Goaltending phenom looks to take game to next level in PWHL

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This article was published 05/06/2024 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Raygan Kirk has competed and succeeded at the top level of college hockey.

Now, the 23-year-old goaltender from Ste. Anne wants to test her skills against the top professionals in the world, and the first step toward that goal was declaring her eligibility for the 2024 Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft, slated for Monday in St. Paul, Minn.

Kirk’s credentials for being chosen in the seven-round event are impeccable.

She capped an outstanding five-year college career by backstopping the Ohio State Buckeyes to the NCAA title, earning Women’s Frozen Four MVP honours while posting a 27-save shutout in a 1-0 win over Wisconsin in the title game on March 23.

Kirk, who went 22-2-0 with 10 shutouts, a 1.05 goals-against average and .945 save percentage, is rated by the Athletic as the draft’s second-best goaltender and 24th-overall ranked player. The Hockey News ranks her the No. 3 goaltender available and 55th overall prospect. She’ll be in St. Paul to witness the festivities.

“Regardless of what happens, I’m also going to support a lot of my teammates — (defender) Cayla Barnes, (left-winger) Hannah Bilka and (left-winger) Jennifer Gardiner — who are going to go really high,” Kirk said Wednesday. “I’ve been working with an agent and a lot of the GMs kind of talk through your agent or talk to your coaches as well.

“I think it’s tough being a goalie. Being realistic, there’s not a lot of picks and if they were to use that on a goalie when pretty much every team has a good, solid No. 1, they’re just looking for girls to kind of push their the No. 1s and look to fill that spot later on. You can get invited to a camp as well, even if you don’t get drafted. I’m really hoping to get drafted, obviously.”

Kirk’s Winnipeg-based agent, Carson Shields, has high hopes for his client, who transferred to OSU after two seasons at Robert Morris University (Pittsburgh) when school administrators shut down the women’s hockey program.

“I’ve reached out to some of her coaches and the feedback was just fantastic,” said Shields. “In my mind, it really speaks to how she’s going to have success at a professional level. She went into Ohio State from Robert Morris and they essentially said, ‘You’re coming in as the third or fourth (goaltender) but you can work your way up.’ A lot of people would say no to that… but she went in there and the rest is history.”

There will be options for free agents in the PWHL and Kirk said pro leagues in Sweden and Switzerland are highly regarded options.

“I know quite a few girls who didn’t want to declare for the draft or maybe weren’t hopeful for themselves that went over to Europe,” said Kirk. “It’s still very competitive and you kind of get that world tour experience, getting to travel a lot in a different environment. That’s kind of like the Plan B for a lot of people but my hope is to stay in North America, for sure.”

Kirk isn’t the only Manitoban hoping to hear her name called.

Logan Angers, a 24-year-old goaltender who recently completed a five-year career at Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Conn.) is rated the 84th-best overall prospect by the Hockey News; Gimli’s Olivia Cvar, a 23-year-old forward from Mercyhurst (Erie, Penn.) and University of Alberta goaltender Halle Oswald, a 24-year-old from Sanford, have also entered the draft.

“Even the teams haven’t necessarily figured out what they want to do with their (rosters),” said Angers, who went 24-11-1 with a .934 save percentage and 1.88 goals-against average in 2023-24. “So, I’m waiting around to see what happens and if goalies change teams, that could open up possibilities. But I’m also exploring opportunity of playing in Europe somewhere.”

Victoria-based agent Spencer Beer, who represents Oswald, said opportunities for puckstoppers will be very limited in the PWHL, which has only six franchises and is currently operating without a farm system.

“I think the reality for pretty much every goalie, outside of maybe the top few from (NCAA Division 1), I really don’t think there’ll be a lot going,” said Beer, who estimated five or six goaltenders will hear their names called Monday. “I think we’re going to see maybe some camp invites for some of these other goalies.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca