Boston selects BU’s Sammy Davis with top pick in NWHL Draft

The Boston Pride selected Boston University forward Sammy Davis with the first pick in the NWHL Draft on Tuesday night.

The women’s professional hockey league is heading into its sixth season.

The Pride acquired the top pick from expansion Toronto in a trade hours earlier to get Davis. The 23-year-old hometown star had 17 goals and 24 assists for the Terriers this season.

Boston also received Toronto’s fifth-round pick this year in exchange for the Pride’s first-round selection this year, and their first- and second-round picks in 2021.

Clarkson forward Kayla Friesen was chosen No. 2 by the Connecticut Whale, and Maine goalie Carly Jackson went third to the Buffalo Beauts.

Friesen had 10 goals and 20 assists in her lone season with the Golden Knights after transferring from St. Cloud. Jackson was 12-11-7 with a 1.90 goals-against average this season for the Black Bears.

The Metropolitan Riveters took Yale defenseman Saroya Tiner at No. 4, followed by the Minnesota Whitecaps selecting Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Alex Woken. Toronto got Robert Morris forward Jaycee Gebhard as the franchise’s first draft pick to complete the first round.

The National Women’s Hockey League began play in 2015. Boston (2016), Buffalo (2017), Metropolitan (2018) and Minnesota (2019) have won the league’s first four championships.

The 2020 Isobel Cup Final between Boston and Minnesota was postponed last month due to the COVID-19 outbreak.