Rachel Llanes
Birth dateApril 29, 1991 (age 35)[1]
Birth placeSan Jose, California, U.S.
Height5 ft
Height in2
Weight lb121
PositionForward
ShootsRight
LeagueCurrent
TeamFree agent
Former teamsKRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL/CWHL)
Kunlun Red Star (CWHL)
Boston Pride (NWHL)
Boston Blades (CWHL)
Northeastern Huskies (NCAA)
Team coachSan Jose Barracuda
Ntl teamCHN
Sexf
Career start2009
Career start coach2014
Lin Ni
Headercolor
  1. F8F9FA
T林尼
S林尼
PLín Ní
WLin Ni

Rachel Llanes (born April 29, 1991), also known by the Chinese name Lin Ni (),[2] is an American-born Chinese ice hockey player and coach. She has served as strength and conditioning coach of the San Jose Barracuda since the 2022–23 AHL season.[3]

As a member of the Chinese national ice hockey team, she participated in the 2022 Winter Olympics and two IIHF Women's World Championship Divisiom I tournaments.

Llanes previously played with the Boston Blades and Kunlun Red Star WIH of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), the Boston Pride of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL; renamed PHF in 2021), and the KRS Vanke Rays of the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL).[4][5] She is the only player to have won a championship in the CWHL, the NWHL, and the ZhHL.[6]

Playing career

Llanes began playing hockey in her early teen years and played with the San Jose Jr. Sharks girls' travel team.[7][8]

She played NCAA Division I ice hockey with the Northeastern Huskies of Hockey East from 2009 through 2013.[9]

CWHL

Llanes played for the Boston Blades in the CWHL, winning the Clarkson Cup with the team in 2015.[10][11]

NWHL

In 2015, Llanes joined the Boston Pride for the inaugural NWHL season, winning the Isobel Cup with the team.[12] In July 2016, it was announced that Llanes would continue with the team for the 2016–17 season, with a pay increase for a one-year $12,000 contract.[13][14][15]

Return to CWHL & ZhHL

In 2017, Llanes returned to the CWHL to sign with Kunlun Red Star (KRS) in China. She also served as the strength and conditioning coach for both KRS and the Chinese national team.[16] She remained with the team through several significant changes, first when it merged with the Vanke Rays to become the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays for the 2018–19 CWHL season, and again when the team joined the ZhHL for the 2019–20 season, after the CWHL folded.[17] In their first season as part of the ZhHL, the KRS Vanke Rays became the first non-Russian team to win the ZhHL championship and Llanes earned distinction as the first player in the history of women's ice hockey to win championships in the CWHL, the NWHL, and the ZhHL.[6]

Personal life

Llanes was born on April 29, 1991, in San Jose, California. She is of Filipino heritage.[10][8]

Llanes holds a degree in criminal justice and psychology from Northeastern University.

From 2014 to 2016, Llanes served as assistant coach to the Lady Knights ice hockey team of the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Llanes - Women's Ice Hockey". Archived March 2, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "Beijing 2022 – Athletes: Ni LIN". Olympics.com. Archived 2022-01-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  3. ^ "San Jose Barracuda Announce Staff Hires" (Press release). San Jose Barracuda. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  4. ^ "CWHL 2015/2016 - Boston Blades Team Roster". cwhlboston.stats.pointstreak.com. Archived August 27, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  5. ^ Potts, Andy (2022-01-28). "Chinese women target QF". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived February 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  6. ^ Murphy, Mike (2020-02-23). "Rachel Llanes' journey from role player to star". The Ice Garden. Archived April 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  7. ^ Cimini (2015-08-20). "Rachel Llanes Expects A Lot From NWHL". Today's Slapshot. Archived February 25, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  8. ^ Hsieh, Ren (2016-03-31). "Asian Players Helping to Make History in Women's Pro Hockey". Dat Winning. Archived October 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  9. ^ Staffieri, Mark (2016-01-28). "Women's Winter Classic Provides Proud Memories for Rachel Llanes". Women's Hockey Life. Archived September 28, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  10. ^ Berkman, Seth (2016-11-25). "Two Black Women Embrace Their Chance to Be Hockey Role Models". The New York Times. Archived November 8, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  11. ^ "Boston Blades Select Llanes and Pickett in CWHL Draft". Northeastern Huskies. 2013-08-30. Archived October 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  12. ^ Nelson, Dustin (2015-08-15). "Rachel Llanes, Hayley Williams & Paige Harrington Sign in NWHL". The Hockey Writers. Archived October 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  13. ^ Linehan, Meg (2016-08-30). "Emily Field, Rachel Llanes return to Boston Pride for NWHL's second season". Excelle Sports. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  14. ^ Share-Cohen, Brandon (2016-07-30). "Boston Pride Re-Sign Rachel Llanes". The Hockey Writers. Archived October 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  15. ^ Berkman, Seth (2016-11-22). "Pay Cuts Jolt Women's Pro League and Leave Its Future Uncertain". The New York Times. Archived October 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  16. ^ Whelan, Kirsten (2020-03-02). "In Russia's Women's Hockey League, KRS Remains a Standard-Bearer". The Victory Press. Archived August 5, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  17. ^ Kaplan, Emily (2020-01-29). "What the NHL can learn from the KHL's support of women's hockey". ESPN. Archived February 25, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.