Larocque, Harmon, Campbell headline Wednesday’s PWHL signings

It was one of the busiest days in the PWHL’s short history.

On Wednesday, eight players signed contracts with teams, including two first-round picks from the draft in September.

Toronto signs D Jocelyne Larocque

Toronto locked in second-overall pick Jocelyne Larocque to a three-year deal.

The defender played with the PWHPA since 2019-20, skating with Team Adidas in 2022-23. She also spent parts of seven seasons with the CWHL, skating with the Alberta Honeybadgers/Calgary Inferno franchise and the the Brampton/Markham Thunder, where they won a Clarkson Cup in 2018.

Larocque has been a mainstay on Canada’s National Team for over a decade, competing in the last 10 IIHF World Championships and racking up three gold medals, six silver and one bronze. The 35-year-old won two Olympic gold medals in Sochi 2014 and Beijing 2022, as well as a silver medal in PyeongChang 2018.

In college, the defender helped the University of Minnesota-Duluth win a national title in 2007-08 as a freshman. In her junior season, she helped lead the squad to another NCAA Championship. She was named team captain in her senior season and was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

Ottawa signs D Savannah Harmon

The Ottawa franchise inked a key piece to their blue line for the inaugural season, signing fifth-overall pick Savannah Harmon to a three-year deal.

She competed in the PWHPA from 2019 to 2021, as well as the 2022-23 season. Before then, she spent a year with the NWHL/PHF’s Buffalo Beauts in 2018-19.

She won gold with Team USA at the 2023 World Championship following silver medals in 2021 and 2022. She also won a silver medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympics.

She spent fours years with Clarkson University, captaining the school to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2016-17 and 2017-18, her junior and senior seniors, respectively. In 2018, she was named a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

Toronto signs G Kristen Campbell

Toronto also shored up their goaltending by signing Kristen Campbell to a three-year contract.

The 25-year-old goaltender was selected in the third round in September’s draft. She’s been part of the PWHPA since the 2020-21 season, spending last season with Team Scotiabank.

Before turning pro, Campbell spent the first two seasons of her college career with the University of North Dakota, but was forced to transfer to Wisconsin after North Dakota’s hockey program folded.

She would spend the next three seasons dominating college hockey, being named the 2018 and 2019 WCHA Goaltender of the Year and a Patty Kazmaier Award-finalist in 2018. She helped lead the Badgers to a National Championship in 2019.

Internationally, Campbell won gold at the Bejing 2022 Olympics, as well as gold at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships.

Minnesota signs F Susanna Tapani

Minnesota was able to lock down one of the most accomplished hockey players outside of North America, signing Finnish all-star Susanna Tapani to a two-year contract.

Minnesota selected the forward in the fifth round of September’s draft.

Tapani is a three-time Olympian whose won two Olympic bronze medals for Finland in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. She’s appeared in eight World Championships, winning four bronze medals and a silver medal in 2019.

Professionally, she played in Finland, Russia and China, most recently in 2021-22 with the KRS Vanke Rays of the Zhenskaya Hockey League during their championship season.

She spent the 2022-23 campaign playing ringette, leading Finland to a World Championship gold medal in 2023, where she was named tournament MVP.

Boston signs D Jessica Di Girolamo, F Taylor Girard

Boston made a pair of signings on Wednesday, signing defender Jessica Di Girolamo and forward Taylor Girard to matching two-year contracts.

Di Girolamo, 24, was taken in the sixth round of the draft. She turned pro in 2022-23 with the PWHPA after five seasons with Syracuse University in the NCAA. She is the all-time leader for goals (33) and points (95) for defenders in school history. She served as captain in her last two seasons.

Girard, 25, was taken in the ninth round of the draft. She turned pro in 2021-22 and was taken first overall in the 2021 NWHL/PHF Draft. She scored 11 goals and 24 points in 20 games, earning Newcomer of the Year award honors. In her second season, she scored 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points, tied for third in league scoring, including a league-leading four shorthanded goals.

She spent five years playing college hockey — three with Lindenwood University, then two at Quinnipiac Univeristy — scoring a career-high 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 2017-18 with Lindenwood.

New York signs F Paetyn Levis, G Abigail Levy

New York got in on the action, signing forward Paetyn Levis and goaltender Abigail Levy to matching one-year deals.

Levis, 24, scored 55 goals and 67 assists for 122 points through five seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Her career-high 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in 2021-22 helped lead the Buckeyes to an NCAA Championship, including a Frozen Four MVP.

Levy, 23, won gold with the U.S. National Team at the 2023 World Championship. The six-foot-one goaltender played two college seasons with Minnesota State, followed by three at Boston College, where she set a school record with a .947 save percentage in 2022-23.

The upcoming season will be the professional debut for both Levis and Levy.