Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey senior forward and captain Melissa Samoskevich was drafted No. 2 overall by the Connecticut Whale in the 2018 NWHL Draft on Wednesday afternoon.

[media-credit id=2257 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The Sandy Hook, Connecticut native is currently tied with fellow senior forward Kenzie Lancaster for the team-lead in points with nine (six goals, three assists).

“[Samoskevich] is an explosive player that understands the game from both sides of the puck,” Connecticut Whale head coach Ryan Equale said. “She has played and excelled at the highest level of hockey for high school and college and we are excited for what the future holds for her.”

Samoskevich will join two Quinnipiac alumni on the Whale roster – defensemen Cydney Roesler (‘16), who played with Samoskevich for a year at Quinnipiac, and defenseman Elena Orlando (‘14).

https://twitter.com/M_Samoskevich/status/1075458543288049672

While the Bobcats put together a 5-11-3 overall record in the first half of the season, including a 4-5-1 ECAC Hockey record, Samoskevich has enjoyed an eventful first couple of months. She was selected for the U.S. Women’s National Team for the 2018 Four Nations Cup, where she collected two goals in four games and helped the U.S. team to its fourth straight Four Nations win.

In late November, Samoskevich was selected for USA Hockey’s Women’s Winter Training Camp. While her team is on the winter break, Samoskevich is currently out in Plymouth, Michigan at the camp, which runs Dec. 17-21.

After finishing fourth on the team her freshman year in points with 32, Samoskevich led the team her sophomore and junior years, with 29 and 25 respectively. She is currently in the top 10 in career goals, assists and points in Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey history.