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Toronto Six

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Toronto Six
CityToronto, Ontario, Canada
LeaguePremier Hockey Federation
Founded2020 (2020)
Folded2023 (2023)
Home arenaCanlan Ice Sports – York
ColoursRed, gold, black
     
Owner(s)Angela James, Anthony Stewart, Bernice Carnegie, Ted Nolan
General managerAngela James
Head coachGeraldine Heaney[1]
CaptainShiann Darkangelo
WebsiteOfficial Website
Championships
Regular season titles0
Playoff championships1 (2023)

The Toronto Six were a professional women's ice hockey team in Toronto, Ontario, playing out of Canlan Ice Sports – York. They were one of two Canadian teams in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) along with the Montreal Force, and the first expansion team to join the league since the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) in 2019. The team was founded in 2020 with their inaugural regular season held in Lake Placid, New York, followed by the Isobel Cup playoffs in Brighton, Massachusetts.

The Six won the 2023 Isobel Cup.[2] This made the Six the PHF's final championship team as the league and its teams were dissolved to make way for the new Professional Women's Hockey League, a unified professional league effectively consolidating the PHF and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.[3]

History

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Following the 2018–19 season, the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and its teams—including the Toronto Furies—ceased operations, citing the fragmentation of corporate sponsors between the CWHL and National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which caused their league to be financially infeasible.[4] The NWHL then announced it was pursuing adding two CWHL markets to the league, Montreal and Toronto, for the 2019–20 season if the NWHL found financial backers for the teams.[5] The league was not able to set up the new teams before the start of the season, partially due to a player strike that resulted in the creation of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.[6]

On April 22, 2020, the new Toronto NWHL franchise was officially announced as the league's sixth team and first original expansion team (the Minnesota Whitecaps joined the league's original four teams after being an independent team).[7] The team's ownership was announced as a group of Boston-based investors headed by Johanna Neilson Boynton, a former competitor with the Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey program. Margaret "Digit" Murphy, former head coach of the Brown Bears, Boston Blades, and Kunlun Red Star WIH, became team president, while sports executive Tyler Tumminia was announced as the team's chairman. The team simultaneously announced its first five signed players as Kristen Barbara, Elaine Chuli, Shiann Darkangelo, Emma Greco, and Taylor Woods.[8] All five were former players in the CWHL. The team held the first overall pick in the 2020 NWHL Draft, but traded the pick to the Boston Pride. It was also the first trade in franchise history.[9] The first player drafted by Toronto was Jaycee Gebhard, an alumna of the Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey program, with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NWHL Draft. The team announced Mandy Cronin, CWHL co-founder and former goaltender of the Buffalo Beauts, as general manager on May 11, 2020.[10]

The team name, colours, and logo were announced by the NWHL on May 19, 2020.[11] The name was chosen from over 300 entries submitted in an online poll and was chosen because the team is the sixth NWHL team founded for the sixth NWHL season, as well as there being six players on the ice. The Six is also a nickname for the city of Toronto, referring to the city's 416 area code, as well as the current municipality's original cities of Old Toronto, North York, Scarborough, York and Etobicoke plus the borough of East York.[12] The team colours were revealed as red and gold, the former representing the country of Canada and the latter representing the Golden Horseshoe. The logo is a combination of the letter "T", "O" and the number 6, with a maple leaf in the middle.[13]

On October 1, 2020, the team announced that they had agreed to a partnership with Canlan Ice Sports for the team to play their inaugural season at Canlan Ice Sports – York.[14] On October 13, Tyler Tumminia stepped down as club chairperson to become interim NWHL commissioner.[15] On October 20, the club announced team president Digit Murphy would also be the inaugural head coach.[16]

In January 2021, the team announced a partnership with the ECHL's Brampton Beast with the expectation of holding joint camps, practices, fan events, and double headers together, with Beast general manager Cary Kaplan stating that "We feel that we have a lot in common, as many people have still not appreciated or experienced both the exceptional level of hockey in the ECHL, or the equally strong fan experience that the Beast provide."[17] The Beast's head coach Spiros Anastas then joined the Six during the 2020–21 season as an assistant coach while the Beast were inactive due to the pandemic.[18] However, the Beast ceased operations entirely in February 2021.[19]

Inaugural season

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Due to the ongoing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Six started their inaugural season in a bubble with the rest of the league in Lake Placid, New York, in January 2021. The leadership for the inaugural season included Shiann Darkangelo appointed as the first team captain in franchise history, while Emma Woods and Emma Greco served as alternate captains.[20] The Six played their first game on January 23 against the Metropolitan Riveters, losing by 3–0.[21] The following day, Lindsay Eastwood scored the first goal in franchise history via a power play in an eventual 6–5 shootout loss to the Minnesota Whitecaps with assists credited to Emma Woods and Shiann Darkangelo. Breanne Wilson-Bennett scored twice in the game, recording the first multi-goal game by a player for the team. Other Six players to score versus Minnesota included Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Taylor Woods.[22] The Six earned their first win on January 26, 2021, with a 2–1 victory over the Boston Pride. The Six came back from a 1–0 deficit with a pair of third period goals by Brooke Boquist and Mikyla Grant-Mentis, whose goal stood as the game-winner. Boquist was named the First Star of the game, while Elaine Chuli recorded 24 saves in the win.[23]

The Six went on to win their three remaining games to clinch the top seed for the Isobel Cup playoffs. On February 3, 2021, the season was suspended due to positive cases of COVID-19 within the bubble.[24] On March 8, 2021, the league announced that the Isobel Cup playoffs would be held March 26–27 at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts.[25] The Six lost their semifinal game to the fourth-seed and eventual champion Boston Pride 6–2.

Following their inaugural season, assistant coach Lisa Haley, who had also coached in Toronto as head coach for the Ryerson Rams women's ice hockey program, was appointed as the league's senior vice president of hockey operations.[26][27] Six forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis became the most decorated player in a single NWHL season, Grant-Mentis earned a record four accolades.[28] She won the NWHL's Most Valuable Player award, the first Black player to win the league's MVP,[29] tied as the leading scorer in the league, and captured the league's Newcomer of the Year award.

Transition in second season

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In May 2021, the owners of the Six also bought the Metropolitan Riveters as part of the league's push to have all teams be independently owned.[30] In September 2021, the league rebranded as the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) to promote inclusivity.[31][32]

On June 7, 2021, Mark Joslin, previously head coach of the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Toronto Patriots,[33] was hired to replace Digit Murphy as head coach, becoming the first black head coach in NWHL history. Murphy retained her position as team president. The Six added Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James to their coaching staff on June 24.[34] At the end of June, Krysti Clarke, previously the manager of operations with York United FC of Canadian Premier League soccer, replaced Mandy Cronin as general manager.[35] With five picks among the top ten in the 2021 NWHL Draft, three of the picks were in the first round. Picking third overall, the Six selected Maegan Beres from Boston College, followed by Tatum Skaggs fourth overall, and York Lions skater Taylor Davison with the fifth pick, marking the second straight season that the Six have drafted a player from a U Sports women's ice hockey program. In addition, Davison made U Sports history, becoming the highest drafted player from the league.[36]

Towards the end of the 2021–22 season, the team was sold to a new ownership group including Anthony Stewart, Angela James, Bernice Carnegie, and Ted Nolan.[37][38]

Third season

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On May 31, 2022, co-owner Angela James was promoted from assistant coach to general manager of the Six.[39] Additionally, Digit Murphy would be leaving her post as the Six's team president and director of player personnel to join the Metropolitan Riveters as their new team president, but would "maintain involvement, advising on the logistics of the team" while "transitioning from her role as President."[39][40] On June 14, 2022, the Six announced the hiring of Geraldine Heaney as their third head coach in franchise history.[41] On September 27, 2022, Sportsnet reported that Sami Jo Small joined the leadership as team president.[42]

On March 26, 2023, the team won the Isobel Cup Championship, defeating the Minnesota Whitecaps 4–3 in overtime at the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona.[43]

Ceasing operations

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After the season, it was announced that the PHF had been purchased as part of a bid to create a new, unified professional women's league.[44] This resulted in the folding of the PHF and its teams.[45] The new league—the Professional Women's Hockey League—debuted in 2024 with the new Toronto franchise hosting the inaugural game on New Year's Day.[46] 10 former Six players were selected in the 2023 PWHL draft, the most of any former PHF team.[45]

Season-by-season records

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L OTL SOL Pts[a] GF GA Playoffs
2020–21 6 4 1 0 1 9 21 14 Lost semifinal game to Boston Pride
2021–22 20 16 3 1 0 46 66 45 Lost semifinal game to Boston Pride
2022–23 24 17 5 2 0 51 87 62 Won Isobel Cup Championship over Minnesota Whitecaps
Totals 50 37 9 3 1 106 174 121
  1. ^ Starting with the 2021–22 season, 3 points are awarded for a regulation win, 2 points are awarded for an overtime/shootout win, 1 point is awarded for an overtime/shootout loss, 0 points are awarded for a regulation loss[47]

Team

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2022–23 roster

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As of 26 January 2023[48][49]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
19 Canada Brooke Boquist F L 28 2020 Thunder Bay, Ontario
86 Canada Michela Cava F R 30 2022 Thunder Bay, Ontario
29 Canada Elaine Chuli G L 28 2020 Waterford, Ontario
27 United States Shiann Darkangelo (C) F L 30 2020 Royal Oak, Michigan
20 Canada Taylor Davison D L 26 2021 Oakville, Ontario
44 Canada Lindsay Eastwood D L 27 2020 Kanata, Ontario
3 Canada Nadine Edney F L 28 2022 Mississauga, Ontario
14 Canada Courtney Gardiner F R 26 2022 Goderich, Ontario
25 Canada Emma Greco D L 29 2022 Burlington, Ontario
41 Canada Brittany Howard F R 29 2022 St. Thomas, Ontario
70 Canada Carly Jackson G L 27 2022 Amherst, Nova Scotia
96 Czech Republic Dominika Lásková D R 27 2022 Prague, Czechia
8 Canada Leah Lum F L 28 2022 Richmond, British Columbia
9 Canada Kati Tabin D L 27 2022 Winnipeg, Manitoba
10 Canada Lexi Templeman F R 25 2022 Staffa, Ontario
71 Canada Saroya Tinker D R 26 2021 Oshawa, Ontario
21 Czech Republic Tereza Vanišová F L 28 2022 Strakonice, Czechia
4 Canada Daryl Watts F L 25 2023 Toronto, Ontario
11 Canada Breanne Wilson-Bennett (A) F L 28 2020 Markham, Ontario
48 Canada Alexis Woloschuk D L 30 2022 Winnipeg, Manitoba
67 Canada Emma Woods (A) F R 25 2020 Burford, Ontario
2 Canada Taylor Woods (A) D R 30 2020 Morden, Manitoba

Coaching staff and team personnel

  • Head coach: Geraldine Heaney
  • Assistant coach: Kevin Greco
  • Assistant coach: Jessica Turi
  • Goaltending coach: Nick Grainger
  • Head athletic therapist: Cam Borody
  • Equipment manager: Kris Franzoi

Front office

Captains

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Head coaches

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General managers

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Franchise milestones and statistics leaders

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Milestone Player Notes
First penalty Emma Greco January 23, 2021
First goal Lindsay Eastwood
Assisted by Shiann Darkangelo and Emma Woods		 January 24, 2021
First multi-goal game Breanne Wilson-Bennett January 26, 2021
First win Elaine Chuli January 26, 2021
First playoff goal Breanne Wilson-Bennett March 26, 2021

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ a b "HOCKEY HALL OF FAMER GERALDINE HEANEY APPOINTED HEAD COACH OF THE TORONTO SIX". Toronto Six. June 14, 2022. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Krotz, Paul (March 27, 2023). "Toronto Six Crowned 2023 Isobel Cup Champions". Premier Hockey Federation official website. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ^ Salvian, Hailey (June 30, 2023). "What we know about the PHF shutdown, and more on the new pro women's hockey league". The Athletic. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Final Public Communication" (PDF). CWHL. July 2, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Wawrow, Joe (April 2, 2019). "U.S.-based women's hockey league OKs plan to expand to Canada after CWHL folds | The Star". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  6. ^ National Women's Hockey League (May 30, 2019). "We'll Always Do What's Best for the Game". Our Sports Central (Press release). Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  7. ^ Kaplan, Emily (April 22, 2020). "NWHL adding first Canadian team, in Toronto". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  8. ^ Wawrow, John (April 22, 2020). "NWHL's expansion to Toronto gets mixed reviews from women players". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Mike Murphy (April 28, 2020). "Pride acquire 1st overall pick in 2020 NWHL Draft from Toronto". theicegarden.com/. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "NWHL Provides Updates on the GMs for 2020–21". NWHL.zone (Press release). May 11, 2020. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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  12. ^ Khozema, Zahra (May 15, 2015). "Toronto Nicknames & Where They Came From: A Tourist's Guide". Narcity. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
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  19. ^ "BRAMPTON BEAST A CASUALTY OF COVID-19". Brampton Beast. February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
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  22. ^ "Away Whitecaps vs Home Toronto Jan 24, 2021 at 1:00pm EST at: Herb Brooks Arena – 6 – 5 FINAL SO". NWHL. January 24, 2021. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Away Toronto vs Home Pride Jan 26, 2021 at 8:30pm EST: Herb Brooks Arena 2 – 1 FINAL". nwhl.zone. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  24. ^ Murphy, Mike (February 3, 2021). "Transcript: NWHL media availability on the suspension of the 2021 season". The Ice Garden. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
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  27. ^ Krotz, Paul (March 30, 2021). "Lisa Haley Appointed NWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations". NWHL.zone. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  28. ^ Kevin McGran (April 30, 2021). "From the rink to the food bank, Toronto Six star Mikyla Grant-Mentis is making a difference". thestar.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  29. ^ "Toronto's Mikyla Grant-Mentis named MVP at 2021 NWHL Awards". sportsnet.ca. April 28, 2021. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
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  34. ^ "Six hire Hockey Hall of Famer James as assistant coach". tsn.ca/. June 24, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  35. ^ "Six name Clarke general managers". tsn.ca/. June 28, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  36. ^ "DAVISON SELECTED FIFTH OVERALL IN 2021 NWHL DRAFT". yorkulions.ca/. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  37. ^ Levine, Justin (March 7, 2022). "First-Place Toronto Six Announce Change in Ownership". PremierHockeyFederation.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  38. ^ "PHF Announces Sale of Toronto Six to BIPOC Canadian Hockey Leaders". OurSports Central. March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  39. ^ a b Levine, Justin (May 31, 2022). "Hockey Hall of Famer Angela James Named General Manager of the Toronto Six". PremierHockeyFederation.com/. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  40. ^ Rice, Dan (April 11, 2022). "Sources: Digit Murphy to be named President of Riveters". TheIceGarden.com/. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  41. ^ Levine, Justin (June 14, 2022). "Hockey Hall of Famer Geraldine Heaney Appointed Head Coach of the Toronto Six". Toronto Six. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  42. ^ Rutherford, Kristina. "'Momentum's really growing': Sami Jo Small joins Toronto Six as team president". www.sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  43. ^ Krotz, Paul (March 27, 2023). "TORONTO SIX CROWNED 2023 ISOBEL CUP CHAMPIONS". Premier Hockey Federation official website. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  44. ^ ESPN News Services (June 29, 2023). "Sources: Premier Hockey Federation sale could unite women's hockey". ESPN.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  45. ^ a b McGran, Kevin (September 20, 2023). "Toronto Six president excited for the future of women's hockey, but mourns a team left in the ashes". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  46. ^ Donkin, Karissa (January 5, 2024). "Players beaming as physical play, new rules and historic moments highlight PWHL's 1st week". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  47. ^ Krotz, Paul (November 6, 2021). "PHF Announces Changes to Playing Regulations". PremierHockeyFederation.com. Premier Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
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  50. ^ "MARK JOSLIN APPOINTED HEAD COACH OF THE TORONTO SIX". Toronto Six. June 7, 2021. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  51. ^ "Digit Murphy is no longer behind the bench but the Six are still very much her team". SB Nation. June 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  52. ^ "Toronto Six forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis named National Women's Hockey League MVP". thestar.com. April 28, 2021. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  53. ^ Paul Krotz (April 28, 2021). "NWHL ANNOUNCES 2021 AWARD RECIPIENTS". NWHL. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  54. ^ Krotz, Paul (May 4, 2023). "PHF ANNOUNCES 2022–23 FOUNDATION AWARD RECIPIENTS". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
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