Boston selects Sammy Davis at No. 1 after trading for NWHL draft’s top pick

Boston University's Sammy Davis has been drafted first overall by the NWHL's Boston Pride. (Courtesy: Rich Gagnon)

After a sterling run at Boston University that saw her amass 142 points over 147 games, Sammy Davis will continue her on-ice dominance in her home state after being selected first overall by the Boston Pride in the 2020 NWHL Draft on Tuesday.

The Pride went to great lengths to ensure they could land the Pembroke, Mass., native. Hours before the start of the draft, the Pride completed a blockbuster deal with the league’s expansion Toronto franchise, acquiring Toronto’s first-overall pick as well as its 2020 fifth-round pick in exchange for their own sixth-overall pick and a pair of 2021 selections (one first-rounder and one second-rounder).

Davis was named a Hockey East First-Team All-Star in 2019-20, posting 41 points through 36 games after a career-best 52 points in 2018-19. The 23-year-old also earned Beanpot MVP honours in 2019, and has captained the Terriers for the past two campaigns.

Clarkson University’s Kayla Friesen went second overall to the Connecticut Whale. The selection was announced on Twitter by Jasmine Thomas of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, who joined a long list of notable figures from all corners of the sports world participating in the selection announcements for the 2020 Draft.

Netminder Carly Jackson, of the University of Maine, was tabbed with the Buffalo Beauts’ No. 3 pick, the selection announced by another former third-overall pick, Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine.

At No. 4, the Metropolitan Riveters selected Saroya Tinker of Yale University — the top defender drafted in the 2020 class — as announced by Black Girl Hockey Club founder Renee Hess.

At No. 5, the Minnesota connections reigned supreme as Rachel Banham — of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx — joined in to announce the Minnesota Whitecaps pick, which just so happened to be fellow University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Alex Woken.

With the league announcing an expansion into Canada last week, the yet-to-be-named Toronto franchise closed out the first round by making its first-ever selection. Meghan Chayka — founder of the analytics company Stathletes — announced the franchise’s inaugural pick, as Toronto tabbed Robert Morris University’s Jaycee Gebhard at sixth overall.

Here’s a full list of the first- and second-round selections from Tuesday’s draft:

First Round
1. Sammy Davis (Boston Pride)
2. Kayla Friesen (Connecticut Whale)
3. Carly Jackson (Buffalo Beauts)
4. Saroya Tinker (Metropolitan Riveters)
5. Alex Woken (Minnesota Whitecaps)
6. Jaycee Gebhard (NWHL Toronto)

Second Round
7. Victoria Howran (Connecticut Whale)
8. Amy Curlew (NWHL Toronto)
9. Codie Cross (Buffalo Beauts)
10. Delaney Belinskas (Metropolitan Riveters)
11. Patti Marshall (Minnesota Whitecaps)
12. Tereza Vanisova (Boston Pride)

Selections for Rounds 3-5 of the 2020 NWHL Draft will take place April 29 beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

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