Toronto Furies Draft Picks Make Rebuilt Offense Remarkable

In the nascent history of the Toronto Furies, the 2012 edition of the CWHL Draft has set the stage to restore optimism. The Furies addressed their need to rebuild an offense in which the leading scorer (Mallory Deluce) scored only 21 points. Meghan Agosta, the CWHL leading scorer, had more assists (39) than Deluce had points.  

With the second pick overall in the 2012 CWHL Draft, the Furies selected Rebecca Johnston. The 2012 ECAC Player of the Year, Johnston is the cornerstone of the rebuilt offense. Having already won World Championship gold, and Winter Games gold, a Clarkson Cup would give Johnston membership into the Triple Gold Club for Women.

One of the key reasons that Cornell became a national power, Johnston became the first player in Big Red history to be First-Team All ECAC while winning the ECAC Rookie of the Year award. With a 61-point season for the Cornell Big Red in 2011-12, she cemented her legacy as one of the greatest players in school history. While clubs like Montreal and Boston are the class of the CWHL, the Furies made a statement that Johnston is ready to elevate their game.

While Johnston is not alone in helping to restore the pride to a beleaguered franchise, Ohio State legend Natalie Spooner (the 7th pick overall) will also be a catalyst in reviving an ineffective Furies offense that ranked near the bottom of the CWHL in various statistical categories.

With over 160 career points in the NCAA, Spooner is the all-time leading goal scorer in Ohio State history. Having played for the Canadian national women’s team at the Under-18, Under-22 and senior levels, Spooner will be counted upon to keep the Furies competitive in every game.

The all-time leading scorer in Hockey East history, Jenn Wakefield is the final member of a prolific high scoring trio that will be counted upon to turn the fortunes of the struggling Furies. A former member of the New Hampshire Wildcats and Boston University Terriers, Wakefield became the first woman in Hockey East history to score 100 goals. The captain of the Terriers in her senior season, Wakefield was the 2011-12 Hockey East scoring champion and a member of the Hockey East 10th Anniversary Team.

Although Johnston, Wakefield and Spooner played together on the Canadian gold medal winning team at the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championships, they first made headlines when playing with Team Ontario at the 2007 Canada Winter Games. As part of the gold medal winning team, Wakefield led all players in scoring with 20 points.

Ironically, Wakefield and Johnston were on a potent offensive scoring line with Mallory Deluce (current Furies player). The highlight of the tournament for this scoring line was combining for 12 points in a 19-0 whitewash over the team from Newfoundland.

With a strong history of winning at all levels, the Furies top three draft picks are poised to bring their winning attitudes to the CWHL. While championship-starved fans in the city of Toronto dream of a winning hockey team, said fans may find that a Clarkson Cup won by some of the most talented players in the world may bring about a golden age of women’s hockey in Toronto worthy of a downtown parade.