Ashley Johnston is a defenseman for the New York Riveters and, at 6-foot, is the tallest player on the ice. Her leadership ability has made her team captain, and her on-ice ability sent her to this month’s National Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game.
But, as physically demanding as it may be, playing for the Riveters is only half of Johnston’s professional life. Away from the ice, she works 50 hours a week at a robotics firm just outside of Albany — more than 150 miles from the Riveters’ home rink in Newark.
The 24-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, discovered her passion for mechanical engineering while studying at Union College, where she played four years of hockey. After graduating in 2014, she landed the job at Precision Valve and Automation in Cohoes, N.Y., and now heads her own department.
“I do 45-ish hours in the physical office, and another 5-to-10 remotely,” she said. “Essentially, our job is to take equipment apart and put it back together in a way that will go faster, cheaper, safer.”
To manage the constant back-and-forth between Albany and New Jersey, she has two homes — one upstate and one she shares with teammates in Jersey City. She drives at least one leg of the trip nearly every day.
“I got a new car in November, and it currently has just over 15,000 miles on it,” Johnston said.
Each weekend, she competes with the best players in women’s hockey. By Monday morning, she is three hours away, leading a robotics team.
Her job is challenging, but also lucrative. She earns nearly six figures, compared to the $13,000 per year contract she signed with the Riveters. NWHL players don’t exactly bring home the big bucks. Teammate Amanda Kessel, the highest-paid player in the league, makes $26,000 a year. The NHL minimum salary is $575,000.
Also, unlike the NHL, playing on a NWHL team is not technically a full-time job. Players practice twice a week and play one game. The time commitment is similar to that for a college club team.
For that reason, players have the freedom to pursue other interests. Almost all of Johnston’s teammates have primary sources of income that don’t involve hockey. Many opt for part-time work or perform odd jobs. But Johnston is not the only one working 50-plus hours a week. Teammate Kiira Dosdall, who also plays defense, works full-time for Schoology — a New York City-based education start-up.
“It’s kind of the same thing we’ve been doing our whole lives,” Dosdall said. “We were full-time students and hockey players, even when we were little kids. I don’t know what I would do with all the free time I would get without the job.”
Since the league is just 2 years old, name recognition and resources are low. The Riveters play in the Barnabas Health Hockey House, the Devils’ practice facility attached to Prudential Center. They sell an average of 600 tickets per game for $20 each, according to the team’s public relations department. In a recent game against the Buffalo Beauts, Riveters forward Lauren Wash skated in a nameless No. 2 jersey. Most spectators watch the game through a net.
The Riveters’ fan base is growing, however, and hockey fanatics pile into bleachers. Occasionally, you even will find a fan wearing a Riveters jersey mixed in between the flood of Rangers and Devils gear.
“Ashley is amazing,” said Mary Ford of Jersey City, clad in a No. 10 Johnston jersey. “She’s the leader, she’s the captain, she’s so strong and seems amazing in her personal life, too.”
In November, the league’s future was in jeopardy. Players were notified their salaries would be cut by 38 percent. The league prepared to lose players, and a third season seemed uncertain.
At the time Johnston made it clear she planned to stay in the league, as did nearly all of the NWHL’s players. In a personal statement, she passionately wrote: “When I made this decision to do a 2,000-mile-a-week commute, it was not for money, it was not for myself. … You can name any football player and that’s a little boy’s idol. But for a female, who’s their idol? Who are they looking at?”
The NWHL recently announced it would return for a third season. Next year, national team players will miss the season to train for the Olympics, allowing players such as Johnston, whose nickname is “Stretch,” to take on bigger roles.
“I’m definitely not the most skilled player on the ice,” she said. “But I definitely try to put everything I can out there.”
For now, Johnston is happy pursuing both hockey and engineering, and doesn’t see balancing the two as a chore.
“If you like what you’re doing, it’s not really work,” she said.“When I come to the rink, I don’t think I’m working, and when I’m at work, I’m doing something I enjoy doing. It makes it a lot easier.”
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