Adding Homegrown Talent Upfront, Toronto Six Sign Yale Captain Claire Dalton

TORONTO -- The Toronto Six have announced their third move of the offseason, signing free agent forward Claire Dalton from Yale University to a Premier Hockey Federation contract for the 2023-24 season. Her agreement includes a total salary valued at $65,000 (USD).

“Women’s sports are garnering a lot of attention right now, and I think the PHF is part of that movement. I owe a lot in my life to women’s sports and think this would be the time for me to hop on that train,” said Dalton. “It’s not time for me to leave sports yet and I think this is a great time to be involved.”

Dalton joins her hometown T6 after five years of NCAA Division I competition at Yale, where the Bachelor of Economics graduate is the program’s all-time leader with 133 points in 130 games, registering 44 goals while adding 89 assists from 2018-23. During her freshman year with the Bulldogs, the right-handed shooter finished second in points with 18 and earned her first of three nominations to the ECAC All-Academic Team. As a sophomore, she led the team in both assists and points with 24 and 36, and earned recognition as Team MVP, while also receiving All-Ivy League honorable mention. The 23-year-old enjoyed a career-best campaign as a senior post-pandemic, tallying 43 points on 13 goals and 30 assists, which earned her selections to the All-ECAC Third Team and the All-ECAC Tournament in 2021-22. Helping captain her team to 28 wins as a graduate student, Dalton capped her NCAA career with 36 points in 33 games, scoring a career-high 14 goals while adding 22 assists. 

On top of her on-ice accomplishments, the Toronto, ON native was recently named a recipient of Yale Athletics’ prestigious Molly Meyer Humanitarian Award, which is given to one female and one male Yale student-athlete whose character exemplifies selfless devotion along with compassion and concern for their team and the community at Yale and beyond.

“With Claire, she is a tenacious hockey player that resembles just the type of player that we need here on the T6. She is fast, aggressive, a playmaker with a big, heavy shot who can score goals and is a big presence on the ice,” said Angela James, General Manager of the Toronto Six. “Claire is a young leader and someone who puts her team first, and I think she is going to be an asset to our core lineup and a great fit in the locker room.”

Prior to attending post-secondary, Dalton played with the Toronto Aeros in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. Across 75 games played from 2015-18, she compiled 58 points, racking up 27 goals, while adding 31 assists. She also developed experience with the Under-18 Canadian National Women’s Team, where she secured a bronze medal at the 2018 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

Excited for the opportunity to kickstart her career at the professional ranks, Dalton is looking forward to hitting the ice on home soil with the defending PHF champions.

“Just getting the chance to join the defending championship team,” said Dalton. “It sounds like there are pretty good values in place with the Six and it’s a pretty professional organization, so just that continuity in joining teams with a good culture. Getting to be at home, my extended family is super excited to come watch me. That is definitely what contributed to choosing the Six.”

Toronto now has four players under contract for the 2023-24 season with Dalton joining goaltender Elaine Chuli and captain Shiann Darkangelo, and forward Daryl Watts who is entering the second year of a two-year agreement.