University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey seniors Ashleigh Brykaliuk and Lara Stalder were drafted by the Boston Pride Saturday in the 2016 National Women's Hockey League second-ever draft.

Brykaliuk, a native of Brandon, Manitoba, was selected as the fourth pick in the third round, and taken as the 12th player overall in the draft.  The Bulldog captain led UMD with 47 points on 18 goals and 29 assists last seasons, and was a All-WCHA Second Team selection as the sixth-highest point getter in the league with an average of 1.25 points per game.

Stalder was the fourth pick in the fifth round by the Pride, and was the 20th college player taken overall.  The Luzern, Switzerland product was the Bulldogs second-leading scorer in 2015-16 with 41 points on 17 goals and 24 assists in just 34 games.  Stalder averaged 1.21 points per game and finished eighth in points in the WCHA, and was a 2015-16 WCHA Scholar Athlete.

The NWHL was the first professional league to pay women for playing hockey.  The players available to be drafted must have completed their junior season at an accredited four year university. A total of 20 players were selected in the five-round, four-team draft process.  Those who are drafted are expected to return to school to finish their senior year, and once their college career is complete, they can then negotiate a contract with the team that drafted them or opt-out in order to try free agency. 

Former Bulldog Zoe Hickel is currently rostered on the Pride as the only other UMD player currently playing in the NWHL.  The Bulldogs have seven former players that are currently in the Canadian Women's Hockey League, with a grand total of eight UMD alums rostered on professional women's hockey teams.