Kristyna Kaltounkova living up to hype in first half of Sirens season

The Sirens knew what they were doing when they picked Kristýna Kaltounková first overall in the 2025 PWHL draft.Coach Greg Fargo owned the best scouting report out there on Kaltounková, whom he coached at Colgate for four years before taking the Sirens job ahead of the 2024-25 season.She plays fast and isn’t scared of physicality.Her sturdy 5-foot-9 frame allows her to play through contact and be a bully on the ice.

“A true weapon” is what general manager Pascal Daoust called Kaltounková after she signed a three-year contract before the season.The Sirens saw Kaltounková as a pillar for the franchise’s future alongside 2024 No.1 overall pick Sarah Fillier.

And halfway through her rookie campaign, the Sirens have to be feeling pretty good about their bet on the Czech forward.Kaltounková entered the PWHL’s Olympic break this week on a career-best four-game point streak.The rookie’s two goals in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the first-place Boston Fleet made her the league-leading scorer with 11.And there’s still plenty of time for Kaltounková to set the league’s scoring record for a first-year pro (held by Fillier with 13 goals last season) and potentially the overall single-season scoring record, which stands at 20 goals (Natalie Spooner in 2024).That will have to wait, though, until the PWHL season resumes Feb.

26.In the meantime, Kaltounková, a front-runner to follow in Fillier’s footsteps and win Rookie of the Year, is one of six Sirens who are heading to the 2026 Milano Cortina Games to represent their countries.She’ll be making her Olympic debut for Czechia.Fillier will be playing in her second Olympics with Team Canada, and forward Kristin O’Neill and goalie Kayle Osborne will join her in their first Winter Games.

Maja Nylen Persson (Sweden) and Nicole Vallario (Switzerland) also received nods to play for their home countries.With the team dispersing for the next month, here’s a look at some of the Sirens’ midseason sup...