Boston Pride Draft BU's Sammy Davis First Overall In NWHL Draft

BOSTON (CBS) -- Sammy Davis had an incredible career for the Boston University Terriers, and will look to continue her dominance on the ice in Boston in the fall. Davis was drafted first overall by the Boston Pride in Tuesday night's NWHL Draft.

The Pride worked out a trade with the new Toronto franchise for the top pick, and took the Pembroke native and Terrier great ahead of everyone else available. A speedster on the ice, Davis is pumped that she gets to keep playing hockey in her own backyard.

"I think it's pretty amazing they did that, and it shows how much they cared about me and wanted me to be part of their hockey club," Davis told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "It's really exciting and I'm really grateful. I'm from Boston and it's fun to get to play in Boston again."

Davis spent the last five years at Boston University, missing her junior season due to injury. She put together four years of stellar play on the ice, finishing her Terriers career with 66 goals and 76 assists. She led BU with 17 goals and 24 assists last season, tallying three game-winning goals and assisting on five others. The Terriers were 11-1-2 when David lit the lamp in 2019.

Now, she's ready to take her game -- both on and off the ice -- to the next level in the pros.

"I was a little overwhelmed and didn't know what to say," she said of going first overall. "Playing at the next level and playing with new teammates and old teammates of mine, learning from them and growing in my game, and being a role model to young girls, I think that's really exciting."

Davis, who graduated from Tabor Academy before landing at Boston University, is excited that she gets to continue to play in front of family and friends.

"The reason why I chose B.U. was because it was in my backyard and my parents, brother and sister could come and watch me. Having that support system is so important to me," she said. "Getting to the next level and having them around me, that's really important for me."

Davis brings a long list of accomplishments with her to the NWHL. She was the Beanpot MVP and a Hockey East First Team All-Star last season, and a member of the Hockey East All-Academic Team four of her five years at B.U. Before she started her college career, she won a gold medal as an assistant captain for the US Under-18 team in the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championships.

Now she's aiming for even bigger things with the Pride, while also continuing her studies. After receiving her master's degree this year, Davis is will be pursuing her doctorate in occupational therapy at MGH in June. Her love for that field started when she hurt her hand during her sophomore season and visited an occupational therapist who does work with the Bruins, Celtics and Patriots.

"That's kind of what set me on this path, and I want to see occupational therapy merge more with athletics. That would be a really cool career path with me," she said. "I'm really sad that I'm leaving B.U., but this is going to be my career in the future. I'm really excited to get that started and really do what I love."

There are some big things in the future for Sammy Davis.