Two-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Shannon Szabados is set to return to the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League for a second season.
The 29-year-old goaltender says she was contacted about joining the National Women’s Hockey League for its inaugural season, but for now she will continue to stop pucks in the men’s minor-professional league with a chance to see more starts in 2015-16.
“I definitely thought about it … I wasn’t contacted directly by a team, but I was by the league,” Szabados said of the NWHL, via Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “I got all the information about the draft and signing up and, yeah, I read it all.”
The NWHL will feature four teams — the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale — and is the first professional women’s league that will pay its players.
Szabados starred in goal for Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and again at the 2014 Sochi Games. She played against men in junior and collegiate ranks before landing in the SPHL with Columbus last season. Szabados practiced with the Edmonton Oilers last season in Viktor Fasth’s absence, but was not chosen to work with the club in an emergency backup role.
Szabados split duties with Andrew Loewen in 2014-15. Loewen will not be returning next season, which could mean more work for Szabados, who said she will consider the NWHL at another point in her career.
“It’s exciting for women’s hockey,” Szabados said. “The girls will get paid and have a lifestyle. … I don’t know if it’s enough to fully live on, but it’s better than what we’ve been getting.
“I’m excited to see where the league goes. I may look at it down the road.”
Matheson notes the average weekly salary in the SPHL is approximately $325.00, with accommodations covered.
Szabados finished her first season in Columbus with a 15-9-1 record to go along with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Loewen finished with the league’s second best marks in both goals-against average (2.36) and save percentage (.925).
While Szabados won’t be stopping pucks in a women’s league for at least another season, she still plans on making a run at another Olympic gold medal with Canada in the 2018 Games in South Korea.
