Initial PWHL Seattle, Vancouver Signings Discuss New Opportunities

Following a busy first few days of the signing window, the first nine players signed to PWHL Seattle and Vancouver met with the media this afternoon to discuss their signings. Here's what they had to say about some common topics.

Note: Seattle signed former New York Sirens goaltender Corinne Schroeder after the media availability, which is why she was not part of it.

Western-Born Players Excited to Grow the Game Close to Home

Signing with Vancouver marks a homecoming for former Montréal Victoire forward Jennifer Gardiner. She grew up in Surrey, BC, which is about a 34-kilometer drive from Vancouver.

“Honestly, I still can't even believe it's actually happening,” Gardiner said. “I think there's just been so many little girls that I've heard from that I work with, I coach in the summer, reach out, and that's kind of just touching on the importance of this team in Vancouver. I think moving our league out west is just so exciting for everybody. But yeah, I really can't wrap my head around the fact that there's actually a team at home, and I get to be on it. So it's just been a whirlwind of a 48 hours, and super excited for what's to come.”

Meanwhile, former Boston Fleet captain forward Hilary Knight is no stranger to being a builder in women’s hockey. However, she's never had the opportunity to play out west for more than just a one-off game, so she's excited for the opportunity to be part of building the sport in a new market. 

“It's honestly a dream come true to be able to start pro hockey in the Pacific Northwest and be a part of this build,” Knight said, “I know everyone's extremely excited. When the PWHL announced that this would be an expansion city, there was a lot of buzz among players. So really excited, really honored at the opportunity to be part of this build and looking forward to the future and what's to come.”

A native of Sun Valley, Idaho, Knight also reflected on what it means for her personally to help grow the game closer to home.

“I know for me personally, it's always important to list Idaho as my home, just for that Western growth,” Knight said. “Obviously, Seattle is a few more states over but I'm really excited now that we have that visibility out here. I think it's important for me, in my own little bubble here, the amount of people from Idaho and Utah and sort of the mountain region, that can now come and watch a game, and don't necessarily just have to see one Rivalry Series, but can just hop on a flight or a few hour drive to watch professional women's hockey at the highest level. [It] is just incredible.”

As for former Montréal Victoire defender Cayla Barnes, she may have grown up in southern California, but she still feels Seattle is a bit like going back home.

“I've kind of been all over the map in the last couple of years, and definitely going back home was a big reason why I was interested in Seattle,” Barnes said. “It's not quite home, I'm from California, but it's a quick hop skip and a jump over to Seattle. So I think a lot of people are excited, from my family and people that I know out there, to be able to have the opportunity to come and see a game. And there's a bunch of little girls out there that are also super excited for that. I think just having the opportunity, being from the West Coast and growing up there, to be able to grow the game out there is super special and important to me.”

One-Year Contracts Not a Statement on Retirement for Knight, Carpenter, Thompson

As part of the exclusive signing window, players were allowed to negotiate new deals with the expansion franchises regardless of what was left on their current contract. Given that, there were questions surrounding why some chose to sign one-year deals instead of making a longer commitment. Luckily for the new franchises, for the three players asked, those deals are not a reflection of their commitment to the team. For the 35-year-old Knight, it was about making sure she kept herself in a good spot going forward.

“I think we’ve just seen that anything can happen in this league, right?,” Knight said. “So just for me personally, it's kind of just where my headspace was at. I will say, I'm not necessarily planning on going anywhere after just one year. It was just what made sense right now for the time being. I know I just came out with [my] Olympic retirement announcement for post 2026, and yeah, my plans professionally as of now are to continue to play. So just trying to make it work and figure out timing standpoint, and just with all the buzz going on right now, making sure that I was in a good spot moving forward. So the term doesn't really reflect my commitment or my promise to what we want to build and be a part of in the city of Seattle.”

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Carpenter shared she was also not planning to retire, but wanted to take things one year at a time.

“Looking at it on paper, that's not where my head space is at as well,” Carpenter said. “Definitely excited to build something here, but it takes one year at a time, so just get started with that, and then we'll see where things go.”

Finally, Thompson, who is currently on leave from medical school, was the least committal of the bunch about her future plans, but left the door open to continuing to play.

“I think I'm just enjoying the opportunity to play professional hockey,” Thompson said. “At the end of next season, I'll have the flexibility to make the decision that is best for me at that time.”

Expansion is a Reminder that Women’s Hockey is Now a Business

As former Toronto Sceptre and now-PWHL Vancouver forward Sarah Nurse spoke about in the press conference, women’s hockey wasn’t as much of a business before the PWHL. The relationships formed between players and staff were more personal. But that’s had to change with more exposure, and this expansion process is one of the biggest examples of that.

“Honestly, for me, with Toronto, it was kind of building that business relationship with Gina [Kingsbury] and Troy [Ryan] because I already had the personal relationship,” Nurse said. “At the end of the day, this is a business. But when I think about the last few months, I'm obviously on the PWHLPA, so I was kind of privy to some information about expansion and knowing that this is coming, and kind of understanding what the realities of what this could look like for not only myself, but so many players across the league. [So] I really had to separate that, because I obviously have a deep love for the City of Toronto. I feel like being one of the foundational players that kind of helped build the program there, it means so much to me. But at the end of the day, like when you think of an opportunity to go to an expansion team and to be able to bring what I bring off of the ice, but [also] to be able to bring the level of play that I also bring on the ice, I think is something really special.”

Despite knowing it's a business and her excitement to join Vancouver, Nurse said the conversations she had with Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury were very emotional.

“I think that Gina has known me for a very long time,” Nurse said. “I've been with her and Troy [Ryan] for the last six or seven years, just with Hockey Canada, and then also with the Sceptres. And so I think there's an element of a real personal connection there and a lot of respect for each other. And so it was definitely a difficult and very emotional conversation that really started with the protection conversation a few days prior…but again, nothing but respect between us both.”

Knight spoke less directly about the business side of the PWHL, but reflected on how both sides needed to meet each other where they were at and figure out what’s best for all parties.

“I think whenever the expansion was announced and sort of the rules of engagement, you knew that it was going to be an exciting opportunity,” Knight said. “And also some bittersweet feelings. Obviously, only three get protected, and different clubs need different things. Players need different opportunities as well, fresh starts, or whatever that looks like. So definitely, there's a lot of conversations that go on behind the scenes, and you kind of have to meet people where they are and figure out which pieces work and what people want to do and how to build a successful franchise.”

Finally, former Ottawa Charge and now-PWHL Vancouver goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer also spoke about the need for teams to execute a certain vision, even if it means making difficult decisions.

“I only chatted with Mike on the day of our exit meetings,” Maschmeyer said. “Before that, we were focused on playoffs, and it quite frankly wasn't the time…[but] going into the meeting when I did find out, I wasn't shocked. It's like Sarah said it's a business, and at the end of the day, Mike has a vision for Ottawa going forward and for right now, I wasn't a part of that vision. And there's only respect between him and I and the Ottawa Charge.”

Both Seattle and Vancouver have used all five of their pre-draft signing slots, so all attention now turns to the expansion draft on Monday. The draft is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be livestreamed on the PWHL YouTube Channel and thepwhl.com.