Charge sign Sanni Ahola, Anna Shokhina, Fanuza Kadirova to one-year contracts
The Ottawa Charge inked deals with three of their most recent draft picks.
On Monday, the team announced it has signed forwards Anna Shokhina and Funaza Kadirova, along with goaltender Sanni Ahola, to one-year contracts for the 2025-26 season.
All three players were taken by the Charge in the 2025 PWHL Draft.
Shokhina was arguably the most surprising pick of the draft, going as high as the second round, 13th overall. She brings in loads of experience on the international stage. This past season, with Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg of the Zhenskaya Hockey League, the 28-year-old led the league with 73 points in 42 games, followed by nine goals and 16 points. However, Dynamo-Neva’s bid to win two straight league titles fell short, losing to Agidel Ufa in the final.
Shokhina won ZhHL championships, including three with Tornado Dmitrov.
“I am incredibly happy to get things going in Ottawa,” Shokhina said in a release. “I will be able to play in the strongest league in the world with the best team. I’m looking forward to putting some pucks in the net, contribute to victories and help my new team take the cup.”
Along with competing at the IIHF Women’s World Championships twice, Shokhina also played with fellow Russian athletes at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Shokhina won’t be all alone with her new team. Kadirova, the team’s sixth-round pick, was also a member of Dynamo-Neva and was a key scorer on the team that made it to back-to-back ZhHL Finals. In 2024-25, the 27-year-old set career highs in goals (26), assists (31) and points (57), adding 13 more points in the playoffs.
Along with playing alongside Shokhina at the Olympics and 12 years in the ZhHL, Kadirova helped Russia win bronze at the 2015 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship and 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Ahola is expected to be competing for ice time in the new season with PWHL Rookie of the Year finalist Gwyneth Philips. Ahola is coming off a solid career at St. Cloud State. She was named a WCHA First-Team All-Star and the conference’s best goaltender in 2023-24, before having another good season this past year. In 84 NCAA games, the fifth-round pick posted a 35-43-5 record with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and 10 shutouts.
“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to be signing with Ottawa. It’s a dream come true to play in the PWHL and to represent a city with such passionate fans,” Ahola said. “This is a big step in my career and I’m ready to give everything I have to help the team succeed.”
Ahola also made a name for herself on the international stage. With Finland, the 25-year-old has helped her country win the bronze medal at the past two Women’s Worlds.
With four of the team’s six draft picks signed, the Charge have 21 of a possible 23 players signed to standard contracts for the 2025-26 season.