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Rachel Teslak wasn’t always a defender. She grew up practicing with her brother, Ryan, as a center. Then, in 11th grade, Teslak switched to defense, wanting to emulate the position Ryan played.

“I transferred to defense because I always wanted to be like my older brother,” Teslak said. “We never got to play on the same team, but it was always competition.”

With a knack for scoring due to previously being a forward, Teslak has become an offensive weapon in her first year with Syracuse. Teslak leads SU in goals (four) and points (eight) while playing a crucial role in its power play unit.

Teslak is part of a hockey family. Her father, John, ran Memorial Arena in Cranbrook, British Columbia. It allowed Teslak and Ryan to practice together often when they were both home. Ryan worked with Teslak on skating backwards to get used to the motions as a defender.

In high school, Teslak played for Ontario Hockey Academy, over 2,000 miles from Cranbrook. At OHA, Teslak played defense for the first time.

Teslak’s coach at OHA, Jenna Lascelle, knew her offensive ability could be utilized along the blue line. But attacking offensively as a defender was different than as a forward. With Lascelle, Teslak learned to help set up scoring chances when attacking the zone, rather than taking it herself. Lascelle preached patience and when Teslak received the puck with a shooting lane, that’s when she could be aggressive.

“Her shot was unbelieveable,” Lascelle said. “I would never want to step in front of that shot if I was out there playing.”

Sometimes when OHA needed a late goal, Lascelle played Teslak in her old position as a forward. On power plays, the offensive game plan was to create shooting chances for Teslak.

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After a successful youth career, Teslak moved to the United States to play collegiately for St. Lawrence University.

Teslak wasted no time making an impact, tallying six goals as a freshman. She showed her attacking prowess early on.

In her second collegiate game against Ohio State, the Saints trailed 3-2 with just minutes left. Knowing Teslak’s offensive threat, head coach Chris Wells pulled his goalie and substituted Teslak in to create a man advantage. She entered the game and soon after, delivered a slap shot that rang off the crossbar.

“That’s when we kind of realized we were going to be able to use her on the power play and in those situations,” Wells said.

Teslak was utilized in that way as a freshman. Five of her six goals on the season came on the power play.

Teslak’s teammates worked to give her the best scoring chances possible. Nara Elia, who played with Teslak for two seasons, often screened the goalie to free up space for Teslak’s shot.

“I like to be around the net as a forward so it’s always nice to have a defender that likes to shoot so much,” Elia said. “On the power play one of the goals was to always get her the puck in order to get shots off and create chances.”

While her offensive skill set was clear, Teslak’s defense still needed work with just a few years of experience. According to St. Lawrence assistant coach Mare MacDougall Bari, Teslak worked on perfecting her shooting and passing, but she worked even harder on defensive pivots and physicality along the boards. In doing so, Teslak became a more complete player, Bari said.

After graduating from St. Lawrence Teslak wanted to explore fifth-year options. She entered the transfer portal and eventually ended up at Syracuse.

At SU, Teslak has quickly established herself as a key piece for the Orange, earning back-to-back CHA Defenseman of the Week awards. While the award is listed for defenders, she notably won the award for her offensive production. Against Boston University on Oct. 20, she had her breakout game, scoring two goals in a 4-4 tie.

“She’s stepped up in a number of situations this season,” said SU head coach Britni Smith. “It’s very helpful to have someone who can get pucks on the net as much as she does.”

Published on November 15, 2023 at 11:21 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky