Seattle Torrent Trade Jessie Eldridge to Boston Fleet for Theresa Schafzahl – The Hockey Writers – PWHL
On Monday, March 16, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) had a surprise trade. The Seattle Torrent traded forward Jessie Eldridge to the Boston Fleet in exchange for forward Theresa Schafzahl.
Seattle selected Eldridge from the New York Sirens in the expansion draft after last season. In her first two seasons with New York, she played in 54 games and recorded 38 points. With the Torrent, she had 13 points in 19 games. She just reached the exclusive 50-point club on March 4 when she scored two goals against the Ottawa Charge.
Eldridge has been a major part of the Torrent’s offensive skill, currently in third place in the standings. She sits just under Julia Gosling and Hilary Knight. With her absence, the already struggling Torrent team could be in an even deeper hole.
Eldridge’s scoring ability will add to an already lethal Fleet team. Boston is currently first overall in the league with 39 points. She will likely need some time to adjust to her new team, but Eldridge will be another dangerous offensive addition to the Fleet.
Schafzahl has spent her entire PWHL career with Boston. Over the last three seasons, she has played in 69 games and has 17 points. She also has playoff experience from her first season with Boston, where she played in eight postseason games and recorded three assists.
Schafzahl doesn’t have the greatest offensive eye, but she does a great job of eating away minutes to make sure the rest of her team is well-rested to try and get out there and make a difference offensively.
The Torrent are currently in last place in the standings with 19 points. Schafzahl has a lot riding on her shoulders with this pickup. Both teams are also already hurting. Zoe Boyd just announced she had surgery on her ACL, so the Fleet are down a strong defender. The Torrent are missing Hilary Knight and Hannah Bilka, who both sustained injuries in the Olympics. Bilka has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but Knight has not yet.
The Fleet are already back in action tomorrow, March 17, when they host the Toronto Sceptres. We’ll see if this is Eldridge’s first appearance in Fleet colors or not.
