Goaltender the first UNB alum to earn a shot at PWHL
When Kendra Woodland's collegiate hockey career at the University of New Brunswick ended in 2024, the next step was in the direction of the newly founded Professional Women's Hockey League.
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But that path took a turn when she was not selected in either the 2024 or 2025 PWHL drafts. But now, she has her shot.
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Woodland has been invited to the Ottawa Charge training camp in November. She said in an interview Thursday she spent the past year and a half staying ready. Just months away from training camp, that patience has paid off.
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'Getting that call was awesome. Working with my agents and making sure that this is the best opportunity moving forward was important,' said the Kamloops, B.C. native, who has been training with junior and pro players at home for the offseason.
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'It was rewarding to just get an opportunity to get my foot in the door, and (I'm) just really excited.'
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The 25-year-old netminder's invite to Ottawa is a historic one for UNB's women's hockey program, which was revived in 2018 following a decade-long absence from varsity status.
During her time at UNB, Woodland helped rebuild the women's hockey program, backstopping the team to back-to-back Atlantic University Sport titles in 2022 and 2023.
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Hilworth said Woodland was a key piece in the revival.
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'She definitely gave us just a strong backbone right from the start,' the coach said. 'I'm not surprised just knowing how dedicated and determined she is, and I'm really excited for her to get that opportunity at the highest level.'
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In 2023, Woodland won the Brodrick Trophy as USPORTS' player of the year in women's hockey. Internationally, she won bronze at the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 Women's World Championship and gold with Canada at the 2023 FISU World University Games.
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Woodland's plan for her hockey career didn't originally include a stop in Fredericton. In high school, she committed to playing NCAA hockey for the University of North Dakota, a program that was disbanded in 2017 before she could even step on the ice.
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'There's not a lot of goalies that can say they could come in and in their rookie year start, ultimately, for five years of their eligibility,' said Woodland. 'I was really lucky that opportunity came knocking on my door.'
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