PWHL Vancouver Signs Three Draft Picks

2025 PHWL Draft picks Nina Jobst-Smith, Brianna Brooks, and Madison Samoskevich are the newest members of PWHL Vancouver, the team announced on Tuesday.

Jobst-Smith, PWHL Vancouver's second pick in the draft, joins the team on a two-year standard player deal. The North Vancouver native is excited to play in front of her home crowd.

"I'm so excited to be joining Vancouver and to have the opportunity to be part of this amazing organization." She said in the news release, "It's a dream to be lacing up my skates for the city and people who first made me fall in love with this game."

She joins the team after five seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where she put up 67 points across 172 games and was the team captain in her graduate year. A member of Team Germany, Jobst-Smith is solid on the blueline, having been named one of Germany's top three players in two World Championship tournaments. In 2024, she helped the team qualify for the Olympics.

Also joining her on PWHL Vancouver is fourth-round pick Brianna Brooks. The first player from the AHA to be drafted, Brooks split her NCAA tenure between Penn State and the University of New Hampshire. As a member of the Wildcats, she led the team in face-off wins and face-off win percentage, and was among the top players on the team in goals and assists. At Penn State, she put up a career-high points total of 32 in a single season.

Like Jobst-Smith, she's seeing her dream come true with this signing.

"I feel so honoured to be part of the growth of women's hockey and PWHL Vancouver," she said, "Every challenge and sacrifice I've made in my career has led me to this moment, and I wouldn't be where I am today without my amazing support system."

PWHL Vancouver also signed their fifth-round pick, Madison Samoskevich. An incredibly versatile player, Samoskevich played both defense and forward during her NCAA career. In her final season at Quinnipiac, she led the team in faceoff wins and power play goals. Her 65 assists are the sixth most in Quinnipiac Bobcats history. The Connecticut-born player played for Team USA at the 2019 U-18 World Championships, taking home a silver medal.

"Signing with Vancouver means so much to me. Being part of this team's first year in the PWHL is really special, and I'm excited for the chance to help build something new alongside such talented players and staff," said Samoskevich in the release. "I can't wait to get started at Training Camp and get to work."

With training camp just over one week away, PWHL Vancouver has locked down all but one of their draft picks, with Chanreet Bassi currently unsigned.

"We've built a good group of young players heading into our inaugural season, including draft picks Nina, Brianna, and Madison," General Manager Cara Gardner Morey said. "We're excited to see the competition for roster spots unfold at Training Camp in Vancouver in just over a week."

Jobst-Smith, Brooks, and Samoskevich will join 29 other players at the Pacific Coliseum to fight for the chance to earn one of 23 roster spots.