2025-26 PWHL Season Preview: Vancouver Goldeneyes

It's almost time for the Vancouver Goldeneyes to hit the ice in the first game of the 2025-2026 season.

Before they open their season on November 21 at home against the Seattle Torrent, let's take a look at the team, who to watch this season, and a few far too early predictions.

The Basics

Location

The Vancouver Goldeneyes will hit the ice at the Pacific Coliseum as the only PWHL team to be the sole tenant at their home rink. They'll play 13 home games on-site in Vancouver, and two on the road as the home team in the Takeover Tour games in Edmonton, Alberta.

Coaches

Former St. Cloud State University head coach Brian Idalski will lead the team on the bench, with support from assistant coaches BJ Adams and Brendon Knight. This season will be Adams's first as a high-level women's hockey coach.

Joey Ali, Andrew Boucher, and Shannon MacAulay will round out the coaching staff.

The Roster

This is the Vancouver Goldeneyes' roster as of November 19. Teams are allowed 23 active players on their roster.

Note: On November 19, the Vancouver Goldeneyes traded Denisa Křížová to the Minnesota Frost in exchange for Anna Segedi. Segedi was drafted in the third round by the Minnesota Frost in the 2025-26 Entry Draft, and played for Goldeneyes Head Coach Bryan Idalski on Team China in the 2022 Olympics.

"We're looking forward to having Anna bring her energy and strength down the middle to our team as we begin our inaugural season," General Manager Cara Gardner Morey said in the news release.

3 Players to Watch

Kristen Campbell - Goaltender

After winning Goaltender of the Year in her first season in the PWHL, Kristen Campbell definitely had a sub-par sophomore season. Granted, her first season was stellar, as she won 11 games in a row, catapulting her team to a first-place finish in the regular season. It was more than likely that she would have a rougher second season.

Last season, Campbell posted a 2.25 GAA (up from 1.99 in 2024) and a 0.910 save percentage (down from 0.927 in 2024). Her record was 9-8-3-1 over 21 games, after posting a 16-6-0-0 record in 22 games in 2024.

The Sceptres drafted Raygan Kirk in the 2024-25 draft and gave her more playing time as Campbell's confidence started to fall off. Then, the team traded Campbell to the Vancouver Goldeneyes during the 2025-2026 entry draft.

Now, she's got a chance for a great bounce-back season with a brand new team. But first, she has to prove that she's the Kristen Campbell of 2024 and deserves starts over her teammate Emerance Maschmeyer.

Jennifer Gardiner - Forward

If it weren't for joining the league in the same season as future Hall of Famer Sarah Fillier, Jennifer Gardiner would have been the most impressive rookie last season. She had a strong first season, putting up the second-most points and assists in rookie scoring. In the playoffs, she had three points, tied for the most on the team.

Still, there was some speculation that her strong first season came from playing with two of the best in the world, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey. Now, she'll be playing with an entirely new team and new line mates.

I think Gardiner is a skilled player on her own, and she'll still be playing with other great goal scorers, so I think she'll still have a great season. Either way, we'll find out if Stacey and Poulin were the magic or if Gardiner can hold her own with the best in the league.

Madison Samoskevich - Forward/Defender

Madison Samoskevich is one of the most interesting picks to come out of the 2025-2026 draft. Her ability to play both defense and forward truly sets her apart, and it's clear that the Goldeneyes feel the same way.

Vancouver played her at centre for both of the preseason scrimmage games, where she logged a good amount of ice time and scored a goal.

Assuming she survives the last round of cuts, I'm excited to see how her rookie season unfolds and how the team chooses to utilize her.

Three Predictions for the Season

The Goldeneyes will be the top expansion team, but they won't finish first in the league

During the pre-season media availability, Gardner Morey said she knows the team feels a certain amount of internal and external pressure to have a good first season, "It's really fun to see the way this group is embracing it. You can tell that they know they have a lot of talent, and they also have a lot of grit and heart. I think that expectations all around are very high."

It's hard to say how the original six teams will fare this year after losing key players in the expansion draft, but I still think we'll see Montréal and Toronto be very strong again. I think chemistry will still win out over a lot of talent. But if this team is as good as they seem on paper, the Goldeneyes should clear the Torrent in the standings, and I predict they'll finish in the top three.

Sophie Jaques will win Defender of the Year

I think Jaques could have won the award last season, but Renata Fast did have a strong season. This time, I think it's Jaques's to lose. She's already an incredibly strong defender, and now with stronger goaltending behind her, she'll have even more of a chance to stretch her offensive powers.

After missing five games last season with an injury, she was still tied for the lead in points among defenders with Renata Fast. If she can stay healthy, I think she'll have it in the bag. Playing with defense partner Claire Thompson again definitely won't hurt, either.

Emerance Maschmeyer will earn the starting job, but they won't burn her out

One of the biggest questions coming into the season is how Vancouver will manage their goaltenders. With two incredible goaltenders on their roster, the team is flush with choice. But will they split the time evenly between the two like the Minnesota Frost have done with Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley? Or will they give one the starting job over the other?

My prediction is that Emerance Mashmeyer will get the most games this season, but it won't be like her two previous years with the Ottawa Charge, where she bore the brunt of the games. With it being an Olympic year, and Campbell likely not being on Team Canada, they will have to balance Maschmeyer's workload, and who better to do that than 2024 Goaltender of the Year Kristen Campbell?