When Dani Rylan hired Digit Murphy as owner and president of the Toronto Six, she did so with one goal in mind, that being to oversee team operations. While Murphy, with expandable outreach, became an asset to the franchise immediately, she did more than what was expected, locking up seven players, the first group to sign contracts.
However, that wasn’t Murphy’s main objective as building a team entails more than just a roster. It wasn’t long after those signings that the longtime coach continued to dive right in. On May 11th, the league announced a change in leadership as Mandy Cronin shifted from Buffalo to Toronto.
That saw the former Maine Black Bear added to Toronto’s front office to assist with operations. Within the next week, the team signed six players and unveiled their team name, branding, logo and colours. While this was a crucial step in the right direction for the newest expansion team, Murphy, who remains in Rhode Island, continued to provide from the comfort of home.
Fast forward to the first round of practices, which took place in cohorts at Scotiabank Pond, the team added Kalley Armstrong, a former captain at Harvard, as a skills and development coach. A good friend of Kelly Babstock, she would help shape the team as on-ice cohorts increased.
While Armstrong’s consultation was short lived, the Six have doubled in size ahead of mandatory workouts. However, they have done so for several weeks under just Mandy Cronin at Canlan Ice Sports in North York.
From scrimmages to goalie drills and shoot-arounds, the former CWHL co-founder has taken the reigns to grow the game and not looked back. She was doing so on a weekly basis to prepare those in town for puck drop scheduled for November. However, even after plans shifted to January, that same dedication to her job is still existent.
As such, it was only smart moving forward to add a coach to the fold who’s just as driven and committed. That brings us to October 15th. With persistent progress being had before puck drop, The Puck Authority learned that the Six had made their coaching selection, while being informed that an announcement is coming soon.
Speaking to the person’s credentials, the source said that while not from the area, they are “extremely well versed in women’s hockey with a wealth of experience.” The source added that this is it for now, with the expectation that a staff will follow later.
In doing so, this fills the last vacancy with confirmation that the rest will return. That means Paul Mara with the Pride, Colton Orr with the Whale, Jack Brodt with the Whitecaps, Pete Perram with the Beauts and Ivo Mocek with the Riveters. Along with Jack Brodt at TRIA Rink, there is confirmation that Ronda Engelhardt is returning.
In terms of assistants, joining the Riveters coaching staff is Ashley Johnston, former Isobel Cup champion. Joining Buffalo’s coaching staff alongside Pete Perram is former defensemen Mark Zarbo. Lastly, joining Mara in Boston is Johnny McInnis, former forward and right-winger.
More to come…