For PWHL stars, expansion process serves as a reminder that hockey is a business first

For Sarah Nurse, the shocking commercialized of erstwhile Toronto Sceptres teammate Jocelyne Larocque past New Year's Eve was a spot of a wake-up call.

Larocque is simply a veteran, shutdown defender who's seen, and won, conscionable astir everything. She's the teammate that everyone wants to have.

Her teammates successful Toronto thought she was untouchable earlier she was sent to Ottawa successful a four-player trade. It was a reminder that the PWHL is simply a concern first, adjacent if it hasn't ever been that way, historically, successful women's hockey.

Now, Nurse is moving crossed the state to Vancouver, wherever she signed a one-year declaration earlier this week, aft Toronto near her unprotected up of the enlargement draft.

As the process unfolded, Nurse recovered herself having to abstracted emotions and business. Many of those emotions were tied to the information that Toronto is home. It's 1 of the lone cities Nurse has ever lived in, and a metropolis wherever she ever dreamed of playing nonrecreational hockey.

"Being 1 of the foundational players that benignant of helped physique the programme [in Toronto], it means truthful overmuch to me," Nurse said. 

"But astatine the extremity of the day, erstwhile you deliberation of an accidental to spell to an enlargement squad and to beryllium capable to bring what I bring disconnected of the ice, but to beryllium capable to bring the level of play that I besides bring connected the ice, I deliberation is thing truly peculiar and thing that [Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey] had recognized and identified with me, and thing that I truly appreciated."

Nurse is 1 of 10 players who signed with enlargement teams successful Vancouver oregon Seattle this week, arsenic some hole to statesman play adjacent season.

By the extremity of Monday's enlargement draft, some caller teams volition person 12 players each, and each the existing teams volition person mislaid 4 players each.

Difficult conversations

So far, some Vancouver and Seattle person accumulated an embarrassment of riches. 

In summation to Nurse, Vancouver has signed Defender of the Year nominees and Walter Cup champions, Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, arsenic good arsenic goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and hometown guardant Jennifer Gardiner.

Seattle, meanwhile, started by signing erstwhile Boston Fleet skipper Hilary Knight to pb the caller team. She was joined by 2024 first-round draught picks Cayla Barnes and Danielle Serdachny connected Thursday, followed by 2 stars from the New York Sirens connected Friday: starting goaltender Corinne Schroeder and sniper Alex Carpenter.

Existing teams were lone capable to support 3 players each, initially, with a 4th to beryllium added aft the squad mislaid 2 players.

It means each six existing teams person large holes to fill.

In Toronto, fans volition miss Nurse, a guardant who's done a batch for hockey some connected and disconnected the ice.

Nurse missed clip owed to an wounded past season, but successful 2024, tied for 2nd successful the league successful some points and goals. She was 1 of the Sceptres' archetypal 3 signings successful 2023.

Toronto opted to support prima defender Renata Fast, starring scorer Daryl Watts and skipper Blayre Turnbull, which near Nurse eligible for an enlargement team.

Nurse had conversations with some Seattle and Vancouver, but was drawn to the civilization Gardner Morey is gathering successful Vancouver.

That each came aft what Nurse described arsenic a hard and affectional speech with Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury, who Nurse has known for years and respects.

WATCH | How the PWHL's enlargement process works:

"There are a batch of players who are worthy of being protected and each the powerfulness to their radical moving guardant due to the fact that they bash person a large group," Nurse said astir her erstwhile team.

A accidental to ain the net

Like Nurse, Maschmeyer was 1 of the archetypal players signed by the Ottawa Charge erstwhile the league launched.

Maschmeyer was having a beardown play earlier an wounded successful March took her disconnected the ice.

In her absence, backup goaltender Gwyneth Philips seized the nett and didn't fto go, backstopping the Charge each the mode to the Walter Cup final. Even though the Charge didn't triumph the Cup, Philips was named playoff MVP.

"She's evidently an unthinkable goaltender and had a standout playoff series, and truthful I person nary sick volition against her," Maschmeyer said. "Honestly, I'm precise blessed for her. I deliberation that we some merit starting roles, and truthful this is the champion script wherever we're not competing for crystal time, wherever we some get to ain the net."

For Maschmeyer, this play has been an affectional rollercoaster that culminated with a two-year woody to spell to Vancouver.

The determination volition bring Maschmeyer's young family, including baby Beckham, person to Maschmeyer's household successful Alberta.

"It's rather awesome to spot however our extended household has rallied astir us," Maschmeyer said. "They're already offering babysitting, flying successful each mates of weeks. Everyone conscionable wants to help."

A builder

Knight has often recovered herself gathering things passim her hockey career, whether it was warring for amended conditions from USA Hockey oregon creating the PWHL.

She'll person that accidental again successful Seattle, wherever she volition get to assistance turn women's hockey from the crushed up successful the Pacific Northwest.

The 35-year-old precocious announced that the 2026 Olympics volition beryllium her last. She signed connected with Seattle for lone 1 season, but don't expect to spot her bent up her skates immoderate clip soon.

"My plans professionally arsenic of present are to proceed to play," she said, adding that the magnitude of her declaration doesn't bespeak however agelong she'd similar to beryllium successful Seattle.

Knight besides doesn't program to halt playing for the American squad instantly aft the Olympics. But determination is simply a satellite present wherever a subordinate tin proceed to play professionally adjacent if they're done with their nationalist team. In the past, the apical players planned their careers astir Olympic cycles. 

That it's an enactment speaks to however acold women's hockey has travel implicit Knight's career. It's lone fitting that the adjacent section is connected an enlargement team, successful a spot wherever she tin support building.

"I deliberation things aligned for maine personally successful the close mode and I cannot hold for puck drop," Knight said. "I cannot hold to play successful beforehand of Seattle fans."

Top endowment inactive disposable successful enlargement draft

Monday's enlargement draught is acceptable for 8:30 p.m. ET and volition beryllium broadcast connected the league's YouTube channel.

Even with 10 players already disconnected the board, there's inactive tons of endowment up for grabs for Vancouver and Seattle. The caller teams volition besides person to beryllium compliant with the wage cap, which could bounds conscionable however galore much stars the caller GMs tin add.

Top players disposable connected Monday scope from young players with precocious ceilings, similar 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).