Melissa Samoskevich

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Melissa Samoskevich
Born (1997-03-31) March 31, 1997 (age 24)
Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Height 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Weight 168 lb (76 kg; 12 st 0 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NWHL team Connecticut Whale
Played for Brynäs IF
Quinnipiac Bobcats
National team  United States
Playing career 2015–present
Medal record
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Finland

Melissa Samoskevich (born March 31, 1997) is an American ice hockey player for the Connecticut Whale of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) and a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She is also an assistant coach for Penn State.

Playing career[]

Across 144 NCAA games with the Quinnipiac Bobcats women's ice hockey program, Samoskevich scored 109 points, the fourth highest total in the university's history. She was named ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year in 2016, and would serve as the team's captain in her two final seasons.[1][2]

She was drafted by the Connecticut Whale 2nd overall in the 2018 NWHL Draft. She would sign her first professional contract with Brynäs IF Dam in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL), but would only play 8 games with the club before leaving due to homesickness.[3][4] She spent the rest of the 2019–20 season with the PWHPA, and appeared with Team Coyne at the Secret Women’s Hockey Showcase.[5]

In June 2020, she signed with the Connecticut Whale.[6] On August 18, 2020, Samsokevich was announced as a new assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions women's ice hockey program.[7] Her coaching duties with Penn State prevented her from joining the Whale for the COVID-19 Bubble of the 2020–21 NWHL season.[8]

International play[]

She represented the United States at the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship.[9][10] She had previously represented the country at the 2018 4 Nations Cup and the IIHF World Women's U18 Championship in 2014 and 2015.[11][12]

Personal life[]

Samoskevich attended Shattuck-Saint Mary's for high school and played ice hockey with the school's under-16 and prep teams, serving as captain of Shattuck St. Mary's Prep during her senior season.[13][14] She has a degree in history.[15] Her sister, Madison, represented the United States at the 2019 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship and, since the 2020–21 season, plays as a defenseman with the Quinnipiac Bobcats ice hockey program. Her brother, Mackie, is committed to play college ice hockey for the Michigan Wolverines and was drafted 24th overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.[16][17]

Career Statistics[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2019–20 Brynäs IF SDHL 8 0 6 6 2 – – – – –
2019–20 New England PWHPA – – – – – – – – – –
SDHL totals 8 0 6 6 2 – – – – –

References[]

  1. ^ Pinchevsky, Tal (2014-12-12). "How Elite Hockey Recruit Melissa Samoskevich Found Hope In Sandy Hook". ESPN. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  2. ^ Scifo, Dan (2015-10-26). "Samoskevich Represents Country, Hometown on Ice". USA Hockey. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  3. ^ Abrahamsson, Hans; Ros, Tomas (2019-09-23). "Här är Brynäs nästa stjärnvärvning". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  4. ^ Kågström, Rasmus (2019-10-23). "Nyförvärvet lämnar Brynäs – efter åtta matcher". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  5. ^ Jay, Michelle (January 10, 2020). "Secret Showcase headlines busy weekend for PWHPA". The Ice Garden.
  6. ^ Murphy, Mike (2020-06-10). "Melissa Samoskevich signs with Whale". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  7. ^ "Melissa Samoskevich Named Women's Hockey Assistant Coach". Penn State University Athletics (Press release). 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  8. ^ Murphy, Mike (2021-01-17). "Samoskevich will not be with Whale in Lake Placid". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  9. ^ "U.S. Roster Announced for 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship". USA Hockey (Press release). 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  10. ^ "2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship" (PDF). stats.iihf.com. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  11. ^ Riley, Lori (2019-12-13). "Newtown native takes part in US national ice hockey team drills as team preps to play in Hartford". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  12. ^ Fuller, Jim (2019-04-22). "Quinnipiac's Samoskevich, a Newtown native, still buzzing after gold-medal run with US team". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  13. ^ "Team USA Player Bios: Melissa Samoskevich". USA Hockey. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  14. ^ "All-USA Girls Hockey Player of the Year: Melissa Samoskevich". USA Today. 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  15. ^ "2018–19 Women's Ice Hockey Roster: 11 Melissa Samoskevich". Quinnipiac University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  16. ^ Pinchevsky, Tal (2013-12-15). "Samoskevich honors hometown Sandy Hook victims". NHL. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  17. ^ Jurewicz, Chris (2018-11-04). "Cut from the same cloth". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2021-07-24.

External links[]

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