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CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
PWHL stars Hilary Knight, Sarah Nurse sign with expansion teams
Social Sharing A little over 24 hours after the window opened for the general managers of the PWHL Vancouver and Seattle to start building their rosters, a clear picture has started to emerge of what the league's first two expansion teams will look like. Vancouver already has a starting goaltender in Emerance Maschmeyer, formerly of the Ottawa Charge, and two of the best young puck-moving defenders in the league. Both Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost only a few days ago, and will now take their talents west. They also added forward Sarah Nurse on Thursday from the Toronto Sceptres, bringing in one of the biggest stars in women's hockey. "Her outstanding on-ice abilities will help establish our foundation at forward, and her unwavering commitment to building an inclusive hockey community makes her a fan favourite everywhere she goes," Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey said when Nurse's one-year contract was announced. Seattle, meanwhile, likely has its first captain in Hilary Knight, an MVP nominee who's been the face of hockey in the United States for more than a decade. She signed a one-year deal with the team on Wednesday, becoming the first player under contract for Seattle. "She's the heartbeat of any team she joins," said PWHL Seattle GM Meghan Turner, who spent the last two seasons as the assistant GM with the Boston Fleet, where Knight was the captain. "Her proven leadership and drive, the way she elevates everyone around her, those are qualities you can't teach. Hilary's not just a game-changer on the ice, she's the kind of person who defines a culture, and we're incredibly proud to have her as the first-ever player to join PWHL Seattle." The team also added defender Cayla Barnes and forward Danielle Serdachny, two first-round draft picks from last year's draft, and two of the brightest young talents in the league. Vancouver and Seattle can each sign up to five players ahead of Monday's expansion draft. Any player who is unprotected or a pending free agent is fair game to speak with the new expansion teams. By the end of the expansion draft, both Vancouver and Seattle should each have 12 players. The six existing teams will each lose four players throughout the process. The expansion losses on those teams are already apparent, only two days into the process. Boston will need a new captain with the departure of Knight. The two-time champion Frost are now missing two of the team's top three defenders, after the blue line played a huge role in winning back-to-back championships. The Montreal Victoire have lost a key power play quarterback in Barnes, and could still lose defender Erin Ambrose, too. That would require the Victoire to build from scratch on the blue line. WATCH | Montreal defender Ambrose 'going through scenarios' as PWHL expansion draft looms: Montreal Victoire defender Erin Ambrose 'going through scenarios' as PWHL expansion draft looms 2 days ago Duration 8:19 Ambrose is not one of the Victoire's three initial protected players, which means she's available to the new PWHL expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver. She spoke to Jay Turnbull and Sean Henry on CBC Radio's Daybreak. The Sceptres have lost a key part of their locker room and top-ranked power play, and the list goes on. Here's how the new expansion teams look, two days into the exclusive signing window. Vancouver takes shape Vancouver's roster started with a player the team's general manager, Gardner Morey, is very familiar with: Thompson. Gardner Morey was Thompson's head coach at Princeton University, and now they'll be reunited on the west coast. Thompson returned to professional hockey this season after taking time away to attend medical school. You wouldn't know she took any time away from the game. Her vision and playmaking quickly stood out on the Frost, where she finished with 18 points in 30 games — behind only her teammate, Jaques, and Toronto's Renata Fast. She's a nominee for defender of the year, and already has a Walter Cup to her name. She's also an Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian team in 2022, when she set an Olympic record for points by a defender in one tournament (13 points). "Claire is one of the best defenders in the world and a phenomenal leader who will help create a culture of excellence in Vancouver," Gardner Morey said on Wednesday. "Having had the privilege of coaching Claire at Princeton, I know how exceptional she is as a player and as a person and couldn't be prouder to build our foundation with her contributions both on and off the ice." Thompson signed for one year, while her teammate, Jaques, is locked in with Vancouver for three seasons. Jaques' pro career started slowly with the Boston Fleet in 2024, but took off after a trade to the Frost. She's one of the smartest and most offensively-gifted defenders in the game, and like Thompson, could be heading to the Olympics as part of the Canadian team in February. She is also nominated for defender of the year. "Vancouver fans are going to quickly fall in love with everything that Sophie brings to her game," said Gardner Morey said. "Sophie is a proven winner, and that experience will be instrumental in shaping our foundation from the blue line. She is a dynamic defender with world-class speed and skill, and a player I believe is only scratching the surface of her potential." Maschmeyer, meanwhile, was one of Ottawa's foundational signings in 2023. She was the Charge's most valuable player at the beginning of this season, before an injury ended her season in March. Gwyneth Philips took over the net from there, and the Charge opted to use one of three protection slots on the playoff MVP. A healthy Maschmeyer will give Vancouver a solid base in net. Gardner Morey described her as "simply one of the best in the world at her position." WATCH | Breaking down how PWHL expansion teams can build their rosters: The PWHL expansion draft: Explained 14 days ago Duration 0:55 CBC Sports' Karissa Donkin runs through the rules of the PWHL's expansion draft, explaining how new clubs in Seattle and Vancouver will fill their roster. "Her veteran leadership, relentless compete, and poise under pressure are contagious qualities that our team will feed off of and will give us a chance to win every game," the GM said. Like Maschmeyer, Nurse's season was impacted by an injury. She was hurt playing with Team Canada at the Rivalry Series in February. When she's healthy, Nurse is a star who can put the puck in the net. She tied for second in the league in both points and goals in the league's inaugural season. Knight to lead Seattle A few months ago, ahead of a neutral-site PWHL game between Montreal and Boston in Seattle, Knight raved to reporters about playing at Climate Pledge Arena. The arena, which is also home to the NHL's Seattle Kraken, hosted a Canada-USA Rivalry Series game in 2022 in front of more than 14,500 fans. Knight had two goals and an assist that night. Now, Knight will get to lead a team playing out of the state-of-the-art arena, and will help grow hockey in the western U.S. along the way. It could be the final act for a player who's done so much for the sport in her country. "I'm incredibly proud to be part of bringing professional women's hockey to the Pacific Northwest," Knight said on Wednesday. "Seattle holds a special place in my heart, and I'm beyond excited to join PWHL Seattle in such a storied sports city." Barnes has only played one season of professional hockey, but she's been playing with the best of the best for years, having won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team in 2018. Like Jaques and Thompson, Barnes is a smart defender who can move the puck and lead a team's top power play group. Her three-year deal with Seattle brings her closer to her home state of California. Serdachny, who Ottawa selected with the second pick in last year's draft, had a more difficult rookie season in the PWHL. The forward from Edmonton found herself playing in Ottawa's bottom six more than many imagined. But her size and skill make her a player worth betting on. Serdachny showed glimpses of being that player in the Charge's playoff run, including in the final game, when she set up the game-tying goal. When Turner talked about how she wanted to build her team in Seattle, she emphasized physicality. Not just throwing hits, but being able to play under pressure. That may just be the player Turner gets in Serdachny, who signed with Seattle for two seasons. "She's strong, plays through contact, and she's only beginning to tap into her full potential," Turner said when Serdachny's Her ability to possess the puck and make plays under pressure will be a big asset for us as we build the identity of PWHL Seattle." Vancouver and Seattle have an exclusive signing window until Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. Each existing team could only protect three players from expansion to start. After a team loses two players, they can protect a fourth player from expansion.
National Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Trump administration puts strain on Harvard's Canadian hockey pipeline
When Kristin Della Rovere first stepped onto Harvard University's campus as a fresh-faced teenager in 2016, it sparked a feeling she had never experienced with any other school. Article content She felt at home. Article content Article content 'When you get the opportunity to attend one of the best schools in the world, it's hard to say no,' she told Postmedia. 'I went on my official visit and I just fell in love with the school, and I knew that was the only place I wanted to be.' Article content While the Caledon, Ont., product enrolled two years later as a pre-medical student, studying psychology and neuroscience, Della Rovere was there first and foremost to play for the Harvard Crimson women's hockey team — a program known for producing elite Canadian talent like Jennifer Botterill and Sarah Vaillancourt. Article content After several seasons in Ontario's top junior circuit, she worked her way up from freshman to captain of the program between 2021 and 2023. Article content Della Rovere found herself graduating just as the PWHL was being formed in the summer of 2023. That fall, she was drafted in the tenth round, 56th overall, by PWHL Ottawa. Article content She was one of six Harvard alumni to participate in PWHL training camps that fall — including goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who joined Della Rovere in Ottawa, eight years removed from her last season wearing the crimson, white and black. Article content '(Harvard) was a backbone for me,' Della Rovere said. 'I don't know if I would have made it there without my experience at the university. Article content 'If I had to go back and choose a different school, I would have chosen the same one.' Article content Article content But that once-simple decision is one that current and prospective students are now learning can't be taken for granted. Article content On May 22, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students, who account for more than a quarter of the institution's total enrollment. Article content The developments mark the latest escalation in an ongoing conflict spurred by the administration's claims that Harvard failed to adequately protect Jewish students from antisemitism. Article content While a U.S. judge issued a restraining order that blocked the Department of Homeland Security's edict regarding international students at Harvard, the school's athletes are in a precarious position. Article content The Department of Homeland Security said Harvard had 30 days to prove it meets the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme's (SEVP) rules for hosting international students. However, the judge also said she plans to issue a longer-term block, allowing international students to remain at Harvard while the case continues.
National Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Welcoming in two expansion teams is going to change PWHL dramatically
The Toronto Sceptres know, just like the rest of the existing PWHL, that no team is coming back the same as they were a year ago. Article content Article content Expansion into Seattle and Vancouver and the league's emphasis on parity will ensure that. Article content Each existing team will lose four players between the incoming clubs exclusive free agent signing window and the expansion draft that will follow giving each of the two new clubs a 12-player roster ahead of the annual college and international draft. Article content The six existing teams will be able to protect three players and then one more after they have lost two between the signing window and the actual expansion draft. Article content It means every team is going to lose key players as the new outfits in Vancouver and Seattle are stocked to make them immediately competitive with their six existing sister clubs. Article content Those six clubs will make their initial three-player protected lists public at noon on Tuesday. The two newbies will then have from 9 a.m. the following day through 5 p.m. on June 8th to decide if they want to take advantage of the exclusive window to dip into the free agent pool of players. These players are not protected and will eventually be made available to the entire league but for five days Vancouver and Seattle will get first crack at luring them out west. Article content The catch for the new clubs is that for every free agent they sign during this period – they can sign up to a maximum of five each — that's one less player they can grab in the expansion draft. Conversely, for the teams that lose a free agent in this period, that loss counts towards the total of four players they will lose in the overall expansion process. Article content In any event, it's going to mean for some very difficult decisions for the six existing teams and some tempting choices for the two newcomers. Article content It's not strictly talent that will make the protection list decision so difficult for any of the clubs and that includes Toronto. Article content Established leadership is obviously not something anyone is looking to lose. It's that leadership that sets the tone and ensures the culture a club has built over two years is sustained. Article content In their media introductions both new GMs – Meghan Turner in Seattle and Cara Gardner Morey in Vancouver – listed establishing leadership on the roster as a key goal in the expansion draft. Article content It could very well mean that the two building teams overlook age considerations – at least at times — and opt for the experience of a Boston forward and U.S. legend like Hilary Knight or Ottawa forward and Canadian legend Brianne Jenner. Both are currently captains with their respective clubs but could very well be left unprotected in the draft because both are in the latter stages of their career.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 in Game 1 of PWHL semifinal series
LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Shiann Darkangelo broke a third-period tie, Gwyneth Philips made 31 saves and the Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the PWHL semifinal series. Darkangelo beat goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens with a wrist shot from the right side at 9:17. Brianne Jenner and Ashton Bell also scored for the Charge. Maureen Murphy and Marie-Philip Poulin had power-play goals for regular-season champion Montreal. Desbiens stopped 24 shots. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Sunday in Laval. Jenner opened the scoring on a power play at 4:54 of the first period, and Murphy tied it on a power play with 7:47 left in the period. Bell put Ottawa back on top at 5:07 of the second, and Poulin tied it on a power play at 7:12 of the period. ___ AP Women's Hockey:
Associated Press
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 in Game 1 of PWHL semifinal series
LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Shiann Darkangelo broke a third-period tie, Gwyneth Philips made 31 saves and the Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the PWHL semifinal series. Darkangelo beat goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens with a wrist shot from the right side at 9:17. Brianne Jenner and Ashton Bell also scored for the Charge. Maureen Murphy and Marie-Philip Poulin had power-play goals for regular-season champion Montreal. Desbiens stopped 24 shots. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Sunday in Laval. Jenner opened the scoring on a power play at 4:54 of the first period, and Murphy tied it on a power play with 7:47 left in the period. Bell put Ottawa back on top at 5:07 of the second, and Poulin tied it on a power play at 7:12 of the period. ___ AP Women's Hockey:
