PWHL Vancouver Signs Sarah Nurse

The signing window continues to be fruitful for PWHL Vancouver, as the team announced yet another deal, this time with their first forward in franchise history — Sarah Nurse. The deal is for one year.

Nurse, now 30, was one of the three original signings for the Toronto Sceptres before the inaugural PWHL season. In her two years with the team, Nurse had 17 goals and 37 total points in 45 regular season games. Additionally, she notched two assists across nine playoff contests. 

The Burlington, Ontario-born forward has had a standout career both professionally and on the international stage. She's played a key role for Canada with three gold medals, two silvers, and one bronze at the World Championships. In 2018 she was a member of the silver medal winning squad at the Pyeongchang Olympics, before following it up with a standout performance en route to a gold medal in Beijing in 2022. With 18 points and 13 assists in the 2022 tournament, Nurse set records for a single tournament in both categories.

This past season, Nurse missed over a month and a half of game action due to a lower body injury suffered during the Rivalry Series game between Canada and the United States on February 6th. She was left exposed by the Sceptres in favor of forwards Blayre Turnbull and Daryl Watts, and defender Renata Fast. 

“Sarah is one of the sport’s biggest stars, both on and off the ice, and she will play a significant role in growing professional women’s hockey in Vancouver,” said PWHL Vancouver's general manager Cara Gardner Morey. “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 had already announced the signings of defenders Sophie Jacques and Claire Thompson Wednesday afternoon, and of goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer on Thursday. 

The expansion signing window for both Vancouver and Seattle remains open until 5 PM EST on Sunday, June 8th. Only five players for each team may be signed within that window. The full expansion draft will take place the next day, on June 9th at 8:30 PM EST.