Time For The PWHL In Chatham?

In case you don’t already know, the PWHL is the highest level of Junior hockey for women in Ontario. The league annually feeds NCAA and OUA schools. With all the talk of the OHL coming to Chatham, perhaps it’s also time to look at the PWHL returning to Chatham.

Returning? That’s right. Unlike the OHL, Chatham has already been home to a PWHL franchise, as the now defunct Chatham Outlaws team played in the league from 2004-2006.

If Chatham-Kent were to acquire an OHL franchise, a PWHL team might make a logical counterpart. Girls hockey in Chatham-Kent has been producing top players for decades, and will continue to with a number of top prospects in the pipeline.

This year alone, three local products, Meredith Goldhawk (Bluewater Hawks), Katreena Whiteye (Bluewater Hawks), and Sydnee Baker (London Devilettes) are playing in the PWHL, as is Devon Facchinato (Bluewater Hawks), who played ‘AA’ for the Chatham Outlaws last season. Chatham’s Kerri Carniero also played a game with the Southwest Wildcats this season, as did Taylor Conte, who plays for the Chatham Outlaws Midget ‘AA’ team.

Chatham has a history of top women’s hockey players utilizing the minor hockey system on both the boys side, and Outlaws organization including Meghan Agosta, Hokey Langan, Mallory Johnston, Katrina Protopaps, Margaret Jennings, Brooke Ludolph, Bree Polci, and many more.

Currently, Chatham-Kent products Zoe Ellis, Alena Fiala, and Chelsey Stevenson are all playing University hockey. As well, current Chatham Outlaws Midget ‘AA’ hockey players including Lauren Nicholson, Madison Lalonde, Ally Daly, Conte, Megan Morehouse, and Sydney Sabourin, are all capable, or will be capable of playing in the PWHL, and the same goes for multiple Chatham products playing for the Windsor Wildcats ‘AA’ organization.

So why doesn’t Chatham have a team? Well, it’s a good question. The Southwest Wildcats, who play out of Windsor, are perennially one of the weakest teams in the PWHL, and Chatham’s top players regularly travel to Bluewater and London to play.

With the push however, to bring the top level of men’s Junior hockey to Chatham-Kent, I think it’s time to look at bringing the highest level of women’s hockey to Chatham-Kent as well. Our community is in a better developmental position than they have been in years, and it would open the door for many of the areas top players to secure NCAA and OUA scholarships.

With conversations of the OHL, I hope the Chatham Outlaws again examine what it would take to bring the PWHL to town, and build a winning tradition in Chatham-Kent.