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Reuters
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Sceptres sign G Elaine Chuli, F Claire Dalton to 1-year deals
June 17 - The Toronto Sceptres came to terms with goaltender Elaine Chuli and forward Claire Dalton on one-year contracts on Tuesday. Both players are signed through the 2025-26 PWHL season after spending last season with the Montreal Victoire. Chuli, 31, posted a 2.42 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 11 games (10 starts) in 2024-25. "Elaine brings consistency to our team. A proven goalie in the league, she brings a lot of traits we value both on and off the ice. We are also excited to have signed Claire Dalton, who brings size, a great shot and a high ceiling," Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury said. "We believe these two athletes will excel in our market, and we are excited to have them in Sceptres jerseys." Chuli is no stranger to playing in Toronto, as the Ontario native spent three seasons with the Six in the Premier Hockey Federation and the Furies in the final season of the Canadian Women's Hockey League in 2018-19. "I couldn't be more excited to be coming home to Toronto and joining the Sceptres for next season," Chuli said. "It means a lot to me to be back close to home and have the chance to play in front of such a passionate fan base. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent this city and this organization, and I'm ready to compete to bring a championship back to Toronto." Dalton, a 25-year-old who hails from Toronto, totaled 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 50 games over the last two seasons. "I am really excited for the opportunity to be a Toronto Sceptre! I'm looking forward to coming home and playing in front of friends and family," Dalton said. "I've admired the competitiveness and style of play Toronto has demonstrated these past two seasons and hope to contribute positively to an already great group." --Field Level Media
National Post
14 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
More losses for PWHL's Toronto Sceptres, but a few key retentions too
As all six members of the PWHL's original clubs deal with the losses that have had to suffer to welcome in two new teams at (or some would argue better) than league levels, Monday provided the Toronto Sceptres its first real chance to add to its roster. Article content The opening of the period to sign players on expiring contracts didn't begin that way for the Sceptres, instead resulting in the loss of yet another key player in forward Hannah Miller, who is going home to sign with Vancouver. Article content Article content But it wasn't an all together bad day for the local side. Article content Before the day was out, news would start to filter that they also had lost Hayley Scamurra, who had been obtained mid-season from Ottawa in the Jocelyne Larocque trade. Scamurra was signed away by the Montreal Victoire, but the day and days ahead could have been so much worse. Article content And that's where we get to the re-signings of some of Toronto's other key veterans. Article content Re-signed though not officially acknowledged by the league just yet are forwards Natalie Spooner and Jesse Compher, as well as defender Kali Flanagan. Article content They aren't new faces coming in but having already sustained the loss of Sarah Nurse, Julia Gosling, Izzy Daniel, Megan Cater and now Miller and Scamurra, holding on to this trio is huge. Article content In retaining Flanagan GM Gina Kingsbury and the Sceptres hold on to all four of their top four defenders in Renata Fast, Savannah Harmon, Allie Munroe and Flanagan. Defences were decimated in the expansion process around the league. Two-time defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost lost two of its three main cogs on the blue line right off the jump when Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques were scooped up by Vancouver in the exclusive signing window for the two new clubs. Article content Seattle then took a massive bite out of Montreal's defence corps snapping up two prized rookie rearguards in Cayla Barnes and Anna Wilgren. Ottawa lost both Ashton Bell and Aneta Tejralova putting a dent in its collection of rearguards and then Tuesday lost Zoe Boyd as well who signed with Boston. There's still talk Jincy Roese, another key defender on Ottawa's roster, could find a new home. Article content Toronto suffered its own losses on the blue line losing coveted rookie Megan Carter but compared to the rest of the league minus perhaps New York, they got off easy. Article content In retaining Renata Fast, Savannah Harmon, Flanagan and Allie Munroe, Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan can at least look at his blue line and know the losses he suffered are manageable. Article content The same can't be said up front where both his young corps and a chunk of his veteran corps will be playing elsewhere when the season opens in November.
CBC
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
PWHL free agency preview: What each team needs this offseason
Social Sharing One week after an expansion draft threw PWHL rosters into a blender, teams will have the chance to start rebuilding with free agents. Teams can sign players on expiring contracts beginning Monday at 9 a.m. ET, and it should be a busy few days, with several notable names available. The league also has an entry draft scheduled for June 24, which will provide an injection of new young talent. Top free agents include 2024 PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner (Toronto Sceptres), two-way forward Hannah Miller (Toronto Sceptres), Montreal Victoire defender Kati Tabin, and a group of players who won back-to-back Walter Cups with the Minnesota Frost, including defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins, goaltender Maddie Rooney and forward Michela Cava. With the dust settled on expansion, here's what each team could use heading into the free-agent signing period. Toronto Sceptres The Sceptres emerged from the expansion draft relatively unscathed on defence, though it likely hurt to lose a promising rookie defender in Megan Carter. But bringing back Kali Flanagan, who's a free agent, will give Toronto four solid options on the blue line. WATCH | Did the PWHL expansion draft go too far? Did the PWHL expansion draft go too far? 3 days ago Duration 1:18 Both goaltenders remain with the team too, though GM Gina Kingsbury hinted that the Sceptres are still sorting out who will take the lead in net next season. Starter Kristen Campbell had a difficult playoff series against Minnesota, to the point where head coach Troy Ryan opted to start third-string goaltender, Carly Jackson, in a do-or-die game. The team will have to decide whether to turn back to Campbell, go with backup goaltender Raygan Kirk or find someone new. "There's no doubt that we have to look at if there's other options or if this is the best option and how to move forward," Kingsbury said. Up front is where Toronto will likely have to spend the majority of its remaining cap space, after losing Sarah Nurse, Izzy Daniel and Julia Gosling to expansion. "Maybe our salary cap space isn't as big as other markets, so we're going to have to be creative in how we are competitive in this period of time," Kingsbury said. "But there's great value in an athlete that has had time to be a part of the league and has either proven themselves already or has the potential to prove themselves." Montreal Victoire The Victoire's season ended in the first round of the playoffs for a second consecutive year, and like last year, it felt like Montreal's depth was its undoing. Most of the team's goals last season came from a top line of Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner. Now, Gardiner, along with second liner, Abby Boreen, have been lost to expansion. As a result, it won't be a surprise to see a winger who can play with Poulin and more depth scoring at the top of Montreal's wish list. That list should also include two to three top-four defenders. With Tabin a free agent, and the pairing of Anna Wilgren and Cayla Barnes now heading to Seattle, Montreal enters the off-season with only two defenders under contract: Erin Ambrose and Amanda Boulier. There's a lot of work for GM Danièle Sauvageau to do to return Montreal to the top of the standings. But luckily for her, she still has the best player in the world in Poulin, and one of the best goaltenders in the world in Desbiens. "We believe our foundation is strong, is solid," Sauvageau said. "We have stability. We continue to grow with the players that we originally signed." Ottawa Charge Ottawa emerged from expansion with its starting goaltender (Gwyneth Philips), captain (Brianne Jenner), two physical, shut down defenders (Ronja Savolainen and Jocelyne Larocque) and a hard-to-play against first line (Emily Clark, Gabbie Hughes and Mannon McMahon) still under team control. It's not a bad outcome for the team that just went all the way to the PWHL Finals. WATCH | PWHL Mic'd Up with Ottawa Charge's Hughes: PWHL Mic'd Up: Ottawa Charge's Gabbie Hughes 5 months ago Duration 4:12 GM Mike Hirshfeld could use more depth scoring and at least two more top-four defenders, after losing both Ashton Bell and Aneta Tejralová to expansion. He told reporters this week that he's confident the team will re-sign defender Stephanie Markowski. That leaves three to four spots on defence to fill through the draft, free agency or re-signing players on expiring contracts. Hirshfeld also hinted that Ottawa is exploring a trade for a defender. "We've spent the last three weeks working through a bunch of different scenarios to make sure that we have a really solid, strong blue line, and we feel confident we'll be able to execute on that plan," he said. PWHL Vancouver Canada's newest PWHL team enters the free agency period having prioritized defence. The team is solid in net with Emerance Maschmeyer, and on the blue line with four young, puck-moving defenders. The goal in free agency will be to add two more top-six forwards, GM Cara Gardner Morey said. She should have the cap space to do that after spending most of the money up front on young forwards who carry smaller salaries, but who Gardner Morey expects will outperform expectations, such as Gardiner, Daniel, Brooke McQuigge and Gabby Rosenthal. The obvious free agent target would be Toronto's Miller, who could be tempted by a big contract and the chance to play in her home province of British Columbia. PWHL Seattle While Vancouver prioritized defence, Seattle emerged from the expansion process with two scary-looking top lines that boast size and wicked shots, plus several hard-to-play against defenders, and a starting goaltender. There's also a lot of youth on this team, including four players selected in the first-round of last year's draft. Depth and perhaps another top-four defender will likely be at the top of GM Meghan Turner's priority list. Boston Fleet The biggest loss for the Fleet likely comes in the locker room with the departure of Hilary Knight to Seattle. GM Danielle Marmer said that not protecting Knight was the most difficult decision she's made in her professional career. Boston also lost a smart, young forward in Hannah Bilka, who will join Knight in Seattle. But Marmer's priority heading into the offseason is to plug holes on defence, after two key defenders were taken by expansion teams. New York Sirens The good news is that the last-place Sirens are the only team that made it out of expansion without losing a single defender, an area GM Pascal Daoust prioritized when making his protection selections. The bad news is the team lost its starting goaltender and two of its top-three forwards to Seattle. Star forward Sarah Fillier is also a restricted free agent who needs a new contract. With several colleagues now in need of defenders, Daoust could use his wealth on defence to fix the holes up front via trade. He could also use the cap space freed up by the departure of players like Alex Carpenter, Jessie Eldridge and Corinne Schroeder to attract a big-name free agent. What he is able to sell is opportunity — notably, the chance to play with an elite goal scorer in Fillier, assuming the team is able to re-sign her. Minnesota Frost The two-time champions enter the offseason with only one of the team's top four defenders, Lee Stecklein, remaining. Channell-Watkins is a free agent, while Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques were both lured away by Vancouver. "It's no secret that we need to kind of rebuild our [defensive] core right now," Minnesota GM Melissa Caruso said. "I'd say that's priority number one." Things are rosier up front. Caruso gambled by exposing Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle, and correctly guessing that Seattle and Vancouver might opt for cheaper options. Cava, who wins championships everywhere she goes, will be a big target for other teams in free agency. But Caruso will be able to point to two Walter Cups as a reason for her stay and continue playing on one of the best top lines in the PWHL. In addition to Cava, retaining Channell-Watkins and Rooney, who was stellar in net for the Frost during the PWHL Finals, should also be on Caruso's list.
National Post
11-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
The work is just beginning for the Toronto Sceptres
Any advantage the Toronto Sceptres enjoyed in having just one of its established veterans taken in the expansion draft is going to be a short-lived one. Article content All six existing clubs gave up four players in the expansion draft process that stocked each of PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle with their first 12 players. Article content Article content Toronto lost one of its first building blocks in the process with Sarah Nurse signing with Vancouver during the exclusive signing window both expansion clubs had in the five days priors to the actual draft. Article content Article content But on draft night all three of the Sceptres names called were coming off their rookie seasons. Julia Gosling, Izzy Daniel and defender Megan Carter were Toronto's first, second, and third round picks a year ago at the entry draft. Article content Because of their lack of tenure in the league, all three were also on entry level deals which becomes a problem for GM Gina Kingsbury beginning Monday when she goes looking to fill their spots with the opening of free agency. Article content 'It's difficult to lose all four of those athletes,' Kingsbury said Tuesday. 'They bring a tremendous amount of value to our organization and to our team. Three of those four came in just last season so more of an entry-level salary which doesn't free up a whole lot of room for us in this (upcoming signing period). Article content 'However obviously Sarah did carry a little bit of salary where we will have some space there, but it's definitely all different factors that come into play during this period of time and definitely something we are going to have to navigate in the next couple of weeks and ensure we can re-sign some of our key players.' Article content First on Kingsbury's list though is her own free agents and bringing as many of those back into the fold as possible. That list includes Natalie Spooner, Hannah Miller, Jesse Compher, Kali Flanagan, Hayley Scamurra and Maggie Connors and that's just the beginning of the list. It's actually 11 deep and while the goal is to bring them all back, again the economics of the situation likely won't support that. Article content You have the money they earned in their final years of the contract coming off the books but signing them for the same or less doesn't seem likely. Yes the salary cap increases to $1.34 million this year, an annual 3% bump as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but that won't offset the raises some of these free agents negotiate. Article content 'I do think we have a chance at re-signing them, from what they are telling me, where Toronto has been home for them,' Kingsbury said. 'They love our market. They love our fans. They love the city and enjoyed our staff and entire organization. So, I do think the familiarity of our market and how we have been operating over the last two years will definitely be a factor as well. We will try to be as competitive with the salaries as we possibly can and hopefully retain as many of those great athletes as we can here in the next couple of weeks.'
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Toronto Sceptres getting ready for first playoff game
PWHL team Toronto Sceptres will face off against the Minnesota Frost. Sceptres manager Gina Kingsbury talks to CP24 Breakfast about the upcoming game.
