Stickney makes history as first woman goaltender selected in WHL Prospects Draft
From the comfort of her dorm room at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minn., Morgan Stickney continued to refresh the Western Hockey League’s draft page as she had been doing all Thursday morning. She was keeping a close eye on the board to see how her friends were faring in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
As the 10th round of the draft rolled around, little did Stickney know it wasn’t just her friends’ names that she needed to be on the lookout for. The Portland Winterhawks’ 215th selection was fast approaching, and it had her name on it.
Stickney’s suspicion that something was on the horizon came minutes before Portland’s selection was made, as she received a sudden follow request on Instagram from the Winterhawks.
Then it happened.
“With their 10th round selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the Portland Winterhawks select Morgan Stickney from Shattuck St. Mary’s 16U,” was shared to the WHL’s Twitter account.
With their 10th round selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the @pdxwinterhawks select Morgan Stickney from Shattuck St. Mary’s 16U. #WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/HTmcMor5Bd
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 11, 2023
As expected, Stickney’s phone exploded with messages from family, friends, Winterhawks faithful, and even a text from women’s hockey pioneer Manon Rhéaume — wanting to connect with Stickney in Los Angeles over the summer.
When Stickney finally had a chance to reflect after seeing her name on the draft board, she was nothing short of ecstatic.
“It was super cool. I mean, a dream come true,” Stickney said in an interview with Portland media.
“[Being drafted] was always in the back of my head, but yesterday it became a reality.”
Following Stickney’s inaugural season with Shattuck-St. Mary’s, it’s no surprise that her name found its way to the draft board.
The 15-year-old collected a 23-4-3 record while in goal for the U16 women’s program, while posting a 1.52 GAA and a .928 SV%. Her performances between the pipes helped lead her team to a 47-10-4 record during the 2022-23 season.
With her selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the Redondo Beach, Calif. native became the second woman and first woman netminder to be drafted in the WHL. Stickney now shares the accomplishment with Chloe Primerano, who was taken in the 13th round, 267th overall by the Vancouver Giants in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
Stickney’s athletics career could have gone very different if it weren’t for her brother, Parker.
“I got started in hockey because my brother played hockey, so he needed a goalie at ‘stick time,’ so he just threw me out on the ice, and I loved it and asked my parents to keep playing,” Stickney said.
If it weren’t for her brother needing a goaltender, Stickney believes she may never have taken to hockey or goaltending at all.
“I’m so grateful, because I don’t think I ever would have played hockey if it weren’t for that, especially in California. The games growing, but 10 years ago it was not nearly as big as it is today,” she said.
Morgan Stickney and the Portland Winterhawks have been intertwined long before the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. Stickney and her brother, Parker, attended several Winterhawks games when they were kids.
While incredibly proud of her recent accomplishment, Stickney’s ambition has yet to be quenched. The netminder is already looking forward to Winterhawks training camp at the end of the summer.
“I’m going to work hard all summer and hopefully skate with the older Shattuck boys to get prepared,” Stickney said.
Should the opportunity present itself, Stickney can become the second woman netminder to play a WHL game, following three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist Shannon Szabados. Szabodos suited up for the Tri-City Americans in a regular season game against the Vancouver Giants on September 22, 2002.
As for what’s in store for the rest of her trailblazing career, Stickney hopes to go for gold and follow in the footsteps of her women’s goaltending idol, U.S. Women’s National Team netminder and two-time Olympian, Alex Cavallini.
“Playing with the national team and making it far in the Olympics would be super cool,” Stickney said, “and ultimately, growing the game.”
Stickney, along with Primerano, have become part of wider movement across the Canadian Hockey League that has seen an exciting uptick in female representation in recent years.
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Welcome to the Winterhawks, Morgan! pic.twitter.com/iXHjRQZj9O
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) May 11, 2023
In March 2022, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League saw Eve Gascon become the third female goaltender to play a game in that league. Gascon, who played with the Gatineau Olympiques, was also able to record her first win — and first by a female since 2000 — on April 1, 2022. The other two woman netminders who share the accomplishment with Gascon are Manon Rheaume (Trois-Rivieres Draveurs) and Charline Labonte (Acadie-Bathurst Titan).
In the Ontario Hockey League, Taya Currie was selected 287th overall in 2021 by the Sarnia Sting. The selection marked the first time a woman was selected in the OHL Draft.
While Stickney joins a talented group of game-changing women, she brings with her optimism for continued growth when it comes to representation within the hockey community.
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