Under the radar: PWHLers weigh in on most underrated players
Players often highlight new teammate who impressed during training camp
You couldn't have scripted Jamie Lee Rattray's first PWHL goal better than it played out.
Rattray scored off a perfect net-front pass from Boston teammate Sophie Shirley in front of a hometown Ottawa crowd of more than 5,200 people, including her parents. Boston went on to defeat Ottawa 3-2 in that game on Wednesday, nabbing an important three points for a regulation win.
"It's always fun coming home and always fun to win at home as well," Rattray said after the game.
Before the regular season began, CBC Sports asked more than 30 PWHL players who they thought was the most underrated player heading into the league's inaugural season.
Twenty-six different names emerged, but only three players received more than one vote: Rattray and Ottawa forwards Emily Clark and Hayley Scamurra.
WATCH | PWHLers weigh in on the most underrated player in the league:
Rattray has been a do-everything 13th forward on the Canadian national team over the last few years. She's the type of player who can play on the top line or the fourth line.
She can also score big goals when it matters, like her shootout game-winner against the Americans in the preliminary round of the world championships last year.
On Boston, where Rattray wears a letter, she's a lock for top-six minutes. So far, she's turned the opportunity into nearly a point per game.
"She's just really tenacious," Scamurra said about Rattray before the season began.
"[Rattray]'s that player that maybe does the little things that you don't notice and they lead to goals for their team. She's just an all-around really great person and player."
Boston teammates Shirley and Aerin Frankel also picked Rattray. Both singled out her work ethic.
"Obviously a really, really great player, works really hard, has a great shot," Shirley said.
"A player that kind of I feel like flies under the radar, but does all the things that she needs to do right."
Versatility is key to Clark's game
Clark has played more of a gritty role with Team Canada over the years. But like Rattray, she is versatile.
"She's a staple on Team Canada, but I don't think people quite realize that she could play any role on a team," Toronto defender Jocelyne Larocque said after choosing Clark as the most underrated player.
"[Clark] could be a first-line player, she could be a fourth-line grinder. She's somebody that you want on your team."
Clark's play on Team Harvey's on the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association (PWHPA) circuit last year was a good indicator that she has more to give offensively. She finished with 23 points in 20 games, second in PWHPA scoring behind only Marie-Philip Poulin.
WATCH | Players around the PWHL envious of Poulin's skills:
In Ottawa, Clark was one of the first players the team signed in free agency, and is getting a chance to shine. She's been spending most of her time on a solid, skilled line with Gabbie Hughes and Mikyla Grant-Mentis.
She got her first PWHL goal on Tuesday at home against Toronto, a game her team won 3-1.
"She's someone that's been so consistently good for so long," Toronto captain Blayre Turnbull said about Clark.
"I think this year in the PWHL, you're going to see a lot more offence from her, and people will start understanding why the people who have played with her for so long have so much respect for the type of game she plays."
Consistently hard to play against
Scamurra made history in Ottawa when she scored the franchise's first-ever goal on Jan. 2.
WATCH | Scamurra reflects on scoring Ottawa's 1st-ever goal:
She's carved out a spot in the U.S. national team's bottom six over the last few years. Those who chose her as the most underrated noted how difficult she is to play against. On top of that, she's consistent.
"She's hard on pucks," said Ottawa teammate Jincy Roese.
"You wouldn't think of it but she's super, super silky in tight areas. She scores big goals. Somehow always ends up with the puck on her stick. I hate going against her as well, because I always end up on the ground and she ends up on a breakaway."
On Saturday, Scamurra scored the game-tying goal against Montreal, forcing overtime and securing her team a point in the eventual loss.
Hidden gems
Montreal forward Jillian Dempsey couldn't pinpoint a specific player who she thinks is most underrated, but said she thinks there are a lot of "hidden gems" among the players who played in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) before it shut down.
"There are a lot of talented, elite players who don't always get the national team coverage or those opportunities, but they're excellent players," said Dempsey, who captained the PHF's Boston Pride before coming to Montreal.
Vote-getters who played in that league last season included Ottawa's Grant-Mentis, New York's Élizabeth Giguère and Minnesota's Brittyn Fleming, among others.
Grant-Mentis, who was the PHF's MVP in 2021, went undrafted in the PWHL. She took that as motivation into training camp in Ottawa, where she made the team as a free agent.
Six games into the season, Grant-Mentis has three points.
"I think she's very underrated and is an incredible hockey player," Ottawa teammate Kristin Della Rovere said after choosing Grant-Mentis as the most underrated.
"I'm excited to see her play this year and kind of prove some people wrong and show her skill because I don't think she's gotten the same spotlight that she deserves."
New teammates impressing
A number of players wanted to highlight new teammates who impressed them over the first few weeks of training camp.
Take, for example, rookie forward Maureen Murphy. Her Montreal teammate, Erin Ambrose, has played against Murphy on the international stage, with Murphy on the American team and Ambrose anchoring the blue line for Canada.
But it wasn't until the two became teammates that Ambrose got to see Murphy's "complete skill set" up close.
"Her work ethic, her drive and determination to get better and this is only three weeks of knowing her," Ambrose said before the season began. "I think she's going to be somebody that takes this league by storm."
Murphy has seven points in Montreal's eight games, including the game-winning goal in overtime against Ottawa on Saturday. That puts her in a tie atop Montreal's leaderboard with linemates Poulin and Tereza Vanišová.
With lots of players who are new to each other, and others who are taking on different roles than they played on their last team, players' answers could be quite different by the end of the season.
It's one of the most exciting parts of having a league with all the top talent in one place: watching new and overlooked talent emerge. With professional resources, players have more opportunity to thrive and reach their potential.
"There's a lot of players that maybe over the years have been a little overlooked," said New York forward Emma Woods, whose first PWHL goal was a game winner against Minnesota earlier this month.
"I think this is the opportunity for maybe myself and maybe a lot of other girls in this league to prove themselves and step up big for their teams."
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