Sirens No. 1 overall pick ‘walking the line’ with physical play

Kristyna Kaltounkova plays with a distinct physical edge. It’s one of the reasons the New York Sirens selected the 5-foot-9 forward with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Entry Draft.

“I think I’m pretty blessed to be physical and have the body type I have for that physicality kind of play,” Kaltounkova said at training camp.

That physicality can be costly, however.

During the first period of New York’s season-opening win against the Ottawa Charge on Nov. 22, Kaltounkova drove her elbow into the back of Sarah Wozniewicz, slamming her into the corner boards. She received a two-minute minor for boarding, and narrowly avoided a major penalty.

“On that hit, I think I was just kind of trying to win a puck battle,” Kaltounkova explained. “And it just happened because it happens so fast.”

In the closing minutes of New York’s 5-1 win over the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Saturday, Kaltounkova negated a Sirens goal, when she delivered an illegal cross-check behind the Vancouver net, seconds before Paetyn Levis corralled the puck and sent it into the cage.

Therein lies the risk-reward puzzle of her physical playstyle — the tightrope of playing with aggression without consistently ending up in the penalty box. But those two mindsets aren’t easily married.

“She’s walking a line,” admitted Sirens coach Greg Fargo. “But she’s been trying to find that line throughout her college career, and now into the next level, so she’ll adjust her game.”

Sirens coach believes rookie’s ‘physicality is an asset’

Fargo coached Kaltounkova from 2020-24 at Colgate University, where the talented forward balanced being a prolific scorer with a penchant for spending too much time in the penalty box.

The 23-year-old from Czechia scored more goals (111 in 171 games) than any women’s player in Colgate history. But she also totaled 218 penalty minutes (third-most all-time) and led the Raiders in penalties in four of her five NCAA seasons, including three times when she ranked top-5 nationally.

“Sometimes you go in the box. But I think there’s an upside to it, where it can bring momentum,” she explained. “Obviously, it’s unfortunate when there’s a penalty that comes out of it, but sometimes it’s a little bit out of our control, and it happens when you want to play physical.”

It’s a risk that the Sirens are willing to embrace, as long as the young phenom continues to produce offensively. Kaltounkova scored her first pro goal Saturday against the Goldeneyes.

“She’s gonna have to continue to find the line, because we want her to play that way. Her physicality is an asset,” Fargo asserted. “We want other teams to be aware when she’s on the ice. I think, if anything, there’s maybe a little bit more leash in terms of the physicality at this level. But certainly [we] want her to continue to be who she is.”

It’s an important vote of confidence from New York’s head coach — albeit not an invitation for Kaltounkova to play with reckless abandon.

“You don’t go into a battle thinking you want to take a penalty ever,” Kaltounkova chuckled. “But it happens, so obviously, be smart about it.”

Sirens embracing team toughness this season

New York’s physical play doesn’t start and stop with Kaltounkova. The Sirens average 16 hits per game, middle of the pack in the PWHL, but are much more engaged physically throughout the lineup than in past seasons. And that’s after trading rugged forward Abby Roque this past offseason to the Montreal Victoire.

High-scoring forward Sarah Fillier, all 5-foot-4 of her, leads the Sirens with six hits through three games. But it’s the overall willingness to stand up for one another and play with more of an edge that stands out most with New York so far.

Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart received a five-minute major and a game misconduct during the season opener. She challenged Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes with a cross-check to her helmet after the Charge forward delivered a big hit on defender Jaime Bourbonnais. Zandee-Hart was fined $250 for the first major penalty of her three-season PWHL career.

Though New York’s next two contests against the Victoire and Goldeneyes weren’t quite as dramatic, the extracurricular activities continued.

“I don’t think it’s been a talking point. I think it’s kind of happened organically,” Zandee-Hart said Friday. “I think in the last two seasons, we’ve maybe been a team that’s let teams dictate how the game was going to go, and I think we don’t want to be that team this year — so I think that’s where some of that is probably stemming from.”

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the Sirens are short-handed a League-high 12 times in three games. To their credit, they’ve limited the damage, killing all but one power play and springing free for two jailbreak goals.

It’s likely not in New York’s plans to lead the League in penalty minutes — but if that’s the price for establishing a tougher identity, it seems the Sirens are willing to pay it.

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