Welcome to New York: Kristyna Kaltounkova Has Arrived For The Sirens
Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
The New York Sirens have undergone major changes since the PWHL’s second season came to an end in May after the Minnesota Frost took home the Walter Cup once again. Fan favorites and old reliables were shipped out or claimed by the two new expansion franchises while newbies were added to the roster. But most importantly, the Sirens took advantage of a talented draft class and rebuilt the team from the ground up with their numerous picks including their second consecutive first overall selection.
The first pick was used to choose Kristyna Kaltounkova from Colgate University. Immediately, Sirens fans were excited about Kaltounkova as she’s incredibly talented and skilled which will help propel this team to success. But even better, adding her to a roster that includes 2024 first overall pick Sarah Fillier, 2025 third overall pick Casey O’Brien and captain Micah Zandee-Hart, one of the last remaining original Sirens, proves that this team can and should be dangerous in the 2025-26 season.
On September 30, Kaltounkova spoke with the media at her first official press conference and was joined by General Manager Pascal Daoust. The Czechia native spoke of her excitement about playing for New York, how she prepared for the transition to the PWHL and who she is most excited to play with and against when the season kicks off.
Kaltounkova joins a very young roster as the Sirens begin this rebuild and aim for a winning season. But while she finds a lot of comfort in being surrounded by players in a very similar position as her because they’re rookies or just new to the team, her motivation level never changes.
“It’s definitely nice to have a fresh young team especially coming out of college. I played against a lot of those rookies and even the girls that were drafted last year and the year before in college. It’s really nice to have them on my side not playing against them, especially those ECAC girls. I think this team is looking pretty sharp. We just got to put in the work and prove all of that on the ice when it comes down to it. There’s definitely comfort in the freshness and whatnot. But no matter what, even if I was the only rookie going into or if there was two of us, my attitude would be the same of going on the ice, giving it my all, working my tail off day in and day out and doing everything I can do to be the best teammate on and off the ice and to perform as well as I can in front of such a great fanbase.”
Because there are a lot of former NCAA players currently in the PWHL, Kalty will be playing with not just some of her former Colgate teammates but also players she used to face off against at the collegiate level too. Plus, she’s looking forward to sharing the ice with some of women’s hockey’s biggest icons.
“I’m really excited to obviously play with Sarah Fillier. She’s a talented player, she’s a great kid. I remember playing against Princeton quite a bit and she always gave us a hard time and was always the target for us to stop so that’s going to be an exciting one. Obviously, Anne Cherkowski, she’s a physical player. Matchups against Clarkson were always tough so bringing that to my side is really nice. And Casey O’Brien. She’s fast, she’s skilled so that’s also going to be very exciting.” said Kaltounkova. “But also all the other girls like Micah Zandee-Hart, she seems like a really experienced, great person, great player. Really excited to be on the same team as her. My former teammates from Colgate that play for the Sirens. There’s so many. But playing against Marie-Philip Poulin at Worlds, Hilary Knight, they’re such good players that they just bring out the best in me so I think the compete level just ups from there.”
When asked what makes Kaltounkova such a special player and what she will bring to the Sirens, Daoust spoke passionately about how incredibly skilled Kalty is in various ways.
“Kalty brings a unique DNA where she can embrace not only the talent, the pure skills, the speed, the physicality, but understanding that she needs and likes to play the 17,000 square foot game. She will be involved in each and every space on the ice. She’s going to block shots. She has the courage to block shots and will show to her teammates on the bench that this is the price we need to pay. The only downside is she wouldn’t be willing to block only a single shot, which would be her shot because she can bring a shot that no one would like to block, not even a goalie. If it’s not her shot, it’s going to be something else. Every time that she’s going to step on the ice, it’s an opportunity for the fans to be excited and to watch a player that you don’t know what she’s going to bring in the next second as we know she’s going to bring something.”
Kaltounkova was a star at Colgate University but like many other players who made the transition from the NCAA to the PWHL, she has been training and preparing for playing hockey at a whole new level like she never has before. After the draft, Kalty went home to Czechia to spend time with her family and recharge but wasted no time getting back into training for her first professional season which she said started the moment she got home.
“I would compare it to a really hard math exam,” Kaltounkova said. “I have been preparing a lot because stepping into the pro league and being drafted number one and all the variables that are also there are so important to me that I want to be as prepared as much as I can and it brings a natural nervousness to it. Just like with a math exam. You want to be studying as much as you can for that hard exam. Which is what I’m doing. I’m really trying to prepare for the league.”
With the PWHL heading into its third season, Kalty is in a much different position than a lot of the other players who came into the league earlier because she knew the option to play professionally was finally an option during her collegiate career. But her journey to the PWHL still was a unique one due to the league being created after she was already playing at Colgate.
“I actually thought I was probably going to go play in Europe which would be closer to my family. I just didn’t really think that I had the opportunity to play in the PWHL or I kind of didn’t even realize it. So I thought I was going to go play in Europe or find a job just kind of get on with my life I guess and my parents fully supported whatever decision I was going to make. But then once I played for the national team this year and there was a lot of talk about the PWHL because a lot of the girls play for the PWHL, I kind of realized that’s an opportunity and that’s what I want to do. When I was a little girl, I wanted to play in the NWHL which is no longer a thing. So I kind of realized this is it, I gotta do it to fulfill that dream if it’s possible. And I did have the privilege to be drafted so that’s how that journey went. It ended up very nicely.”
Of course, as the first overall pick, Kalty will be a huge inspiration for young hockey players not only just in the New York/New Jersey area but across North America as she takes the ice with the Sirens in the seven other PWHL markets throughout this season and beyond. Her advice to young girls and women who want to play hockey?
“Lean on your people like your family, friends, teammates, coaches. It’s difficult to get up here but hard work, dedication and just passion. I just go out on the ice every time and I have fun. I enjoy it. I give it my all. But that’s really about it,” said Kaltounkova. “Hockey is an honest sport. So just work hard, don’t give up no matter how hard it gets because everyone in this league and in all leagues has gone through something that could have derailed them. It’s important to keep focus and to lean on those people and keep going.”
One thing is for sure. Sirens fans and anyone who watches the PWHL as a whole cannot wait to see Kaltounkova play this season. She is going to be fantastic to watch while also helping propel the Sirens to a new level of success. New York opens the 2025-26 season on the road when they take on the Ottawa Charge on Saturday, November 22. The Sirens’ first home game will be played against PWHL Vancouver on Saturday, November 29 at the Prudential Center.