Jonna Albers doesn’t remember much about her first career point, but she won’t forget the latest that etched her name in Premier Hockey Federation history.
In the third period of last Saturday’s game in Boston, the Minnesota Whitecaps forward recorded the 100th point of her career becoming just the third ever PHF player to do so.
While Albers is often seen flying down the wing and generating offense off the rush, she scored the milestone marker with a redirection on the power play.
“Yes, I’m usually attacking the net and the goalie which I’m sure they all hate me for,” laughed Albers. “But I love tips and think they’re some of the prettiest goals and I don’t get many of those. It was a perfect shot-pass by Sidney Morin, so I didn’t really have to do much but put my stick out there. It was a fun one to top it off at 100 points. That’s one I probably won’t forget.”
Albers says Whitecaps management clued her in on how close she was to 100 when she was about five points away, however the team’s recent slump and a personal scoreless drought of three games to match the longest of her career raised anticipation for the achievement. She and her teammates were all aware of the significance of the goal when it was scored and celebrated.
“I’ve been in the league for a few years that I probably could have guessed that I was getting close, but until they told me I didn’t realize I was that close,” she said. “It was fun to be able to get it this year. There are only a few players that have done it and they’re some big-name players that have done so much for the league, so it’s pretty cool to put my name up there with them.”
Her 100 points consists of 42 goals and 58 assists in only 83 games which makes the fifth-year veteran the fastest to join the prestigious century club. Pride captain Jillian Dempsey was the first with 48 goals and 52 assists in 93 games followed by Riveters captain Madison Packer who produced 49 goals and 51 assists in 101 career games.
“It shows how good of teammates I’ve been blessed to play with these past five years,” Albers said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone. I’m grateful that I was able to bring it home and that I’m able to keep playing and producing points.”
Albers joined the Whitecaps after graduating from the University of New Hampshire and is one of only three current players who have been part of the organization every year since they joined the PHF in 2018-19. She produced 19 points in 16 games her rookie season when the team won their only title, then a career-high 36 in 21 games in 2019-20, one over four games of the shortened 2021 campaign, 24 in 20 games a year ago, and 20 so far in 2022-23. Her 1.20 points-per-game average is the highest of any player with her tenure.
“My biggest memory is the Isobel Cup final game and those final moments,” she recalls. “Everything else runs together. It’s been so fun to play with all these girls throughout the years. Those are my biggest memories. There’s so much history with the Whitecaps in Minnesota and I’m so thankful to continue to be a part of it. I’m happy to do be able to help keep Minnesota on the map because we all take so much pride being on this team.”
Like many of her teammates past and present, the 29-year-old from Elk River, MN carries a special Whitecaps affiliation that goes well beyond the PHF and deepens her connection to her hometown team.
“The Whitecaps name has been a part of my hockey career since I’ve been in high school and throughout which is kind of cool to go through the different stages (U16/U18) and have a program,” Albers said. “It’s just a huge part of Minnesota hockey and a lot of girls that grow up here. There’s a lot of respect here for that name.”
Not only has Albers seen the growth of the Whitecaps, but the progress the PHF has made in building the best home for professional women’s hockey.
“It’s crazy how far the league has come in the five years I’ve been playing, and obviously it extends beyond my career,” she said. “I can only imagine for those girls but every year it just blows my mind how fast we’re growing and the investment we’ve been able to get. With the salary cap doubling for next year, I never expected that to happen so quickly. It’s truly such a testament to everyone that’s been involved in supporting the league, the players and so much more interest internationally, we’re really showing everyone that if you invest in women’s sports it’s going to be a good investment. I’m truly so excited to see how it keeps growing and I wish I could be a part of it forever. I feel very thankful to have been a part of it and help grow the game and can’t wait to see where it takes us.”
Reflections aside, Albers is focused on helping the Whitecaps swing momentum back in their favor after an uncharacteristic six-straight losses. All that matters now is this weekend’s series against Connecticut and then semifinals in either Boston or Toronto with a championship ticket to Arizona on the line.
“You have to take what you can from the losses and the bad games and learn from it, and grow from it,” Albers said. “We have a really good team, even though some of our games and record doesn’t quite show it sometimes. There are still some things we’re trying to iron out and we need to understand how to continue to be consistent, but when we are playing well, we’re competing right there with the top teams. We all know that we can do it. It’s going to take a lot of work, grit, consistency, to come out and play our best games. If we do that we give ourselves a fighting chance and I think we’re all excited to make the cut for playoffs and hopefully prove to everyone that we can do this.”
While her hundredth point was special, Albers knows that any production down the stretch can and will ultimately contribute to the team’s success which is paramount.
“Hopefully now that I’ve got it (100) out of the way I won’t be jinxed anymore,” she jokes. “We have a big series against Connecticut and hopefully we can come out and get some goals in the net to pick our confidence up before playoffs and go from there. We’re all excited.”
And the good news for fans but bad news for goalies, Albers has no plans of stopping at 100 points.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to be done. I’m having so much fun!”
Cover photo by Sam Silver