I had the privilege of speaking with new PWHL Seattle expansion general manager Meghan Turner. Here’s a portion of that conversation.
Fitting Together Puzzle Pieces
Dreyfuss: You have described roster-building as a puzzle, and I was intrigued when you said that you don’t necessarily just look for the best players, but players who can accept different roles and players who you feel will have good chemistry. Please talk about how that will inform your building of the Seattle roster.
Turner: Yeah, absolutely. I stand by that. It certainly is a puzzle.
There are obviously different roles for different players on the team. You know, you see it in this league and elsewhere. Sometimes a goalie is a number one, and with a clear backup, sometimes they’re splitting, right? There’s 12 or 13 spots in the forward end, six or seven spots in the defensive end. All of those spots are going to get different playing times, play different roles, special teams, and things of that nature.
So as I’m building out this roster, obviously looking for a lot of good leaders to establish a leadership group. Also, making sure that we’re getting people and players to buy into what the organization is all about from a cultural perspective. And what the role is that they play and what their strengths are that they can truly bring to the team, and that might look a little bit different than what they’ve had in the past.
The competition is so great in this league that every year (players) might have to change their mindset a little bit. It’s working with the coaching staff and the rest of your players and leaning on everyone to be able to sometimes redefine your game or reinvent yourself in a way.
So, yeah, it’s certainly a puzzle finding who fits well, chemistry with players and coaches, but also just within the lineup in terms of what’s asked of them.
Full Stands ‘Jazz Up’ PWHL Players
Dreyfuss: You played professionally in two previous women’s leagues. I’ve heard you talk about how the players really do notice the stands. Speaking to the Seattle fans, please explain as a pro athlete how it does affect performance when there’s a great deal of fan support.
Turner: Yeah, I can’t describe this enough, and I think the older, more veteran players would agree with me on this. Back in my playing days, sometimes you come out to a rink that is one of the biggest games of your life, and there weren’t that many supporters there, and it’s sometimes difficult to get on the ice and see those empty stands.
The league has done a really fantastic job at creating a lot of engagement here. Creating a community that doesn’t always look like the typical hockey community that we’re used to. Danielle (Marmer, Boston Fleet GM) walked by someone Googling “offside” or “icing.” This league has been able to rally people to the arenas who may not have known hockey or interested in hockey, and really get people to the rink.
It really does jazz up the players. When you walk into a building that’s full, you see some of these players. They’re taking it all in. I’m taking it all in.
I think back to Detroit, my first maybe neutral-site Takeover Tour game from last year. Just seeing the whole bowl full was kind of a pinch-me moment and really incredible. I think staff and players alike, it’s really cool to see how far we’ve come, and I know that the players feel that as well.
Seattle & Women’s Pro Hockey Share Common Culture
As to what makes Seattle and women’s pro hockey such a good fit, Turner was emphatic.
“What excites me, what motivates me, I’ll start with an anecdote from my time in Boston. It’s actually a story of Danielle’s that I’m going to kind of steal. There was a fan that approached her and said, ‘I was going through really dark times. The only thing that got me through was my excitement about the Fleet games.’
“I’m excited to build a team that can compete and win a championship in year one, but I’m also excited to just work with our business side and, hand-in-hand with the league, create a real sense of community that I think each of the six (existing) markets have already created.
“It’s a place (the PWHL) that’s super inclusive. You walk into the rink or the arena, and I know that you’re going to create friends. It’s just a really special environment. So, yeah, what motivated me certainly was to show the people of Seattle how good these players are, but also to share in the community that this league has created and to share that with the folks of Seattle.”