PWHL New York blue-line built around talented trio of young Canadians

Alex Carpenter didn't break stride as the pass from Cayla Barnes reached her, extending her stick at the perfect moment to hit the puck and deflect it past Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens.

Her goal during last week's Rivalry Series was unbelievable, an almost sixth sense type of display of skill for a player that's long flown under the radar.

But Carpenter will get the chance to take centre stage with PWHL New York in the team's inaugural season, showcasing the skill and scoring touch that made her one of the team's first free agent signings back in September. 

New York is built from the ground up on defence, boasting three of the best young Canadian defenders in captain Micah Zandee-Hart, alternate captain Ella Shelton and Jaime Bourbonnais. But there's a lot of sneaky skill there too, from Élizabeth Giguère to Jessie Eldridge and Abby Roque. 

Coverage of the first PWHL regular-season game on Jan. 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET (New York at Toronto) will be available on CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and CBC TV, beginning with a pre-game show at 12 p.m. 

"They've brought in players that can score key goals at key times and I think that's something that you don't have a lot of, generally speaking," head coach Howie Draper said about GM Pascal Daoust and his staff's work at the league's first draft.

Going into the team's three pre-season games in Utica, N.Y., earlier this month, it wasn't clear how the team might put it all together, with a young roster and a lot of players who haven't played together before.

But the team came out looking fast and skilled, generating offence from all four lines. They were bolstered by great goaltending from all three of its netminders. By the end of the