PWHL Ottawa re-signs Natalie Snodgrass to one-year deal

The first of a plethora of potential signings for the team from Canada’s capital.

On Wednesday, PWHL Ottawa announced they have re-signed forward Natalie Snodgrass to a one-year contract.

It is the first contract signing of the offseason for any team in the PWHL.

“I feel so lucky to get this opportunity to come back to Ottawa,” Snodgrass said in a release. “I’ve told everyone I know that this is the best place to play in the PWHL. I know, I’m a bit biased. I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with our fans next fall. We have some unfinished business. I’m convinced that Year 2 will be even better than Year 1.”

Snodgrass may not have been a high-scoring threat, but her work in the defensive and her leadership in the locker room made her one of head coach Carla MacLeod’s favorites. The 25-year-old only missed the team’s home opener on Jan. 2, playing every other game during the inaugural season. In 23 appearances, Snodgrass scored a goal and six points, finishing with a plus/minus of -3. Her one and only goal came in her first game with Ottawa, a 5-1 win over rival Toronto on Jan. 13.

“Natalie is a valuable member of our group,” general manager Mike Hirshfeld said. “She played on the powerplay and on the penalty-killing units last season. She’s a great teammate and a real competitive player on the ice. She’s fighting out there. We are really excited to have this type of player back in our lineup.”

It might not be Ottawa’s last transaction this week. On TSN 1200 on Tuesday, Hirshfeld said the team is planning to announce a couple of signings by the end of the week.

Currently, Ottawa has nine players signed for next season, as the inaugural team had eight players signed to multi-year contracts, including captain Brianne Jenner and goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer.

Snodgrass made the Ottawa roster out of training camp after receiving an invite. She came into the league after spending her rookie season of professional hockey with the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation. Before that, she played five years at the University of Connecticut, serving as captain in two of them, and leaving the Huskies as the program’s leading scorer.

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