On the evening of Feb. 11, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) had its first-ever trade, this one between Minnesota and Boston, both of which hold a playoff spot still in the early stages of the season. Boston sent defenseman Sophie Jaques, their second pick in the inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft, to Minnesota for forward Susanna Tapani and defenseman Abby Cook.
This is a fairly big deal for both sides and, perhaps, the biggest one we could see in a while. What is each side getting, and what is the benefit of the trade for both?
Minnesota Going for a Championship
Minnesota holds the second-best record in the PWHL by a four-point margin but held the top spot for a while — they are going for a championship here. Jaques is a right-handed defender and is still just 23 years of age. There’s a reason she was so highly coveted in the draft, and that has to do with her dominance at the collegiate level. In her 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns with Ohio State University, she had 45 goals and 62 assists for 107 points in 79 contests. Last season, she won the Patty Kasmaier Award, meaning she was seen as the best player in college.
To put her award in perspective, she beat out finalist Alina Mueller, who was taken with the third-overall pick in the 2023 PWHL Draft by her former Boston club. But there’s a reason why Boston is trading Jaques. She hasn’t registered a point in seven contests and holds a minus-4 rating. Now, this is pretty quick to give up on a player like this, but it’s not like Boston isn’t getting anything back. She started off playing on the top pair but that changed as time went on, so they are trying to get depth in this deal. This is a gamble on elite talent from Minnesota and a dump from Boston.
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And Minnesota is absolutely right to do that. If they are getting Jaques at her peak, they are improving immensely. It might take her a bit to mesh in, but this is a new league and all of the players have had to adapt to their new systems and teammates. Everyone is still learning as they go, so it’s not the worst time to get traded.
Minnesota already had a star-studded roster with Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, and Nicole Hensley all having great seasons just to name a few. Adding to that with Jaques, that lineup is extremely talented. Losing Tapani and Cook will hurt a bit, but they are loading up for the playoffs. There’s still about two-thirds of the season left to go, but things are looking good for them on that front.
Don’t Count Out Boston
As for Boston, their return is no discount. Starting with Tapani, she has had some good performances this season and can be a fantastic contributor if given the chance. The 30-year-old Finnish forward has both the experience and talent to be a useful player for Boston. Behind Mueller, she’ll be tied for third place on the team in total points with forwards Loren Gabel and Jamie Lee Rattray. Aged 26 and 31 respectively, those are a couple more experienced players like Tapani herself, adding some important veteran leadership to the club.
As for Cook, she has actually been pretty solid defensively but isn’t the same top-line staple as Jaques. She has a goal and a plus-3 rating for Minnesota this season, primarily playing third-pairing minutes. Boston is going for depth here, and it’s a smart decision to try and get deeper. She’s 25, giving her both decent experience and a little bit of youth as far as women’s hockey is regarded at the same time.
Cook is a very capable defender and could potentially benefit from being placed on the second pair, perhaps. Boston has a pretty strong defense on paper, highlighted by 27-year-old Megan Keller. They aren’t getting “fleeced” by any means, with them getting two players for one that was struggling a tad. Two important lineup players in Tapani and Cook can certainly be impactful.
It’ll be hard to say who wins this deal right away, but Minnesota definitely wins the battle on paper. Depending on how this and subsequent seasons end, only then can we determine a winner. It’s a big deal for the first one in PWHL history, and it could show by the playoffs. There’s a chance these two clubs face each other once it’s time for the postseason.
