The PWHL offseason continues to move along, and while the season is still a ways off, we still have more report cards for PWHL Minnesota to work through. Still on the defensive core, this would’ve been about Abby Cook, but she only played nine games and was traded partway through the season. Since Cook didn’t play enough to be considered for a grade, this will be about Mellissa Channell.
She was another defender who didn’t show many offensive abilities but kept up her defensive priorities. However, she was able to find a bit more offense in the postseason. In this article, we’ll compare Channell’s regular-season and postseason performance to come up with an overall grade for the season. We’ll start with the regular season and move on from there.
Channell’s Defensive Priorities
Channell is a smaller but quick player who has her head on a swivel when working in the neutral and defensive zone. Despite being smaller, she’s also not afraid to be physical and will stand up to players bigger than her. She was hit pretty hard but bounced right back up and kept going like nothing happened.
She protected the puck with her body and when she didn’t have the puck she made sure to have her head up watching where it was at all times. While she doesn’t turn away from a hit, she also doesn’t turn away from blocking shots. She squared her body up and didn’t turn when faced with a big shot.
Channell wasn’t shy about breaking into the offensive zone either, she used her speed to blow by the defense but does have to work on the passing part after that. It’s great she can break into the zone, but she needs to be able to do something with the puck after crossing the blue line. She used her skills to assist with two goals through the regular season, for two points and 11 shots on goal.
Looking at her performance for the regular season, she earned an A- because while she could’ve done more offensively, she handled things defensively. It also wasn’t higher because she raised her game in the postseason, not the regular season.
Channell Steps Up in Postseason
Channell played in all 10 games of the postseason, and she found a way to be a little more offensive-minded in fewer games. She assisted on four goals and had 12 shots on goal. It may not seem like a big improvement, but those numbers are in half the number of games she had compared to the regular season.
She kept up her defensive responsibilities and even became a little more confident in her offensive game. She jumped into the play a bit more but watched her back, not allowing anyone to sneak behind her. She kept up blocking shots and keeping her opponents to the outside of her goaltenders, Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley, rather than allowing a clear shot.
Related: PWHL Minnesota Report Cards 2023-24: Emma Greco
As far as a postseason grade, she earned an A, as she stepped up her game some, but it could’ve been more. Her grade wasn’t higher because she could’ve been a little more confident in her offensive game. However, she kept up her strong defensive game, so her grade wasn’t any lower because of that.
Channell’s Overall Grade
With her A- from the regular season and her A from the postseason, her overall grade is an A. The postseason carries a little more weight than the regular season since they came back to win it all, and she contributed throughout it. She kept up her defensive game all season long, and while she improved her offense, she had the potential to do more.
It’s unclear if she’ll be with PWHL Minnesota going into this next season. She signed a one-year deal last season, and there hasn’t been news about a re-signing just yet. Wherever she signs, she’ll be a great defensive asset, and hopefully, PWHL Minnesota decides to keep her around. She fit in with her teammates very well, and they’ll want to chase another Walter Cup together.
