PWHL Vancouver's Inaugural Training Camp: The Camp Invites

Thirty-two players will make history as they hit the ice at Pacific Colliseum in November for the inaugural PWHL Vancouver training camp.

The camp roster is made up of 18 forwards, 10 defenders, and four goaltenders. Twenty-two of the invitees have signed with the club, while ten will attempt to earn themselves a spot on the roster.

The team will have to narrow its roster down to 23 active players before Nov. 19. Just because a player is signed doesn't mean they'll automatically make the roster. If their contracts don't include a guarantee, they could find themselves on the outside looking in on Nov. 21.

Before the players hit the ice in Vancouver for the first time, let's talk about the camp invites and if they've got a shot to make the roster.

Forwards

Chanreet Bassi (2025 Draft Pick - UBC)
Abigail Boreen (Signed)
Brianna Brooks (Signed)
Michaela Cava (Signed)
Katie Chan (Camp Invite - Collagte/Färjestad BK)
Izzy Daniel (Signed)
Jenn Gardiner (Signed)
Michelle Karvinen (Signed)
Denisa Křížová (Signed)
Darcie Lappan (Camp Invite - MoDo Hockey)
Taylor Lind (Camp Invite - Did not play)
Brooke McQuigge (Signed)
Hannah Miller (Signed)
Sarah Nurse (Signed)
Gabby Rosenthal (Signed)
Madison Samoskevich (Signed)
Malia Schnieder (Camp Invite - SDE HF)
Tereza Vanišová (Signed)

The only unsigned draft pick, Chanreet Bassi, will have to earn her spot on the team through training camp. She'll be joined by four other unsigned players, three with experience in the SDHL and one who hasn't played for two years.

Katie Chan has already gotten her season started, suiting up for 17 games with Färjestad BK in the SDHL. She's settling in well there, already nearly a point-per-game player. Through her four years at Cornell University, Chan was a part of three ECAC championship-winning teams. She leaves the NCAA with 76 points in 130 games. And now, having grown up playing hockey in BC, she'll be fighting for a chance to play for her home team.

Darcie Lappan entered the 2024 and 2025 PWHL Entry Drafts but went undrafted. Instead, she went overseas, playing a strong season with MoDo hockey in the SDHL. Her 10 goals tied her for second-most among her teammates. Lappan played for two strong NCAA teams throughout her collegiate career, Colgate and Clarkson, playing with some of the top young players in the PWHL. Over her career, she put up 103 total points.

Lappan can score and pass, and it's clear that she's been working on her skating over the off-season. With one season of professional hockey under her belt, maybe now is the time for her to earn her spot in the PWHL.

Taylor Lind hasn't played professionally anywhere since she graduated from St. Cloud State University in 2023. She captained the team during her senior year and was a strong and reliable player for the team during its weaker seasons.

"She has a great hockey IQ, [is a] great skater, strong leader," The Ice Garden's Giselle Velasquez told me, "Workhorse is how I would describe her."

Lind's invite to this camp likely comes from her connection to PWHL Vancouver head coach Brian Idalski, who coached her at St. Cloud State. She'll definitely be playing catch-up, having spent the last two years not competing at the top level.

If you've been around the women's hockey circles for a while, you'll remember the name Malia Schneider. The 27-year-old spent five years at Colagte before joining the PWHPA in 2022. Going undrafted in the 2023 PWHL Entry draft, Schneider went to play in the SDHL. While playing for Brynäs IF, she left the team to suit up for two games with the Ottawa Charge, joining the team as a reserve player. Since then, she hasn't seen any more PWHL action. In her first full season in the SDHL, now with SDE HF, she put up 17 points in 34 games.

The four camp invitees will face off against some of the best PWHL players on their way to earning a spot on the roster.

Defenders

Sydney Bard (Signed)
Ashton Bell (Signed)
Mellissa Channell-Watkins (Signed)
Madison Clough (Camp Invite - University of St. Thomas)
Karley Garcia (Camp Invite - Penn State)
Emma Greco (Signed)
Sophie Jaques (Signed)
Nina Jobst-Smith (Signed)
Kennesha Miswaggon (Camp Invite - UBC)
Claire Thompson (Signed)

Having signed Jobst-Smith earlier this week, there are only three unsigned defenders coming into camp.

With 46 points in her NCAA career, Madison Clough brings the most points of the three camp invites. The Tommies were not at their best while Clough played there, but she was one of the stronger players on the team, leading them in points in her sophomore season. But she can block shots too, earning 53 blocks and 53 shots on goal in her Junior season.

As a shutdown defender, Karley Garcia entered the PWHL draft after four years at Penn State. Despite going undrafted, her strong hockey IQ and stay-at-home play earned her a camp invite. She told The Hockey News that it took her a while to find confidence in that shutdown role, but now she brings physicality, high IQ, and a lot of motivation to prove she deserves a spot on this roster.

Vancouver GM Cara Gardiner Morey continues to branch out of the NCAA pool and into U-Sports, this time by inviting Kennesha Miswaggon to camp. The 24-year-old defender from the University of British Columbia played all five years of her eligibility for the Thunderbirds. The team won three straight Canada West titles during her tenure and took home a bronze medal at the U-Sports National Championships. Her individual stats have never been the strongest on the team, but she did take home Rookie of the Year honours.

But it's not just about individual ability. It's about how they'll fit in as a team. Assuming the top pairing is Jaques and Thompson, I imagine we'll see Channell-Watkins and Bell as the other pairing. Bard and Greco, the remaining two veterans, could play together and were teammates in Boston. Right-handed shot Jobst-Smith should get a shot as well. Something that separates the three camp invites is that Clough is a left-handed shot, while Garcia and Miswaggon both shoot right. So Clough might be the best fit to round out the lineup.

Goaltenders

Kristen Campbell (Signed)
Erica Fryer (Camp Invite - SDE HF 2)
Emerance Maschmeyer (Signed)
Kimberly Newell (Camp Invite - Did not play)

This is the position that gives me the most pause heading into training camp. Coming out of the expansion draft, PWHL Vancouver seemed to be in the best place, having signed two gold medal-winning goaltenders who have proven they can win in the PWHL. The issue that remains is depth.

Best-case scenario, you run with Campbell and Maschmeyer all season, and everything is great. The issue is, we can't assume the best-case scenario will happen. Maschmeyer was injured last year, and Campbell clearly lost the faith of the coaching squad in Toronto. If that happens again, what do you do?

The two goalies invited to camp this year look more like they are rounding out the camp groups than they do full-time competitors at this level. Erica Fryer had a strong U-Sports career with the University of Toronto, taking home OUA East goaltender of the year in her junior year. Last season, she dressed for three games in Sweden, two in the SDHL and one in the NDHL (the second-tier league). It seems odd to invite a goalie who has played very little since 2023-2024.

Speaking of which, Kimberly Newell hasn't played competitive hockey since 2021-2022, when she played eight games for the KRS Vanke Rays. Her invite is less surprising, since she was coached by Bryan Idalski in Russia and at the Olympics for Team China. Still, she is certainly not someone you can put in against the top talent in the PWHL.

Where will this leave them if something goes wrong in the net this season?

While we don't know the answer to that, we do know that by Nov. 19, we'll have a roster of players ready to take on the team's first season.