Latest news with #GinaKingsbury
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Toronto signs rookie F Emma Gentry to two-year contract
August 12 - The Toronto Sceptres announced a two-year contract with forward Emma Gentry on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Michigan native was Toronto's first pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft, going in the second round as the 11th overall selection. "Emma brings a high level of compete, a desire to grow, and has a very high ceiling," Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury said. "We believe that she is a great fit for our team and we can't wait to see her develop under our great coaching staff." Gentry scored double-digit goals in each of her last four seasons at Minnesota's St. Cloud State and helped the United States win gold at the 2020 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship in Slovakia. --Field Level Media
CBC
31-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Troy Ryan confirmed as Canadian women's hockey head coach for 2026 Olympics
Troy Ryan has been tasked with coaching the Canadian women's hockey team to another Olympic gold medal in 2026 in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Ryan was behind the bench in Beijing in 2022 when the Canadian women reclaimed hockey gold from the United States in a 3-2 final. The U.S. had beaten Canada 3-2 in a shootout for the title in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where Ryan was an assistant coach. Hockey Canada's announcement Thursday confirmed Ryan's return, although he'd signed an unprecedented four-year extension in 2022 that would make him the longest-tenured coach of the national women's team. Ryan navigated Canada to both an Olympic gold medal in Beijing and world championship wins in 2021, 2022 and 2024 after taking over midway through the 2019-20 season for Perry Pearn. Canada lost this year's world championship final 4-3 in overtime to the U.S. in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. Korie Cheverie, former national team forward Caroline Ouellette and Britni Smith will be Ryan's assistant coaches in Italy, with Brad Kirkwood serving as goaltending consultant, Hockey Canada said in a statement. The coaches were chosen by women's team general manager Gina Kingsbury in consultation with Hockey Canada president and chief executive officer Katherine Henderson and senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond. Women's sports are booming. Why now? "It is always an honour and privilege to be in this leadership position as we set our expectations and goals for the Olympics," Ryan said. "We have a tremendous coaching staff that is committed to the vision and process, and I am excited for the journey ahead. We know our athletes are motivated to compete, and we are eager to begin the work towards achieving something extraordinary in seven months time." Canada won a silver medal in 1998 in Nagano, Japan, where women's hockey made its Olympic debut. Four straight gold medals followed in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. Canada's preparation for Italy will be different than previous Olympic Games because of the Professional Women's Hockey League starting its third season. Hockey Canada will fit training blocks around the PWHL's schedule. Ryan is head coach of the PWHL's Toronto Sceptres. Cheverie is head coach and Ouellette an assistant coach of the Montreal Victoire. "We have made a conscious effort to create an environment for our athletes where consistency among our coaches creates trust and accountability in each other," Kingsbury said. "Our staff are experienced, detail-oriented and passionate as they give our team the confidence to grow, compete and meet the challenges of both short-term and long-term competition. We continue to build something special with our group and we are excited to see it all come together as we compete for a gold medal in Milan." Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., was Ryan's assistant in the 2022 Olympic Games and for every world championship since 2021. Montreal's Ouellette, a four-time Olympic and six-time world gold medallist, has been Ryan's assistant in four straight world championships. Smith of Port Perry, Ont., coached at Syracuse University for the past three seasons and was Ryan's assistant at this year's world championship. Calgary's Kirkwood has been the team's goaltending consultant for the last decade and works with Ryan and the Sceptres as a goaltending assistant coach.
National Post
27-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Toronto Sceptres draft night trade brings Ella Shelton back to plenty of familiarity
The newest veteran defender on the Toronto Sceptres looked down at the colours and crest on the jersey she was wearing and wondered aloud how long it was going to take to get used to them. Article content But the colours are going to be the only uncomfortable thing for Ella Shelton as she makes the move from the New York Sirens to the Sceptres. Article content Article content Shelton, 27, was acquired on draft night for the Sceptres third-overall pick and their third-rounder, 27 th overall. Article content It brings the Ingersoll native back to some familiar company in national team GM Gina Kingsbury, head coach Troy Ryan and players like Renata Fast, Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais and Natalie Spooner, who Shelton has shared plenty of days and nights with during the international portion of her career. Three world championship gold medals and an Olympic gold medal are just some of the spoils from playing with that group. Article content On top of that familiarity, she's now just a two-hour drive from the family farm, is back living in the same city with one of her brothers and has an extensive family support system throughout the area from Toronto all the way back to the family home in Ingersoll. Article content Article content Shelton learned of the deal just before Cassie Campbell took to the stage at the brand new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the outskirts of Ottawa early on draft night and drew gasps from the crowd with the news that Shelton had just become a member of the Sceptres. Article content The gasps may have also been about New York earning the right to claim the top two forwards in the draft after adding Patty Kazmaier winner Casey O'Brien with the third pick after selecting the imposing Kristyna Kaltounkova with the night's first pick. Article content Article content All Shelton needed to see was the joy in the faces of the veteran Sceptres in the crowd as the cameras panned to them to know she was going to be very happy with the deal. Article content Article content 'I think it's really exciting to be back home,' Shelton said Friday while surrounded by microphones and cameras in the Sceptres locker room. 'I wouldn't trade my two years in New York for anything. I think they have done a lot for me there, too, but I'm excited for a new opportunity and a new space and see what I can do for Toronto.' Article content In joining Toronto, Shelton becomes a teammate of the player she most models her game after in Fast, the newly minted PWHL defender of the year. Article content 'I can't say enough good things about Renata Fast,' Shelton said. 'She is one that took me under her wing when I graduated from college. She was one I could reach out to and ask any question and I didn't feel out of place. And then just seeing her work ethic over the past couple of years has just been tremendous and very motivational for myself.
National Post
25-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
A banner day at PWHL entry draft resets Toronto Sceptres roster
There is a pillow calling Gina Kingsbury's name following today's PWHL Awards ceremony and she can't wait to accept the invitation. Article content Like all the various decision-makers in the PWHL, the Sceptres GM has been burning the midnight oil for weeks now as the league went through the business of adding two expansion teams into the league on equal footing while still doing the work necessary to prepare for a six-round entry draft. Article content Article content Kingsbury and her staff arrived in Ottawa needing to fill some big holes in their lineup, solve an overcrowded goaltending situation and basically get the organization back on solid footing after enduring the roller-coaster ride that was the expansion process. Article content Kingsbury should sleep well in the coming days because it appears she has addressed all of those needs. Article content It began with a move that will likely not get the attention it deserves given how divided the attention of the league's followers was on draft night with all the new faces coming into the league. Article content Article content While teams were stockpiling potential in the young college stars or in some cases veteran international talents, Kingsbury and the Sceptres dealt away their first pick, third overall, to acquire 27-year-old defender Ella Shelton from New York. Article content Shelton has long been a favourite of both Kingsbury and Sceptres coach Troy Ryan, who have seen her talent up close for years as a member of the Canadian national team. Article content Article content But the Ingersoll native, who always has seemed like a natural fit in Toronto, wound up in New York in the inaugural draft and thrived in the Big Apple even as the Sirens themselves struggled to find consistency. Article content Article content Shelton easily is among the top five defenders in the league and joins another in that group in Toronto with Renata Fast, giving Ryan and his coaching staff a pair of defenders capable of doing whatever the team needs most at any given moment in a game. Article content In a league that is morphing more and more to a win-now mode given the roster upheaval expansion brings — and don't kid yourself, more is coming, next year if not the one after that — getting a league-proven star at the very top of her game is good business. Article content 'Bringing Ella to Toronto is something we are really excited about,' Kingsbury began in her post-draft interview. 'We have always wanted Ella Shelton in Toronto. I think anyone would want Ella Shelton in their lineup. Article content 'Once we saw (Sirens GM Pascal Daoust) was having more and more signings on the defensive side, we thought he would be more willing to let go one of his (more accomplished) defenders,' Kingsbury said. 'So, we started to have conversations about what that would look like and eventually came to an agreement.'
Reuters
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Sceptres sign F Clair DeGeorge to one-year contract
June 24 - The Toronto Sceptres have agreed to terms with forward Clair DeGeorge for the 2025-26 season, the PWHL team announced Monday. The 26-year-old free agent from Alaska played for the Montreal Victoire in 2024-25 and recorded two assists in 26 regular-season games. With Minnesota in the inaugural PWHL season in 2023-24, she had one assist in 23 games in the regular season and appeared in all 10 playoff games for the Walter Cup champions. "We are excited to welcome Clair to our organization," Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury said. "Clair is a 200-foot center that is defensively responsible with some offensive upside. She will bring PWHL experience to our lineup including being a Walter Cup champion." At Ohio State, DeGeorge scored the winning goal in double-overtime that sent Ohio State to the 2022 Frozen Four. She added a goal and an assist in the final to secure the Buckeyes' first national championship. "In becoming a Sceptre, I am excited for the opportunity to develop as a player and experience the electrifying support from Toronto's fans," DeGeorge said. "I hope to bring not only my love for the game and support for teammates, but to bring my size, speed, and vision on the ice." --Field Level Media
