PWHL signings: Boston inks Emily Brown, New York signs Kayla Vespa to one-year deals

The PWHL’s Boston and New York franchises announced a signing for each of their teams on Monday.

Boston signed defender Emily Brown to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old product of Blaine, Minn. spent the 2022-23 season with the PWHPA. Boston drafted Brown in the eighth round of the PWHL Draft in September.

She’s represented the United States in the 2022-23 Rivalry Series vs. Canada, the 2019 U22 series vs. Canada and helped win a gold medal during the 2016 U18 World Championship.

“Emily has extensive experience defending against and shutting down the best players in the game,” said Boston General Manager Danielle Marmer. “Her signing makes us a hard team to play against.”

Before turning pro, Brown spent five seasons at the University of Minnesota, serving two seasons as a co-captain. She was named to three straight All-WCHA Second Teams, finishing second in school history for games played and in the top-10 on Minnesota’s all-time points list for a defender.

As for New York, they signed forward Kayla Vespa to a one-year contract. The 13th round pick has spent the last three seasons playing professionally with the PWHPA.

The 26-year-old from Hamilton, Ont. spent four seasons with St. Lawrence University between 2016-17 and 2019-20. She led the team in goals (13), assists (20) and points (33) in 36 games in her senior season.

“We are thrilled to introduce Kayla Vespa to the New York PWHL team,” said New York General Manager Pascal Daoust. “Her boundless energy, speed, gritty determination, and unwavering passion on the ice make her a competitor at every moment.

“Kayla embodies the winning attitude we cherish in New York, and we’re eager to see her in action,” he continued.