Boston captain Hilary Knight tops list of unprotected players available to PWHL expansion teams
Boston Fleet captain and MVP candidate Hilary Knight heads a star-caliber list of players left unprotected by their respective teams in being made available to the PWHL's expansion franchises in Seattle and Vancouver.
Among the other high-profile players left unprotected in a list released by the league on Tuesday were Minnesota's Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle, New York's Alex Carpenter, Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner and veteran defenseman Jocelyne Larocque and Toronto's Sarah Nurse.
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Toronto Sun
43 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Canadian bantamweight boxer Amanda Galle signs with MVP, looks to add titles
Published Jun 11, 2025 • 3 minute read Amanda Galle of Canada, left, lands a blow to Lorena Cruz Aispuro of Mexico during their bantamweight bout in Laval, Que., Thursday, March 16, 2023. Photo by Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press Canadian boxer Amanda (Bambola) Galle already holds the IBO bantamweight title. Now the 36-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., wants to add to her collection. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Galle (11-0-1) will get a bigger platform to do so, having signed with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. 'I know it's going to put me on big cards with tremendous viewership … Just a bigger stage, a bigger audience,' Galle said of what she expects from the new partnership. 'Family members having the ability to tune in from their couch and watch me on TV.' After signing with MVP, Canadian lightweight (Prince) Lucas Bahdi found himself on the undercard of Paul's November 2024 bout with Mike Tyson before a crowd of 72,300 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where Bahdi won a majority decision over Italian Armando (La Furia del Quadraro) Casamonica. Shown on Netflix, the main event maxed out at 65 million concurrent streams. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In addition to fighting before a bigger audience, Galle is looking to 'take my career to the next level and go collect all the goods that I'm working so hard for.' That would be the big four WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles. 'I want all the (championship) belts,' said Galle. The undisputed bantamweight (118-pound) title is on the line July 11 on MVP's all-women boxing card at Madison Square Garden, headlined by the trilogy fight between Ireland's Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico's Amanda Serrano for the undisputed super-lightweight title. The card sees American Shurretta Metcalf take on New Zealand-born Australian Cherneka Johnson with the bantamweight titles on the line. Galle won the vacant IBO title by in December 2023 defeating Venezuela's Niorkis Carreno and won a rematch last time out in December. She has won five straight since a draw with Mexico's Jaqueline Mucio Munoz in July 2022 and says she is ready to go again. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I've been in the gym the last six months … feeling very strong, healthy and in shape,' she said. So ready that she told MVP that she is ready to step in, if needed, on the July 11 card. Denmark's Dina Thorslund was originally slated to face Metcalf in New York but has stepped away from fighting to have a baby. The MSG show also features Canadian Tamm Thibeault, a former Olympian and world amateur middleweight champion from Shawinigan, Que., who takes on American Mary Casamassa. Montreal's Jessica Camara takes on England's Chantelle Cameron on the card for the WBC interim super-lightweight title. Galle was handled previously by DiBella Entertainment and Toronto-based Lee Baxter Promotions. 'I have to give them gratitude that they did keep me busy' Galle said. 'And Lee Baxter brought the IBO world championship belt to my backyard in Toronto, so I was able to fight for it in front of all my fans … I displayed an Italian buffet of punches.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She said that win made her realize 'I could be the best. I can beat the best.' That's because Carreno fought Thorslund in April 2022, losing a unanimous decision for the WBO bantamweight title. 'And she gave (Thorslund) a hell of a more difficult time than she gave me,' added Galle. Galle started in combat sports at age six, earning her black belt in karate after being inspired by TV's 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.' Switching to boxing, she had her first fight at 16 and went on to win three national titles (on 2009, 2013 and 2018). Galle turned pro in 2019. Her nickname Bambola is Italian for doll. 'Fourteen years as an amateur (boxer), six years as a pro, I'm doing 20 years of boxing and I still classify my face as being a beautiful doll. So I'm fulfilling that name all right,' she said with a chuckle. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in early childhood education, Galle has always trained at All Canadian Martial Arts Academy in Mississauga. Today she teaches boxing at the gym's academy. She is also an ambassador for Fight To End Cancer in honour of her mother, who died in 2022 — nine years after being diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Galle won the Canadian super-bantamweight title two weeks before her mother died. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Celebrity NHL Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Music
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
'An honour': Inside the PWHL's expansion draft with the 1st overall pick
Ashton Bell was anxious all day on Monday as she waited to learn her fate. Just two weeks ago, the 25-year-old defender was battling for the Walter Cup with the Ottawa Charge. She'd carved out a role on the team's top defensive pairing alongside veteran Jocelyne Larocque, and blocked more shots than any other player during the playoffs. But on Monday, she didn't know if she'd be returning to Ottawa or heading west to play for Seattle or Vancouver. She had been left unprotected by the Charge ahead of the PWHL's first expansion draft. She knew Vancouver had interest, after speaking with GM Cara Gardner Morey during an exclusive signing window prior to the draft. But exactly how things would play out was remained a mystery. "I didn't really know what to expect," Bell said in an interview with CBC Sports. "I knew that there was the possibility that I could get picked up by either team. When Vancouver got the first pick, I was just kind of like everyone else, sitting at home, just waiting to hear my name called." She didn't have to wait long. After winning a lottery, Gardner Morey had to choose between keeping the first pick or making the second and third picks instead. She opted to make the first pick, and used it to select Bell. "It was definitely very exciting for me and just such an honour," the player from Deloraine, Man. said about being chosen first. The PWHL's expansion process has triggered a reset across the league, with every team's roster shaken up and left with holes. Ottawa lost two key defenders back to back in Bell and Aneta Tejralová, who was selected by Seattle with the second pick. Players who were taken in the expansion draft now need to plan a move to the west coast. Bell has family in Vancouver, which will make her transition easier. Many already want to buy season tickets. She's also joining a team built strong from the net out by Gardner Morey, who coached Bell with the Canadian Under-18 team several years ago. "She is just the exact person you want on your team," Gardner Morey said. "Not only is she extremely talented on the back end — she's played both offence and defence in her career — but she's also one of those great teammates and great human beings that's just always showing gratitude and doing things the right way. Her work ethic is outstanding and, to me, that's the exact type of player we wanted to bring in." A strong defensive core Bell's teammates on the blue line will include Defender of the Year nominees Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, who both just won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost. Both signed with Vancouver before the expansion draft. Thompson and Bell won an Olympic gold medal together in 2022. Did the PWHL expansion draft go too far? 23 hours ago Duration 1:18 "Those two are unbelievable and showed that this season with Minnesota and brought home the Walter Cup," Bell said. "I've played alongside them with the national team and know them as people as well. They're just incredible players, and I'm so excited to get to share the blue line with them." Vancouver also drafted promising rookie defender Sydney Bard from the Boston Fleet, a player who Boston GM Danielle Marmer described as only showing a glimpse of what she can do in her one and only season in Boston. "I think you're going to see a lot of interchangeable positions where you might not know who's forward and who's the [defence] on the ice at certain times," Gardner Morey said. Change afoot When the expansion rules were announced during the playoffs, eyebrows went up across the league. Teams could only protect three players to start, with a fourth to be added after a team surrendered two players to expansion. It meant every team was going to have to give up good players. In Ottawa, Bell and her teammates had to focus on the playoffs. But in the back of their minds, they knew their team would look different next season. "There were lots of kind of rumbles in the locker room every now and then, just us trying to figure out all the rules and logistics of it all, and just bouncing questions off each other and what it could possibly look like," Bell said. After the Charge fell short to the Frost in four games, hard decisions had to be made. Ottawa Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld opted to protect forward Emily Clark, goaltender Gwyneth Philips and defender Ronja Savolainen to start. Hirshfeld said Savolainen's size and speed were factors in choosing to protect her. "It was her first year in this league, and we felt like she played incredibly well as she was adjusting to the league," he said. "We think at her age, her best days are ahead of her now that she's acclimatized to the PWHL for a year." After losing Maschmeyer to Vancouver and forward Danielle Serdachny to Seattle, Hirshfeld used his final protection slot on forward Gabbie Hughes. The tough-to-play against centre was part of Ottawa's best line in the playoffs between Clark and rookie Mannon McMahon. But it meant going into the expansion draft with three top defenders — Bell, Larocque and Tejralová — all at risk. Only one was left on Ottawa's roster when the dust settled. "I think incredibly highly of Ashton," Hirshfeld said. "I think Bellsy's been great for us for two years. I can't say enough about how she performed in the playoffs this year. She was on the top line with Jocelyne Larocque and I think they did an incredible job. But again, we made a decision. It's a very difficult decision." A new beginning Bell sympathized with the challenge GMs faced in the expansion process. With a pre-signing window and the draft, there were so many variables that were hard to predict. "Gabbie Hughes [is] an amazing hockey player, one of our best centres, so that was kind of a no-brainer for them," she said. "I respect their decisions, and obviously Clarky, Gwyn and Ronja, too. Just amazing people and incredible players as well, so I'm super happy for them that they get to stay in Ottawa and continue to build that franchise." WATCH | Vancouver Griffins were the city's 1st women's pro hockey team: Long before PWHL expansion, the Vancouver Griffins were the city's 1st women's pro hockey team 2 days ago Duration 2:12 Vancouver Griffins owner Diane Nelson reflects on starting Vancouver's first pro women's hockey team and the challenges that came with it. A day after the draft, Bell was still processing the reality that she will be leaving her teammates and the fans in Ottawa. But she also looks forward to being a part of what Gardner Morey is building in Vancouver. "Leaving them behind is obviously sad," she said. "I'm still kind of processing all of that. But just the excitement of starting and being a part of a new franchise out west and being able to grow women's hockey out there is really exciting for me."
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian bantamweight boxer Amanda Galle signs with MVP, looks to add titles
TORONTO – Canadian boxer Amanda (Bambola) Galle already holds the IBO bantamweight title. Now the 36-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., wants to add to her collection. Galle (11-0-1) will get a bigger platform to do so, having signed with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. 'I know it's going to put me on big cards with tremendous viewership … Just a bigger stage, a bigger audience,' Galle said of what she expects from the new partnership. 'Family members having the ability to tune in from their couch and watch me on TV.' After signing with MVP, Canadian lightweight (Prince) Lucas Bahdi found himself on the undercard of Paul's November 2024 bout with Mike Tyson before a crowd of 72,300 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where Bahdi won a majority decision over Italian Armando (La Furia del Quadraro) Casamonica. Shown on Netflix, the main event maxed out at 65 million concurrent streams. In addition to fighting before a bigger audience, Galle is looking to 'take my career to the next level and go collect all the goods that I'm working so hard for.' That would be the big four WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles. 'I want all the (championship) belts,' said Galle. The undisputed bantamweight (118-pound) title is on the line July 11 on MVP's all-women boxing card at Madison Square Garden, headlined by the trilogy fight between Ireland's Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico's Amanda Serrano for the undisputed super-lightweight title. The card sees American Shurretta Metcalf take on New Zealand-born Australian Cherneka Johnson with the bantamweight titles on the line. Galle won the vacant IBO title by in December 2023 defeating Venezuela's Niorkis Carreno and won a rematch last time out in December. She has won five straight since a draw with Mexico's Jaqueline Mucio Munoz in July 2022 and says she is ready to go again. 'I've been in the gym the last six months … feeling very strong, healthy and in shape,' she said. So ready that she told MVP that she is ready to step in, if needed, on the July 11 card. Denmark's Dina Thorslund was originally slated to face Metcalf in New York but has stepped away from fighting to have a baby. The MSG show also features Canadian Tamm Thibeault, a former Olympian and world amateur middleweight champion from Shawinigan, Que., who takes on American Mary Casamassa. Montreal's Jessica Camara takes on England's Chantelle Cameron on the card for the WBC interim super-lightweight title. Galle was handled previously by DiBella Entertainment and Toronto-based Lee Baxter Promotions. 'I have to give them gratitude that they did keep me busy' Galle said. 'And Lee Baxter brought the IBO world championship belt to my backyard in Toronto, so I was able to fight for it in front of all my fans … I displayed an Italian buffet of punches.' She said that win made her realize 'I could be the best. I can beat the best.' That's because Carreno fought Thorslund in April 2022, losing a unanimous decision for the WBO bantamweight title. 'And she gave (Thorslund) a hell of a more difficult time than she gave me,' added Galle. Galle started in combat sports at age six, earning her black belt in karate after being inspired by TV's 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.' Switching to boxing, she had her first fight at 16 and went on to win three national titles (on 2009, 2013 and 2018). Galle turned pro in 2019. Her nickname Bambola is Italian for doll. 'Fourteen years as an amateur (boxer), six years as a pro, I'm doing 20 years of boxing and I still classify my face as being a beautiful doll. So I'm fulfilling that name all right,' she said with a chuckle. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in early childhood education, Galle has always trained at All Canadian Martial Arts Academy in Mississauga. Today she teaches boxing at the gym's academy. She is also an ambassador for Fight To End Cancer in honour of her mother, who died in 2022 — nine years after being diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Galle won the Canadian super-bantamweight title two weeks before her mother died. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025
