For PWHL stars, expansion process serves as a reminder that hockey is
a business first
Karissa Donkin
| CBC Sports | Posted: June 6, 2025 10:02 PM | Last Updated:
June 6
Sarah Nurse, Hilary Knight among stars who signed with
expansion teams in Vancouver or Seattle
Image | Hilary Knight
Caption: Star forward Hilary Knight will have the chance to
build women's hockey in the western United States from the
ground up on PWHL Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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For Sarah Nurse, the shocking trade of former Toronto Sceptres
teammate Jocelyne Larocque last New Year's Eve was a bit of a
wake-up call.
Larocque is a veteran, shutdown defender who's seen, and won,
just about everything. She's the teammate that everyone wants
to have.
Her teammates in Toronto thought she was untouchable before she
was sent to Ottawa in a four-player trade. It was a reminder
that the PWHL is a business first, even if it hasn't always
been that way, historically, in women's hockey.
Now, Nurse is moving across the country to Vancouver, where she
signed a one-year contract earlier this week, after Toronto
left her unprotected ahead of the expansion draft.
As the process unfolded, Nurse found herself having to separate
emotions and business. Many of those emotions were tied to the
fact that Toronto is home. It's one of the only cities Nurse
has ever lived in, and a city where she always dreamed of
playing professional hockey.
"Being one of the foundational players that kind of helped
build the program [in Toronto], it means so much to me," Nurse
said.
"But at the end of the day, 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 to be able to bring the level of play that
I also bring on the ice, I think is something really special
and something that [Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey] had
recognized and identified with me, and something that I really
appreciated."
Nurse is one of 10 players who signed with expansion teams in
Vancouver or Seattle this week, as both prepare to begin play
next season.
Image | HKW PWHL Boston Toronto 20241130
Caption: Sarah Nurse, left, will leave her hometown of Toronto
when she moves to Vancouver to play with its new PWHL team next
season. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
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By the end of Monday's expansion draft, both new teams will
have 12 players each, and all the existing teams will have lost
four players each.
Difficult conversations
So far, both Vancouver and Seattle have accumulated an
embarrassment of riches.
In addition to Nurse, Vancouver has signed Defender of the Year
nominees and Walter Cup champions, Claire Thompson and Sophie
Jaques, as well as goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and hometown
forward Jennifer Gardiner.
Seattle, meanwhile, started by signing former Boston Fleet
captain Hilary Knight to lead the new team. She was joined by
2024 first-round draft picks Cayla Barnes and Danielle
Serdachny on Thursday, followed by two stars from the New York
Sirens on Friday: starting goaltender Corinne Schroeder and
sniper Alex Carpenter.
* PWHL stars Hilary Knight, Sarah Nurse sign with expansion
teams
* PWHL Vancouver signs former Frost defenders Thompson,
Jaques as club's first players
Existing teams were only able to protect three players each,
initially, with a fourth to be added after the team lost two
players.
It means all six existing teams have big holes to fill.
In Toronto, fans will miss Nurse, a forward who's done a lot
for hockey both on and off the ice.
Nurse missed time due to an injury last season, but in 2024,
tied for second in the league in both points and goals. She was
one of the Sceptres' first three signings in 2023.
Toronto opted to protect star defender Renata Fast, leading
scorer Daryl Watts and captain Blayre Turnbull, which left
Nurse eligible for an expansion team.
Nurse had conversations with both Seattle and Vancouver, but
was drawn to the culture Morey is building in Vancouver.
That all came after what Nurse described as a difficult and
emotional conversation with Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury, who
Nurse has known for years and respects.
WATCH | How the PWHL's expansion process works:
Media Video | The PWHL expansion draft: Explained
Caption: CBC Sports' Karissa Donkin runs through the rules of
the PWHL's expansion draft, explaining how new clubs in Seattle
and Vancouver will fill their roster.
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"There are a lot of players who are worthy of being protected
and all the power to their group moving forward because they do
have a great group," Nurse said about her former team.
A chance to own the net
Like Nurse, Maschmeyer was one of the first players signed by
the Ottawa Charge when the league launched.
Maschmeyer was having a strong season before an injury in March
took her off the ice.
In her absence, backup goaltender Gwyneth Philips seized the
net and didn't let go, backstopping the Charge all the way to
the Walter Cup final. Even though the Charge didn't win the
Cup, Philips was named playoff MVP.
"She's obviously an incredible goaltender and had a standout
playoff series, and so I have no ill will against her,"
Maschmeyer said. "Honestly, I'm very happy for her. I think
that we both deserve starting roles, and so this is the best
scenario where we're not competing for ice time, where we both
get to own the net."
For Maschmeyer, this season has been an emotional
roller-coaster that culminated with a two-year deal to go to
Vancouver.
The move will bring Maschmeyer's young family, including baby
Beckham, closer to Maschmeyer's family in Alberta.
Image | maschmeyer-emerance-122924
Caption: Goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer's season with the
Ottawa Charge ended in March when she sustained an injury
during a game. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)
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"It's quite awesome to see how our extended family has rallied
around us," Maschmeyer said. "They're already offering
babysitting, flying in every couple of weeks. Everyone just
wants to help."
A builder
Knight has often found herself building things throughout her
hockey career, whether it was fighting for better conditions
from USA Hockey or creating the PWHL.
She'll have that chance again in Seattle, where she will get to
help grow women's hockey from the ground up in the Pacific
Northwest.
Knight, who's from Sun Valley, Idaho, is excited about the
number of people from the western states who can now more
easily access women's hockey.
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The 35-year-old recently announced that the 2026 Olympics will
be her last. She signed on with Seattle for only one season,
but don't expect to see her hang up her skates any time soon.
"My plans professionally as of now are to continue to play,"
she said, adding that the length of her contract doesn't
reflect how long she'd like to be in Seattle.
Knight also doesn't plan to stop playing for the American team
immediately after the Olympics. But there is a world now where
a player can continue to play professionally even if they're
done with their national team. In the past, the top players
planned their careers around Olympic cycles.
That it's an option speaks to how far women's hockey has come
over Knight's career. It's only fitting that the next chapter
is on an expansion team, in a place where she can keep
building.
"I think things aligned for me personally in the right way and
I cannot wait for puck drop," Knight said. "I cannot wait to
play in front of Seattle fans."
Top talent still available in expansion draft
Monday's expansion draft is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be
broadcast on the league's YouTube channel.
Image | Toronto Sceptres v Victoire de Montréal
Caption: Toronto Sceptres forward Julia Gosling is one of
several young, talented players available to Seattle or
Vancouver in the expansion draft on Monday. (Arianne
Bergeron/PWHL)
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Even with 10 players already off the board, there's still lots
of talent up for grabs for Vancouver and Seattle. The new teams
will also have to be compliant with the salary cap, which could
limit just how many more stars the new GMs can add.
Top players available on Monday range from young players with
high ceilings, like Julia Gosling (forward, Toronto), Ashton
Bell (defender, Ottawa) and Hannah Bilka (forward, Boston), to
hard-to-play against forward Emma Maltais (Toronto), and
back-to-back Walter Cup champion and faceoff ace Kelly Pannek
(forward, Minnesota).
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