Pride Re-Up League MVP Dempsey
Welcome back, Cap! The Boston Pride announced on Tuesday that they had officially added team captain and league co-MVP Jillian Dempsey to the list of returning players for the 2020-21 season.
An original member of the Pride dating back to the 2015-16 season, Dempsey is the all time leader in goals and points in league history. She is two points shy of 100 in her career, sitting at 46 goals and 52 assists for 98 points in 91 games. She had a breakout season this year en-route to her first league MVP selection, leading the league in points (40) and assists (23) while finishing third in the league in goals (17). This blew her previous career totals out of the water, as she had never eclipsed more than 15 points in a season in her NWHL career.
Dempsey won the inaugural Isobel Cup with the Pride in 2015-16, and prior to joining the team, won the 2015 Clarkson Cup with the CWHL-based Boston Blades. She was the CWHL's Rookie of the Year the season prior. She won a silver medal with the US in the 2012 IIHF World Championship, her only appearance with the adult women's national team. She also has a gold medal to her credit, won in 2009 with the US U-18 program at the IIHF U18 World Championship.Prior to turning pro, Dempsey was a top scorer and team captain at Harvard. She finished her career with two straight 45+ point campaigns, and 148 points in 129 career contests.
Dempsey was nominated for the Patty Kazmaier Award in her final two seasons, and was a finalist in her senior year. Both her junior and senior seasons also resulted in First Team All-ECAC and First Team All-Ivy selections. She is 9th all-time in scoring program history for the Crimson.It is fitting that Dempsey's return is announced today.
Across the country, it is National Teachers' Day, and Dempsey's "other" job is as a 5th grade teacher in her hometown of Winthrop, Massachusetts. Dempsey is excited for the opportunity to continue her playing career."It is an honor to live my dream of playing professional hockey among the talented and hard-working women of the NWHL, and I look forward to being part of the continued growth of the league," she said. "I am thrilled to re-sign with The Boston Pride for my sixth season. Bring on the quest for the Isobel Cup!"