Report: PWHL Seattle signs Mariah Keopple
Another useful rearguard is heading to the Pacific Northwest.
According to Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News, PWHL Seattle has agreed to a contract with defender Mariah Keopple.
Keopple is another part of the Montreal Victoire blue line that has left town. The team also lost Cayla Barnes to Seattle, with Anna Wilgren also taken by the Washington State team in the expansion draft last week.
Keopple’s path to the PWHL wasn’t smoothly paved, having to work her way onto Montreal’s inaugural roster as a free agent invite in 2023. Yet, despite not being touted as a top defender, she quickly became one of Kori Cheverie’s favorites, spending a lot of time in the team’s top four during her two years with the club.
The former Princeton Tiger has never been an offensive threat, more or less known as a stay-at-home defender with so much talent in front of her with the Victoire. This past season, Keopple scored three goals and an assist for four points in 29 games, the highest goal and point production of her young pro career. She also registered a plus/minus of +1 while averaging close to 19 minutes of ice time per game.
Keopple also appeared in all four postseason games this past spring for Montreal, failing to register a point as the Victoire were eliminated by the eventual runners-up, the Ottawa Charge, in four games.
In 53 career appearances in the PWHL, the 24-year-old has notched three goals and four assists for seven points, with a career rating of +3. She hadn’t posted a point in seven postseason affairs, with a -3 rating in the playoffs.
With Keopple, Barnes and Wilgren, Seattle already has a solid base on the back end, having also drafted former Toronto Sceptres defender Megan Carter. They still have plenty of room to add this offseason, having filled only 13 of the possible 23 roster spots. General manager Meghan Turner is actively trying to acquire more talent in free agency, along with looking to make a splash during the PWHL Draft next Tuesday.