TORONTO — Adding another depth piece up front and gaining Olympic experience, the Toronto Six have signed forward Leah Lum to a Premier Hockey Federation contract for the 2022-23 season. Additional terms of the deal will not be disclosed. “I think in general, all over the world, women’s hockey has been growing and I had first-hand experience of that as well over in China and in Russia,” said Lum.
“I think I definitely wanted to be a little bit closer to home this year, and I think Toronto was the best fit for me. I couldn’t be more excited to have signed with them.”
Leah Lum, Toronto 6ix Forward
A native of Richmond, B.C., Lum joins the Six following three seasons as a member of the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays from 2019-22. She most recently played with fellow T6 forward Michela Cava and is coming off a successful playoff run in Russia’s WHL, which saw her finish second on the team with 19 points in 22 contests. She also represented China at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. Prior to that, the 26-year-old spent one year with the club in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, where she skated in 28 regular season games and finished seventh in scoring as a rookie in 2018-19 alongside T6 forward Emma Woods. Lum was originally selected by the expansion team in the second round of the 2018 CWHL Draft, joining them that season to kickstart her professional hockey career.
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“I am excited to have Leah join our hockey team,” said Angela James, General Manager of the Toronto Six. “In the short time that I have known her, her personality is a perfect fit for the T6 dressing room. Leah is a prolific goal scorer and an even better playmaker. Leah brings a wealth of experience at both the pro and international level. I know that our Chinese community will embrace having the opportunity to come watch Leah perform in person.”
Before signing her first professional contract, Lum, who stands at five-foot-four, played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, including two seasons with T6 goaltender Elaine Chuli. Skating with the Huskies women’s hockey team in Division I competition, the Sports Management graduate finished her 2014-15 freshman season as the club’s fourth-highest point leader, tallying 19 on four goals and 15 assists. Lum’s statistics placed her top-10 in scoring among WHEA freshman and defenders, and earned her a nomination to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. As a sophomore, she compiled 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists, finishing a single spot up as the program’s third leading scorer. Her 10 goals tied her for second on the team, while her 13 assists ranked second-most of any player. Making her mark as a core piece in her junior year, Lum put up new personal-best numbers, including 18 goals and 29 points, leading the team in both categories. Her 18 goals tied for seventh all-time in program history for goals in a single campaign. In 2017, she was named Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award recipient for her accomplishments on the women’s side. The left-handed shooter was named an assistant captain to cap off her collegiate tenure, putting up a career-high 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists across 39 contests. Ranking second on the team in points, Lum’s 10 goals saw her finish fourth on the team, while her 20 assists saw her finish on top. She was also selected for the Hockey East Sportsmanship Award. A vital presence to the Huskies up front, the Chinese Canadian compiled 102 points, registering 42 goals while adding 60 assists in 148 career games.
Lum becomes the team’s twentieth signing, joining Dominika Lásková, Alexis Woloschuk, Nadine Edney, Courtney Gardiner, Kati Tabin, Emma Greco, Carly Jackson, Brittany Howard, and Lexi Templeman as the team’s free agent acquisitions to date, alongside returnees Shiann Darkangelo, Emma Woods, Breanne Wilson-Bennett, Michela Cava and Brooke Boquist up front, Taylor Woods, Taylor Davison, Saroya Tinker and Lindsay Eastwood on defence, and Elaine Chuli between-the-pipes.
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Ecstatic to play professionally in North America on her native soil, Lum is looking forward to competing with and against a flock of familiar faces in the surging Premier Hockey Federation.
“I think just being at home in Canada,” Lum said. “Just being back on home soil in North America in one of the biggest hockey markets around; that being Toronto. I think just the whole excitement with the league and how much it’s grown since it started as the NWHL. I think it’s grown so much, and the players who have been a part of it since the beginning have done an amazing job. I’m just excited about literally everything and having this new opportunity that Angela [James] has given me. I think I’m just going to take every moment that I have and enjoy the ride, and hopefully just continue to grow this game for generations to come.”
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