Second Toronto-area player for the 2026 class. Piggott is on the same team that Hannah Clark came from.
Greetings from Bemidji 🦫
Looks like plan “B” was in the works.
I don’t know much about Ms. Piggott. She did play for Canada in the three game series against the U.S. in August which is a big feather in her cap, especially as an 2008 birth year. “Neutral Zone” was generous in their praise for her in their recap of that event. They especially liked her speed and tenacity. She will play for the Ontario Red team (as a teammate of 
commit Maddie McCullough) in the upcoming Canadian Women’s Under-18 Championships. Scroll up a few posts if you don’t know what that is. She is only 5’3” so that’s always a bit of a question until you see her at the NCAA level. Overall, looks like an interesting pickup.
2025
D Sydney Bailey (Rogers)
F Sienna D’Alessandro (John Abbott College) From Pointe-Claire, Quebec
F Bella Fanale (Bishop Kearney Selects) From Webster, New York)
G Layla Hemp (Minnetonka) Sister of Gopher forward Peyton Hemp
F Avery Hovland (NAHA) From Fargo, North Dakota
F Tereza Plosová (Djurgårdens IF) From Liberec, Czechia
2026
D Sloane Hartmetz (Shattuck) From Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
F Maddy McCullough (Durham West) From Newmarket, Ontario
F Rachel Piggott (Etobicoke) From Richmond Hill, Ontario
D Katya Sander (Holy Family)
Minnesota girls high school hockey starts November 7th, so hopefully I’ll have links for the high school girls by next weekend.
Minnesota girls high school hockey starts November 7th, so hopefully I’ll have links for the high school girls by next weekend.
Look up. That’s all the links. BK Selects and John Abbott College don’t release player stats, so I won’t have a link for Bella Fanale and the link for Sienna D’Alessandro is kind of useless.
In other news, the early signing period starts a week from today (November 13th) so the ‘25s will be putting pen to paper soon.
Fanale and Hartmetz make the US U18 team. Fanale is likely to be the team's captain.
Comparing the final U.S. team for the U-18 World Championship with the team for the three game series against Canada in August, I’m seeing six changes. The defense seems to have been left intact. One goalie change: Out is Minnetonka’s Ashlyn Hazlett ‘25, and replacing her is Apple Valley high school’s Finley Engfer ‘27. There are five forward changes: Out are two BK Select class of ‘25s, Rae Mayer and Addison Tremel, Edina’s Lorelai Nelson ‘26, Lindsay Stepnowski ‘26, Adrianna Milani ‘27. The Milani girl seems like possibly the largest surprise. She’s a Toronto area player who apparently has dual citizenship. A name to remember.
The five forwards replacing them are: An eastern girl, Christina Scalese. Two Orono forwards Maddie Kimbrel and Macy Rasmussen. Macy was on last year’s U.S. team. Two other players from last year’s World Championship team that missed the Canada series due to injury are Mary Derrenbacher and Caroline Averill.
I’ll have the U.S. roster with recruiting information by tomorrow, I hope.
The Hockey News: USA Hockey Unveils U-18 National Team For 2025 World Championships
2007 Birth Years
D Emi Biotti (Buckingham Browne & Nichols) ‘25 Harvard recruit, from Cambridge, Massachusetts
D Alaina Dunn (Dexter Southfield) ‘25 Boston College recruit, from Walpole, Massachusetts
D Kenleigh Fischer (Fargo North/South) ‘26 St. Thomas recruit, from Fargo, North Dakota
🇺🇸 D Megan Healy (BK Selects) ‘25 Princeton recruit, from South Burlington, Vermont
D Sydney Lamb (Windy City Storm) ‘25 St. Cloud State recruit, from Lombard, Illinois
🇺🇸 F Caroline Averill (Phillips Academy) ‘26 Princeton recruit, from Wayland, Massachusetts
F Evelyn Doyle (Dexter Southfield) ‘26 Yale recruit, from Needham Massachusetts
🇺🇸 F Bella Fanale (BK Selects) ‘25 from Webster, New York
F Ella Johnson (NAHA) ‘25 Quinnipiac recruit, from Palmer, Alaska
🇺🇸 F Macy Rasmussen (Orono) ‘25 Ohio State recruit
2008 Birth Years
🇺🇸 G Natalia Dilbone (Little Caesars) ‘26 Quinnipiac recruit, from South Lyon, Michigan
G Morgan Stickney (Shattuck) ‘26 Penn State recruit, from Redondo Beach, California
🇺🇸 D Maggie Averill (Phillips Academy) ‘27 From Wayland, Massachusetts
D Emma Cerruti (Shattuck) ‘26 Wisconsin recruit, from Norwell, Massachusetts
D Sloane Hartmetz (Shattuck) ‘26 From Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
F Kylie Amelkovich (Shattuck) ‘26 Penn State recruit, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois
🇺🇸 F Haley Box (Shattuck) ‘26 Wisconsin recruit, from Eden Prairie
🇺🇸 F Mary Derrenbacher (Shattuck) ‘27 From Raleigh, North Carolina
F Maddy Kimbrel (Orono) ‘26 Wisconsin recruit
F Christina Scalese (Groton School) ‘26 Princeton recruit, from West Boylston, Massachusetts
2009 Birth Years
G Finley Engfer (Apple Valley) ‘27
D Chyna Taylor (Lovell Academy) ‘27 From Louisville, Kentucky
F Jane Daley (Shattuck) ‘28 From Medfield, Massachusetts
F Anabelle Lovell (Lovell Academy) ‘27 From Hingham, Massachusetts
F Sydney Stoughton (Lovell Academy) ‘27 From Mason, Ohio
https://twitter.com/GopherWHockey/status/1857136579506065661
That most likely concludes the class of 2025. Everyone we were expecting is on board.
Official release on the early signers
https://gophersports.com/news/2024/11/14/womens-hockey-the-u-adds-six-to-2025-26-freshman-class
One final thing about the U.S. u18 team for the World Championships. In my post yesterday I missed a couple changes between the World Championship team and the August series with Canada.
Out: D Faith Baratta (Lovell Academy) ‘27 From Naples, Florida
- A quick, shifty, but quite small (5’2”) defender. Her size probably worked against her with 5’3” defender Sloane Hartmetz also on the roster.
In: F Ella Johnson (NAHA) ‘25 Quinnipiac recruit, from Palmer, Alaska
- Good size forward (5’10) who played at Shattuck last season. Has a younger sister (Olivia ‘27) who is a similar player.
Comparing the final U.S. team for the U-18 World Championship with the team for the three game series against Canada in August, I’m seeing six changes. The defense seems to have been left intact. One goalie change: Out is Minnetonka’s Ashlyn Hazlett ‘25, and replacing her is Apple Valley high school’s Finley Engfer ‘27. There are five forward changes: Out are two BK Select class of ‘25s, Rae Mayer and Addison Tremel, Edina’s Lorelai Nelson ‘26, Lindsay Stepnowski ‘26, Adrianna Milani ‘27. The Milani girl seems like possibly the largest surprise. She’s a Toronto area player who apparently has dual citizenship. A name to remember.
The five forwards replacing them are: An eastern girl, Christina Scalese. Two Orono forwards Maddie Kimbrel and Macy Rasmussen. Macy was on last year’s U.S. team. Two other players from last year’s World Championship team that missed the Canada series due to injury are Mary Derrenbacher and Caroline Averill.
I’ll have the U.S. roster with recruiting information by tomorrow, I hope.
Not the point here, but Milani would not be eligible to play for Team USA until she lives/plays in the US for a full year. So from USA Hockey's perspective they have to hope Canada doesn't scoop her up next year (knowing they don't take double underagers to this tournament).
If anyone’s interested, here’s an recruit vs. recruit game from yesterday. Bella Fanale is #97 in black and Avery Hovland is #22 in white.
https://www.youtube.com/live/Hb4JrTQMjFM?si=uh_GfeZlXdYf_xwz
Canada releases their ROSTER for the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships to be held January 4-12 in Vantaa, Finland.
Gopher freshman defender Chloe Primerano and class of 2026 forward commits Rachel Piggott and Maddie McCullough will be team members.
Similar to Fanale on the American side, Primerano is expected to be the Canadian captain.