Lexie Laing is now a member of the Boston Pride. The 12th overall pick in the 2017 NWHL Draft, Laing has signed a contract with the Pride and will play her rookie campaign when the league’s fifth season opens in October.
“It means the world to me to be able to sign with the Boston Pride,” said Laing. “Ever since the NWHL started, I wanted to play professional hockey with the Pride. It will also be great to serve as a role model for the players that are the future of women’s professional hockey.”
Laing spent five years at Harvard, redshirting the 2017-18 season. The forward finished her career with 91 points (33-58-91) in 130 games. She led Harvard in scoring in her final two seasons, including recording 26 points and a team-high 18 assists in 2018-19. She was named an All-Ivy League honorable mention for her efforts. As a freshman, Laing was an ECAC All-Rookie Team selection and a finalist for ECAC Rookie of the Year, finishing her first season with 25 points (10-15-25).
“We’re really happy that one of our draft picks and an outstanding player like Lexie has signed to join our team,” said Pride head coach Paul Mara. “She’s exactly the kind of skilled, smart and determined player we’re building our team around.”
“It’s a very exciting opportunity to be able to continue my career in Boston,” said Laing. “Boston is my home and where all my important life events occurred. I grew up here, went to school here and now get to extend my hockey career here.”
The Marblehead, Massachusetts native played four years of hockey at Noble and Greenough School, captaining the team as a senior. The NEPSAC Division I Player of the Year in 2014, Laing helped lead Team USA to a pair of silver medals at the U18 World Championships.
While playing in the NWHL, Laing will continue her studies this fall, beginning her master’s degree studies in animal and public policy.
Laing’s family is no stranger to elite-level hockey. One of her sisters, Brianna, has been a goaltender for the Pride and was Lexie’s teammate at Harvard. Her sister Denna played at Princeton and in the NWHL before suffering a severe spinal cord injury while playing for the Pride in the Women’s Winter Classic on Dec. 31, 2015. In honor of Denna, every player in the NWHL has worn a sticker with Denna’s number 24 on their helmets.
“As a team, I would love to win the Isobel Cup at the end of the season and foster a great team environment,” said Laing of her goals for the season. “I would love to contribute to the team any way I can and learn from my teammates.”
About the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) Established in 2015, the NWHL became the first professional women’s hockey league in North America to pay its players and share in revenue from select apparel sales. The mission of the league is to promote and develop women’s hockey, increase participation and interest in the sport at all levels, and shine a light on the role models that fill the rosters of all of its clubs. The league is made up of the Boston Pride (2016 Isobel Cup champions), Buffalo Beauts (2017 champions), Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters (2018 champions), and Minnesota Whitecaps (2019 champions). For more information, please visit NWHL.zone