Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays

Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays
2018–19 CWHL season
City Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
League Canadian Women's Hockey League
Founded 2017
Home arena Shenzhen Dayun Arena
Colors Red, white
         
Owner(s) Kunlun Red Star
General manager Rob Morgan
Head coach Bob Deraney
Website www.hcredstar.us
Franchise history
2017–2018 Kunlun Red Star WIH
2018–present Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays

The Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays are a professional women's hockey team based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China as a member of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). The team was known as Kunlun Red Star WIH (simplified Chinese: 深圳昆仑鸿星 or 昆仑鸿星; traditional Chinese: 深圳崑崙鴻星 or 崑崙鴻星; pinyin: Shēnzhèn Kūnlún Hóngxīng or Kūnlún Hóngxīng; Cantonese Yale: Sāmzan Kwānlèuhn Hùhngsīng or Kwānlèuhn Hùhngsīng) during its first season, but changed its name after the second Chinese team, the Vanke Rays, was shut down and merged into Red Star. The team is operated by the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League and began operation in 2017.

The KRS Vanke Rays plays home games at Shenzhen Dayun Arena in Shenzhen.

History

The team was established on June 5, 2017, in an effort to improve the China women's national ice hockey team in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.[1] The team signed two players prior to the official announcement of the team in Noora Räty and forward Kelli Stack.[2] Red Star announced Digit Murphy, formerly of the Boston Blades as head coach.[3] The team also signed Rob Morgan from Yale as associate head coach[4] but soon after became the head coach of the second Chinese team, the Vanke Rays.

With their first round pick in the 2017 CWHL Draft, the Red Star selected Noora Räty.[5] The club proceeded to select Alexandra Carpenter in the second round,[6] while the third round saw the franchise select from NWHL All-Star Shiann Darkangelo.

On October 21, 2017, the Red Star competed in their first game, facing the Markham Thunder. Kelli Stack and Baiwei Yu both earned assists on the first goal in Kunlun Red Star history scored by Zoe Hickel.[7] During the regular season, teams that traveled to China played a three-game series against the Red Star in an effort to reduce travel costs.

By season's end, Noora Räty was the CWHL's regular season goaltending champion, leading the league in goals against average. In addition, she tied for the league in shutouts with goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer of Les Canadiennes, with six. Räty also won the CWHL Goaltender of the Year award, the first European-born goaltender to capture the honor, and Kelli Stack led the CWHL in scoring, the first American-born player to win the Angela James Bowl.

Räty was also the starting goaltender for the Red Star in the 2018 Clarkson Cup finals in Toronto. Facing the Markham Thunder, the final went into overtime, where Laura Stacey scored with 2:11 left in the 4-on-4 overtime as Markham prevailed by a 2–1 score for its first Clarkson Cup win.[8] Räty recorded 37 saves in the game while Stack scored the only goal of the game for the Red Star.[9] Head coach Digit Murphy left the team in May and Kunlun Red Star named Bob Deraney, formerly the head coach of the Providence Friars women's ice hockey team, as the new head coach on June 12, 2018.[10]

Prior to the 2018–19 season, the CWHL shut down the other Chinese team, the Vanke Rays. On August 3, 2018, Kunlun Red Star changed its name to Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays. Rob Morgan, who served as the head coach of the Vanke Rays during its only season was named as the general manager for the consolidated club. Kunlun Red Star brand was continued to be used by a separate hockey team for the Chinese national players as part of the national team's development in preparation for the 2022 Olympics.[11]

Roster

As of September 15, 2018[12]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
25 United States Rose Alleva D R 26 2018 Red Wing, Minnesota
12 United States Stephanie Anderson F L 25 2017 North St. Paul, Minnesota
9 Canada Hanna Bunton F L 24 2018 Belleville, Ontario
5 United States Alexandra Carpenter F L 23 2018 North Reading, Massachusetts
6 Canada Melaine Jue D L 30 2017 Richmond, British Columbia
91 United States Rachel Llanes F R 27 2017 San Jose, California
7 Canada Leah Lum F L 22 2018 Richmond, British Columbia
18 Canada Cayley Mercer F L 24 2018 Exeter, Ontario
33 Canada Kimberly Newell G L 23 2018 Nelson, British Columbia
3 United States Michelle Ng F R 27 2018 Milton, Massachusetts
41 Finland Noora Räty G R 29 2017 Espoo, Finland
49 Canada Jessica Wong D L 27 2017 Baddeck, Nova Scotia
51 United States Madison Woo F R 24 2017 Plymouth, Minnesota
67 Canada Emma Woods D R 22 2018 Burford, Ontario

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ Price, Satchel (5 June 2017). "Canadian Women's Hockey League expanding to China next season". SBNation.com.
  2. ↑ "CWHL unveils Chinese expansion franchise for 2017-18". Sportsnet.ca. June 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Berkman, Seth (5 June 2017). "Canadian Women's Hockey League to Add a Team From China" – via NYTimes.com.
  4. ↑ "Red Star Women's Ice Hockey Name Rob Morgan as Associate Head Coach – Kunlan Red Star". www.hcredstar.us.
  5. ↑ "Forward Courtney Turner taken with first pick in CWHL draft". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Kristyn Capizzano And Alex Carpenter Taken In 2017 CWHL Draft". www.bcinterruption.com. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Game #: 5 - Saturday, October 21, 2017". CWHL. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Kevin McGran (25 March 2018). "Laura Stacey's overtime winner gives Markham its first Clarkson Cup". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Game # 0 - Sunday, March 25, 2018". CWHL. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Bob Deraney named head coach of Kunlun Red Stars". TheIceGarden.com. 12 June 2018.
  11. ↑ Maura Sun (3 August 2018). "Kunlun Red Stars Announce Team Name Change". Canadian Women's Hockey League. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays Elite Prospects". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Raty Named Top CWHL Goaltender". Minnesota Golden Gophers Athletics. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Grant Salzano (24 March 2018). "Kelli Stack Named CWHL MVP". SB Nation: BC Interruption. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
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