Another member of the York University Lions women's hockey team has joined the professional ranks. Former team captain Erin Locke has been drafted by the new Toronto National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) franchise.
 
The announcement of Locke's selection came during the third round of the hockey league's two-day draft. The 23-year-old was selected 15^th overall and she joins fellow York alumna Kristen Barbara as a member of the franchise.
 
Locke, a kinesiology and health science graduate from Toronto, joins her hometown's NWHL franchise after a memorable career with the Lions. Her five-year stint saw her earn the team captaincy for 2019-20 after leading the team in scoring during three of her five seasons. She also ranked second in scoring during her rookie season.
 
2018-19 was an especially remarkable season in Locke's career, when she cracked the top 10 scorers in Ontario University Athletics (OUA), finishing 10^th, despite missing 10 games with an injury. She also had four game-winning goals that year, which put her fifth overall in the OUA in that category.
 
Locke wasn't only a leader on the ice but in the classroom as well. She earned U SPORTS academic all-Canadian honours in each year.
 
Toronto's new NWHL franchise hopes to establish a winning pedigree with Locke, who has experience winning championships from high school when she took home an OFSAA soccer championship with Humberside in 2014. Her foundation as a hockey player was with the Etobicoke Dolphins, when she notched 33 points over 72 career PWHL games.
 
The selection sees the new franchise entrust another York Lion with the foundation of their team, after introducing Barbara as one of their five inaugural signings during the team's announcement via press release.
 
The NWHL is a six-team league which began play in 2015. It currently has six teams located in Toronto, Boston, Mass., Amherst, N.Y., Danbury, Conn., Monmouth Junction, N.J., and Saint Paul, Minn.