‘Really hard’: PWHL players reckon with the business realities of expansion

For Toronto Sceptres captain Blayre Turnbull, it was upsetting, sad and stressful.

Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark said it was “a lot to process” after the Walter Cup final loss.

For players across the PWHL, the expansion process was a wake-up call to the business side of the league.

With the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent entering the fold, many players found new homes — including stars Hilary Knight in Seattle and Sarah Nurse in Vancouver. Nurse starred for the Sceptres in the league’s first two seasons.

“It was hard. Our team is a lot different than it was at the start of year one, so you try to build culture, environment, you try to build out your team’s on-ice identity,” Turbull said. “When your team is different than at the beginning, you kind of have to think about rebuilding all of those things.

“So it was hard, and I do understand it from the business side of things, where our league is growing, and in order to grow, we have to put our roots down in other locations across North America, so I see that side of it too. But from a player’s perspective, the expansion process was really hard.”

“You watch the draft and you’re watching teammates and friends get picked up live on TV,” said Clark, whose Charge lost the Walter Cup title series to Minnesota on May 26. “It’s just crazy. Obviously, it’s entertaining and it’s fun, it’s exciting for the league, but yeah, a lot to process in a short amount of time for sure.”

The expansion process began with a five-day exclusive signing window from June 4-8, allowing Vancouver and Seattle to select five players each.

The original six teams were only able to protect three players, and a fourth one if they relinquished two players through the signing window or expansion draft. Players who were not protected by the existing teams or were on expiring contracts were eligible.

The expansion draft took place on June 9, with Vancouver and Seattle each able to select up to seven additional players. Both clubs then took part in the annual league draft on June 24.

“The biggest shocker when it came to expansion was the protection of only three players,” Sceptres’ star defender Renata Fast said. “Those were some really hard decisions for some GMs because I think every roster had at least five, six people you’d want to protect, hands down.

“So I think that was probably the biggest shock here. And then, in Toronto, we saw all our (top three) first-round draft picks from last year’s draft get moved along right away when you’re just starting to feel like they’re getting their feet under them in this league.”

Star defender Sophie Jaques — signed away from two-time defending champion Minnesota by Vancouver during the process — was surprised by how quickly it all unfolded.

“Looking at how the teams all ended up. You have these players from these teams that you were just playing against, and now they’re your teammates,” she said.

“And I think it just goes to show how it is still a business, and people can pack up their lives and move to different places. But I also think it’s really exciting to get to see all these great players in new markets play with other great players.”

Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury said the process was “hard on all GMs,” saying it tested their attachment to what they’d built over the past two years while they tried to manage losses and improve their rosters.

However, she said it doesn’t help to dwell on what future expansion might look like. That, she added, takes away from what can be done for the players now.

“I think if you’re constantly worrying about that, I think you’re missing also what you’re able to do for these athletes,” she said. “So development is still a priority for us in Toronto.

“If we focus on trying to develop our athletes and set them up for success in the league, hopefully that also translates in athletes wanting to be in Toronto because they realize the value of being around these coaches and being around the staff that we have and the growth they can have as individuals.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2025.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press