With just a week left to go until the bubble, the Toronto Six announced on Thursday afternoon their captain and alternates for the league’s sixth season. By no surprise, forward Shiann Darkangelo will wear the “C” on her jersey in Lake Placid, New York. She’ll be joined by her former teammate in defender Emma Greco as well as forward Emma Woods.
For Shiann Darkangelo, it is not the first time she has taken the ice under Digit’s expertise. She last played under the guidance of Digit with the Kunlun Red Star in 2017-18. There, she was joined by Elaine Chuli, who is projected to be Toronto’s starting goaltender.
Taking a deeper look at the left-winger, Darkangelo, from Royal Oak, Michigan, has over 80 games of professional hockey experience. Doing so over five seasons, this includes a World Championship with the U.S. National Women’s Team. Looking at her time in pro hockey, Darkangelo spent 2018-19 with the Toronto Furies in the CWHL. There, she played 27 games, racking up 10 points on six goals and four assists.
The season prior in Shenzhen, China, she amassed 18 points on 10 goals and eight assists. Before she made the trip overseas, Darkangelo served as an alternate with the Buffalo Beauts in 2016-17. It was her second NWHL season after making her debut the season prior in Connecticut.
Grateful for the recognition, the left-handed shooter said Thursday in a statement, “It’s an honour to be selected as a captain for the Toronto Six alongside Greco and Woods. We have a team full of leaders and I’m excited to do my part in bringing the Isobel Cup to Toronto.”
Much like the team’s first captain, Emma Woods also played under Digit with the KRS Vanke Rays in 2017-18. This is a role that Woods is familiar with, having been named as captain with the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Doing so in 2016-17, she led the team to a record of 21-6-10.
With Woods at the helm of the team’s leadership, Quinnipiac placed third in the ECAC conference. Following her collegiate hockey career, that’s when Woods signed with the Vanke Rays, where she played for two seasons in the CWHL. In her one year under Digit Murphy, Woods appeared in 28 games, recording 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists.
In 2018-19, she played 28 games, racking up eight goals along with eight assists. That made for a total of 16 points. The following season, she competed in Sweden with Leksands IF in the SDHL.
Seeing a statistical increase, the forward recorded 29 points, having scored 10 goals along with 19 assists. She achieved these numbers in 35 games. With luck being on her side, Woods signed with Toronto back in June, knowing three of her teammates from different points throughout her hockey journey.
Most recently, she competed with Brooke Boquist, who signed her contract with Toronto on the thirteenth of May. She was also reacquainted with Elaine Chuli, who she played with in China in 2017-18. The one she has known the longest? defender Emma Greco, who she played with at Quinnipiac.
Being able to lead the Six with familiar faces, Woods said of the honour to be selected for a captaincy role, “It’s a privilege to be chosen as a captain for our inaugural season in the National Women’s Hockey League. The feeling is extra special knowing any one of my teammates would be fit for this role. I will be representing this team the very best I can, and help lead The Toronto Six to our first championship.”
Joining the Burford native as an alternate is a familiar face to the National Women’s Hockey League. For Emma Greco, it’s her third pro season, as well as her first under Digit Murphy. Much like Darkangelo and Woods, Greco is a Bobcats alumna, where the defender was teammates with Emma Woods. Prior to signing with the Six, Greco played alongside Darkangelo with the Toronto Furies in the CWHL.
Having played only two seasons, Greco made her pro debut with the Connecticut Whale in 2017-18. Joining the team out of college, she only tallied two assists for two points in six games. The following year, she made the move to Toronto, playing 23 games before the league closed its doors.
In doing so, she tallied three points, amassing three assists while also adding 12 penalty minutes. Getting a call from Digit prior to launch, Greco was an original five player to join the league’s newest team for their inaugural season. Familiar with the other four players, Greco signed her contract back on April 22nd.
In a statement from Digit Murphy, head coach and president of the Toronto Six, she said about the strength of Toronto’s leadership group, “I’m thrilled to have Shiann, Emma, and Emma lead our team this season. They are true leaders and will represent us on and off the ice for our inaugural season.”
On Thursday January 14th, the NWHL announced the official game schedule for the regular season in Lake Placid, New York. Toronto kicks off their season against the Metropolitan Riveters on January 23rd. It’s the first game of the two-week event with puck drop scheduled for 1:00pmET.
Following that, they will play the next day in the first of three games against the Minnesota Whitecaps. That game, a matinee contest, will see the two square off again at 1:00pmET. That will lead the Six to an off-day before taking on Boston on January 26th.
Being the second of two games, that will see the league’s newest rivalry go head-to-head at 8:30pmET. Following an off-day again on Wednesday, Toronto will hit the ice against Buffalo in the first of two games on January 28th. That will see the two meet at 5:30pmET.
Their last game takes place January 30th, as they take on Connecticut in the first of three games. Going up against a revamped roster, the finale, a matinee, is set to get underway at 12:00pmET. All games will be streamed live on Twitch.tv/NWHL.
From there, the semifinals and finals will be carried exclusively on NBCSN. Additionally, streams and coverage will be available on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. It’ll mark the first time that women’s pro hockey is carried live in the U.S. on a national cable network. As per the official press release, additional details on broadcasts will be made available in the days ahead.