players took place at Ristuccia Memorial Arena outside Boston on July 23, hosted by Boston Pride head coach Bobby Jay. Players from Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Japan attended.

## All-star game

The 1st NWHL All-Star Game was held January 24, 2016 at HarborCenter in Buffalo, the home of the Beauts.

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | W% | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Boston Pride | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0.806 | 75 | 39 | +36 | 29 |
| 2 | Connecticut Whale | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0.722 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 26 |
| 3 | Buffalo Beauts | 18 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 0.389 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 14 |
| 4 | New York Riveters | 18 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0.278 | 40 | 76 | −36 | 10 |

### Schedule

All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00).
Regular season :
| Date | Time | Visitor | Score | Home | OT |
| October 11 | 1:30 | New York | 1–4 | Connecticut | |
| October 11 | 3:30 | Boston | 4–1 | Buffalo | |
| October 18 | 3:30 | Connecticut | 5–2 | Buffalo | |
| October 18 | 8:00 | Boston | 7–1 | New York | |
| October 25 | 3:30 | Boston | 5–3 | Buffalo | |
| October 25 | 7:00 | Connecticut | 3–1 | New York | |
| November 15 | 3:30 | Connecticut | 3–2 | Buffalo | |
| November 15 | 7:00 | Boston | 2–3 | New York | |
| November 22 | 3:00 | New York | 3–2 | Boston | |
| November 22 | 3:30 | Connecticut | 7–6 | Buffalo | SO |
| November 29 | 3:00 | Connecticut | 4–3 | Boston | |
| November 29 | 7:00 | Buffalo | 3–1 | New York | |
| December 5 | 7:00 | Buffalo | 6–7 | Boston | |
| December 6 | 3:30 | New York | 1–4 | Boston | |
| December 6 | 4:30 | Buffalo | 2–3 | Connecticut | SO |
| December 13 | 6:30 | Connecticut | 4–3 | New York | SO |
| December 20 | 3:00 | Buffalo | 0–1 | Boston | |
| December 27 | 3:30 | New York | 7–3 | Buffalo | |
| December 27 | 4:30 | Boston | 2–1 | Connecticut | |
| January 3 | 3:00 | Buffalo | 4–3 | Boston | OT |
| January 3 | 7:00 | Connecticut | 6–1 | New York | |
| January 9 | 7:30 | New York | 3–4 | Connecticut | |
| January 10 | 3:00 | New York | 1–8 | Boston | |
| January 10 | 6:00 | Buffalo | 3–5 | Connecticut | |
| January 17 | 3:00 | Connecticut | 1–4 | Boston | |
| January 17 | 7:00 | Buffalo | 6–5 | New York | SO |
| January 31 | 3:30 | New York | 2–4 | Buffalo | |
| January 31 | 6:00 | Boston | 5–2 | Connecticut | |
| February 6 | 6:00 | Boston | 6–1 | New York | |
| February 7 | 12:00 | Buffalo | 2–3 | Connecticut | OT |
| February 14 | 2:00 | Buffalo | 3–4 | New York | SO |
| February 14 | 3:00 | Connecticut | 2–4 | Boston | |
| February 21 | 1:30 | Boston | 5–3 | Connecticut | |
| February 21 | 3:30 | New York | 1–5 | Buffalo | |
| February 28 | 3:30 | Boston | 3–2 | Buffalo | |
| February 28 | 6:00 | New York | 2–4 | Connecticut | |
| March 4 | 7:00 | New York | 0–6 | Boston | |
| March 4 | 7:10 | Buffalo | 0–3 | Connecticut | |
| March 5 | 7:30 | Buffalo | 4–1 | Connecticut | |
| March 5 | 8:00 | New York | 4–7 | Boston | |
| March 6 | 6:00 | Buffalo | 4–3 | Connecticut | |
| March 11 | 7:30 | Buffalo | 3–4 | Boston | OT |
| March 12 | 7:30 | Boston | 3–1 | Buffalo | |

## Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Boston Pride | 2 | | | |
| 4 | New York Riveters | 0 | | | |
| 4 | New York Riveters | 0 | 1 | Boston Pride | 2 |
| | | | 3 | Buffalo Beauts | 0 |
| 2 | Connecticut Whale | 1 | 3 | Buffalo Beauts | 0 |
| 3 | Buffalo Beauts | 2 | | | |

## Statistics
### Scoring leaders

* The following players led the league in regular season points at the conclusion of season.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Hilary Knight | Boston Pride | 17 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 8 |
| Brianna Decker | Boston Pride | 17 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 20 |
| Kelli Stack | Connecticut Whale | 17 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 24 |
| Kelly Babstock | Connecticut Whale | 18 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 24 |
| Kelley Steadman | Buffalo Beauts | 13 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 16 |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Team | Date |
| First goal | Jessica Koizumi | Connecticut Whale | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First Canadian to score a goal | Kelly Babstock | Connecticut Whale | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First European to log an assist | Lyudmila Belyakova | New York Riveters | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First multi-goal game | Hilary Knight (2 goals) | Boston Pride | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First multi-point game | Kelli Stack (3 points) | Connecticut Whale | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First multi-point game by a defenseman | Kacey Bellamy (2 points) | Boston Pride | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First goaltending win | Jaimie Leonoff | Connecticut Whale | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First American-born goaltender to win a regular season game | Brittany Ott | Boston Pride | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First African-American player to compete in the NWHL | Blake Bolden | Boston Pride | Oct 11, 2015 |
| First hat trick | Brianna Decker | Boston Pride | Oct 25, 2015 |
| First international goaltender to win a regular season game | Nana Fujimoto | New York Riveters | Nov 15, 2015 |
| First shootout goal | Kelly Babstock | Connecticut Whale | Nov 22, 2015 |
| First European to score a goal | Yekaterina Smolentseva | Connecticut Whale | Dec 13, 2015 |
| First shutout game | Brittany Ott | Boston Pride | Dec 20, 2015 |

## Awards and honors

* Brianna Decker, Boston Pride, 2016 NWHL Most Valuable Player
* Hilary Knight, Boston Pride, 2016 NWHL Scoring Champion
* Denna Laing, Boston Pride, 2016 NWHL Perseverance Award
* Denna Laing, Boston Pride, 2016 NWHL Foundation Award
* Gigi Marvin, Boston Pride, 2016 NWHL Defensive Player of the Year Award
* Brittany Ott, Boston Pride, 2016 NWHL Goaltender of the Year

## Transactions
### NWHL draft

The 2015 NWHL draft took place in Boston on June 22, 2015. The draft was not binding on the players, who did not enter their names and did not have to give their consent. It was not clear that the players felt themselves bound by the decisions made in the draft. However, during the season the NWHL was frequently active on social media about draft picks' success in the NCAA, and on April 1, 2016 the NWHL announced that the draft would be enforced insofar as there would be salary cap penalties for teams that signed other teams' draftees.
A draft lottery was held by NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan, with the New York Riveters earning the first pick overall.
Notable first round picks included University of Minnesota forward Hannah Brandt by Connecticut, Northeastern University forward Kendall Coyne by Boston, and University of Wisconsin defenseman Courtney Burke by Buffalo.
* = Indicates player with a prior Olympic appearance
* = Indicates player with prior IIHF experience without appearing in the Olympics
| # | Player | Pos | Team | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | Alex Carpenter | F | New York Riveters | Boston College (HEA) |
| 2 | Hannah Brandt | F | Connecticut Whale | University of Minnesota (WCHA) |
| 3 | Kendall Coyne | F | Boston Pride | Northeastern (HEA) |
| 4 | Courtney Burke | D | Buffalo Beauts | University of Wisconsin (WCHA) |
| 5 | Haley Skarupa | F | New York Riveters | Boston College (HEA) |
| 6 | Michelle Picard | D | Connecticut Whale | Harvard University (ECAC) |
| 7 | Emerance Maschmeyer | G | Boston Pride | Harvard University (ECAC) |
| 8 | Sarah Lefort | F | Buffalo Beauts | Boston University (HEA) |
| 9 | Erin Ambrose | D | New York Riveters | Clarkson University (ECAC) |
| 10 | Milica McMillen | D | Connecticut Whale | University of Minnesota (WCHA) |
| 11 | Lexi Bender | D | Boston Pride | Boston College (HEA) |
| 12 | Amanda Leveille | G | Buffalo Beauts | University of Minnesota (WCHA) |
| 13 | Dana Trivigno | F | New York Riveters | Boston College (HEA) |
| 14 | Maryanne Menefee | F | Connecticut Whale | University of Minnesota (WCHA) |
| 15 | Miye D'Oench | F | Boston Pride | Harvard University (ECAC) |
| 16 | Emily Janiga | F | Buffalo Beauts | Mercyhurst College (CHA) |
| 17 | Kimberly Newell | G | New York Riveters | Princeton University (ECAC) |
| 18 | Cassandra Poudrier | D | Connecticut Whale | Cornell University (ECAC) |
| 19 | Shannon MacAulay | F | Boston Pride | Clarkson University (ECAC) |
| 20 | Jenna Dingeldein | F | Buffalo Beauts | Mercyhurst College (CHA) |

### Free agency

| Date | Player | Team |
| June 11, 2015 | Janine Weber | New York Riveters |
| June 23, 2015 | Amanda Pelkey | Boston Pride |
| June 25, 2015 | Shiann Darkangelo | Connecticut Whale |
| June 25, 2015 | Sam Faber | Connecticut Whale |
| June 25, 2015 | Chelsea Laden | Connecticut Whale |
| June 26, 2015 | Celeste Brown | New York Riveters |
| June 30, 2015 | Kiira Dosdall | New York Riveters |
| June 30, 2015 | Morgan Fritz-Ward | New York Riveters |
| July 1, 2015 | Kaleigh Fratkin | Connecticut Whale |
| July 1, 2015 | Brianne McLaughlin | Buffalo Beauts |
| July 2, 2015 | Blake Bolden | Boston Pride |
| July 2, 2015 | Jillian Dempsey | Boston Pride |
| July 2, 2015 | Alyssa Gagliardi | Boston Pride |
| July 6, 2015 | Emily Field | Boston Pride |
| July 6, 2015 | Jordan Smelker | Boston Pride |
| July 9, 2015 | Jessica Koizumi | Connecticut Whale |
| July 9, 2015 | Devon Skeats | Buffalo Beauts |
| July 9, 2015 | Danielle Ward | Connecticut Whale |
| July 9, 2015 | Erin Zach | Buffalo Beauts |
| July 10, 2015 | Beth Hanrahan | New York Riveters |
| July 10, 2015 | Brittany Ott | Boston Pride |
| July 13, 2015 | Lindsay Grigg | Buffalo Beauts |
| July 13, 2015 | Kelly McDonald | Buffalo Beauts |
| July 14, 2015 | Madison Packer | New York Riveters |
| July 17, 2015 | Micaela Long | Connecticut Whale |
| July 17, 2015 | Nicole Stock | Connecticut Whale |
| July 24, 2015 | Kelly Cooke | Boston Pride |
| July 24, 2015 | Marissa Gedman | Boston Pride |
| July 25, 2015 | Lyudmila Belyakova | New York Riveters |
| July 26, 2015 | Ashley Johnston | New York Riveters |
| July 26, 2015 | Tara Tomimoto | Connecticut Whale |
| July 26, 2015 | Jaimie Leonoff | Connecticut Whale |
| July 26, 2015 | Shenae Lundberg | New York Riveters |
| July 27, 2015 | Nana Fujimoto | New York Riveters |
| July 31, 2015 | Corinne Buie | Boston Pride |
| July 31, 2015 | Elena Orlando | New York Riveters |
| August 3, 2015 | Meghan Fardelmann | New York Riveters |
| August 3, 2015 | Lauren Slebodnick | Boston Pride |
| August 4, 2015 | Kelly Babstock | Connecticut Whale |
| August 6, 2015 | Hailey Browne | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 6, 2015 | Kimberly Sass | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 7, 2015 | Shelby Bram | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 7, 2015 | Tatiana Rafter | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 11, 2015 | Paige Harrington | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 11, 2015 | Rachel Llanes | Boston Pride |
| August 11, 2015 | Amanda Makela | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 11, 2015 | Jenny Scrivens | New York Riveters |
| August 11, 2015 | Hayley Williams | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 13, 2015 | Brittney Dougherty | Connecticut Whale |
| August 13, 2015 | Shannon Doyle | Connecticut Whale |
| August 15, 2015 | Gabie Figueroa | New York Riveters |
| August 15, 2015 | Kourtney Kunichika | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 15, 2015 | Yekaterina Smolentseva | Connecticut Whale |
| August 16, 2015 | Brooke Ammerman | New York Riveters |
| August 17, 2015 | Jessica Fickel | Buffalo Beauts |
| August 17, 2015 | Kelsie Fralick | Boston Pride |
| August 17, 2015 | Bray Ketchum | New York Riveters |
| August 18, 2015 | Erin Barley-Maloney | New York Riveters |
| August 18, 2015 | Molly Engstrom | Connecticut Whale |
| August 18, 2015 | Zoe Hickel | Boston Pride |
| August 18, 2015 | Hannah McGowan | Buffalo Beauts |
| September 22, 2015 | Kacey Bellamy | Boston Pride |
| September 23, 2015 | Brianna Decker | Boston Pride |
| September 23, 2015 | Gigi Marvin | Boston Pride |
| September 24, 2015 | Lindsay Berman | Connecticut Whale |
| September 24, 2015 | Jordan Brickner | Connecticut Whale |
| September 24, 2015 | Sydney Kidd | New York Riveters |
| September 24, 2015 | Emily Pfalzer | Buffalo Beauts |
| September 24, 2015 | Kelli Stack | Connecticut Whale |
| September 24, 2015 | Alyssa Wohlfeiler | Connecticut Whale |
| September 25, 2015 | Megan Bozek | Buffalo Beauts |
| September 25, 2015 | Meghan Duggan | Buffalo Beauts |
| September 25, 2015 | Hilary Knight | Boston Pride |

### Trades

| January 27, 2016 (2016-01-27) | To New York Riveters Chelsea Laden | To Connecticut Whale Shenae Lundberg |