History was made in the Ontario Hockey League this weekend as goaltender Taya Currie has become the first woman to be drafted to the major junior league.
Currie, 16, was selected 267th overall by the Sarnia Sting on Saturday as part of the league’s two-day draft period. Currie has spent the past seven years playing with the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs AAA boys’ team, dating back to the minor-atom age bracket.Â
Currie joins a talented group of women who have been affiliated with major junior teams. Shannon Szabados, Manon Rheaume and Charline Labonte all played in the CHL at some point before, with Szabados being the last to do so in 2002-03.
“Her quickness is a huge aspect of her game,” an OHL scout said. “She’s a small goalie so she needs to use her reflexes more to compensate and it works. She’s a true battler that never gives up on a play. Hard to beat her on a breakaway.”
Currie has expressed interest in the NCAA and playing a game in the OHL would negate her ability to play in the NCAA, the most common route for women’s players. Taya’s sister, Tristan, plays for the Bluewater Hawks of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League and Taya mentioned that as a potential route for her next season in an interview with CTV.Â
“She truly deserves the attention she’s getting and she has a really bright future ahead of her,” one scout said. “She’s going to be a fixture of Canada’s national day one day.”
