Noora Tulus Returns Overseas to Chase Olympic Spot

In an unprecedented move, the PWHL, New York Sirens and forward Noora Tulus mutually agreed to terminate the final year of Tulus' contract. The Sirens made an official announcement Sunday afternoon on social media, thanking her for her time with the organization. The Sirens' post came a few hours after Brynäs IF announced Tulus' signing.

Last July, Tulus signed a two-year standard contract with the PWHL club after being drafted 13th overall in 2024 by the Sirens.

Logistically, the PWHL's collective bargaining agreement touches on the topic of contract termination in several spots. The league and/or teams can terminate a contract based on a player's on-ice performance, or for pretty much any other reason (aside from things like pregnancy, maternity leave, injury, etc.)

Players are allowed to terminate their contracts with 14 days' written notice via email - if the league "defaults in its obligation to pay any compensation in excess of $300" and "fails to substantially remedy such default with 14 days after receiving such notice." Termination is also allowed by mutual written agreement with the PWHL, which is the case here.

This is the first example of a contract termination in the PWHL's young history, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. In this case, it seems like it was the right move for Tulus - and it's nice to see the league and teams do right by their players.

"I want to thank Pascal and the Sirens for working with us to find the best solution for Noora, even though it was difficult logistically & emotionally," said Eleni Demestihas of Cook Stark Management, who represents Tulus. "While we all wish this had worked out, knowing the team will do what’s best for their players matters much more than I can say."

While New York owned Tulus' rights, contracts are signed with the PWHL, so the league also had to agree to the termination, Demestihas confirmed.

The mutual termination of her contract allows Tulus to return overseas, where she'll play a bigger role and, crucially, better position herself for an opportunity to play on the Finnish Olympic team.

Tulus represented her native Finland at the Olympics in both 2018 and 2022. She'll turn 30 later this summer, and though that's still relatively young, you've got to look at the bigger picture: you never know when this Olympic Games could be your last. (In 2022, there were four players on Finland's roster over the age of 34.)

You can never fault any player for doing what's best for them, period. (In this house, we support the labor movement & workers' rights, y'all!) You certainly can't blame them for wanting to be in the best possible position to secure a coveted roster spot on an Olympic team, which only comes around every four years.

It's clear that Tulus wasn't getting the same playing time or slots in New York as she had historically overseas, and that under-utilization meant she was struggling on a team that was also struggling. The transition to North American hockey is also, well, a transition, and for a combination of reasons, this is clearly what's best for Tulus.

One needs only to look at her stats to see the stark difference. Tulus was coming off two of her best career seasons with Luleå HF when she came to New York. She had 61 points, including 39 assists, in just 36 SDHL games in the 2023-24 season. The season prior, she had 56 points in 32 games. Those are stellar numbers.

In her first (and only) season in New York, she had two points in 30 PWHL games. While things started off strong, as she got decent playing time early on and had opportunities on the first and second lines, the season didn't end that way. Instead, she spent nearly the entire second half of the season on the fourth line and played less than 10 minutes in 11 of the last 13 games.

You can't blame her for wanting more than that, and it's exactly the opportunity she should get with her new team.

"Signing with Brynäs and back in the SDHL gives Noora the opportunity to play top six minutes in an environment she already knows well and is very comfortable in," Demestihas told The Ice Garden. "Leading into the Olympics, particularly as a leader for Team Finland, that level of comfort is both a mental and physical necessity for her to perform her best in Italy next spring. She knows many of her teammates very well and has played a lot with several of them which will help her adjust right away."

Others already signed with Brynäs for the 2025-26 season include leading scorer Jenniina Nylund, who had 32 points in 34 games this past season; PWHL alum Maude Poulin-Labelle, and goaltender Klára Peslarová, who signed as a free agent after spending this past season with the PWHL's Boston Fleet.

The SDHL season begins September 5, with Brynäs facing off against Linköping.