| PWHL Toronto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Toronto, Ontario |
| League | PWHL |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Home arena | Mattamy Athletic Centre Scotiabank Arena |
| Colours | Blue, black and white |
| Owner(s) | Mark Walter Group |
| General manager | Gina Kingsbury |
| Head coach | Troy Ryan |
| Captain | Blayre Turnbull |
| Website | toronto.thepwhl.com |
 Current season | |
Toronto are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
On August 29, 2023, it was announced that Toronto would be home to one of the PWHL's first six franchises. [1] The league announced on September 1 that Gina Kingsbury, the former vice president of hockey operations at Hockey Canada and general manager of the Canadian women's national team, would be the team's general manager. [2] [3] On September 15, Troy Ryan, the head coach of the Canadian women's national team, was announced as the team's head coach. [4] [5]
Toronto's first three players—Canadian national team members Sarah Nurse, Renata Fast and Blayre Turnbull—were signed to three-year deals on September 5, 2023. [6] The team selected 15 players at the inaugural PWHL draft on September 18; the team's first pick, at second overall, was veteran Canadian national team member Jocelyne Larocque. [7] Ahead of the start of the inaugural 2024 season, Turnbull was named team captain, with Fast and Larocque serving as assistant captains. [8]
In November 2023, it was announced that the team's colours would be blue, black, and white. [9] The same month, it was announced that the Mattamy Athletic Centre in the old Maple Leaf Gardens would become the home of Toronto's PWHL team. [10] On January 1, 2024, Toronto hosted the first ever PWHL game at Mattamy, with visiting New York posting a 4–0 victory over Toronto. [11] The teams faced each other again on January 5, with Toronto securing its first win by a score of 3–2; Natalie Spooner scored the first goal in team history in the second period. [12]
On February 16, 2024, Toronto hosted its first game at the Scotiabank Arena against Montreal dubbed by the league as "The Battle on Bay Street". [13] The game set a league and women’s hockey attendance record with a sellout crowd of 19,285, beating the previous record of 18,013 at the 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship. [14]
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 |  | Jess Jones | F | L | 33 | 2024 | Picton, Ontario |
| 21 | | Emma Keenan | D | L | 26 | 2023 | Calgary, Alberta |
| 55 | | Jessica Kondas | D | R | 24 | 2023 | Calgary, Alberta |
The 2023 PWHL Draft was held on September 18, 2023, using a "snake draft" format with the selection order reversing after each round; Toronto's first pick was second overall. [18] Toronto made the following selections:
| Rd | Pick | Player | Nationality | Position | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Jocelyne Larocque | Canada | Defence | Team Adidas (PWHPA) |
| 2 | 11 | Emma Maltais | Canada | Forward | Ohio State Buckeyes (WCHA) |
| 3 | 14 | Kristen Campbell | Canada | Goaltender | Team Scotiabank (PWHPA) |
| 4 | 23 | Natalie Spooner | Canada | Forward | Team Scotiabank (PWHPA) |
| 5 | 26 | Jesse Compher |  United States | Forward | Wisconsin Badgers (WHCA) |
| 6 | 35 | Kali Flanagan | United States | Defence | Boston Pride (PHF) |
| 7 | 38 | Victoria Bach | Canada | Forward | Team Scotiabank (PWHPA) |
| 8 | 47 | Brittany Howard | Canada | Forward | Toronto Six (PHF) |
| 9 | 50 | Allie Munroe | Canada | Defence | Connecticut Whale (PHF) |
| 10 | 59 | Mellissa Channell | Canada | Defence | Team Harvey's (PWHPA) |
| 11 | 62 | Maggie Connors | Canada | Forward | Princeton Tigers (ECAC) |
| 12 | 71 | Rebecca Leslie | Canada | Forward | Team Sonnet (PWHPA) |
| 13 | 74 | Hannah Miller | Canada | Forward | Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star (ZhHL) |
| 14 | 83 | Alexa Vasko | Canada | Forward | Team Sonnet (PWHPA) |
| 15 | 86 | Olivia Knowles | Canada | Defence | Minnesota Whitecaps (PHF) |
Brianne Alexandra Jenner is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and a member of Canada's national women's team, currently playing for PWHL Ottawa of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
Jocelyne Dawn Marie Larocque is a Canadian ice hockey player for PWHL Toronto of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played in the PWHPA, with the Calgary Inferno and Markham Thunder of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), the Calgary Oval X-Treme and Manitoba Maple Leafs of the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL), and the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). With the Bulldogs, she was a two-time NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament champion. Larocque is of Métis heritage and was the first indigenous athlete to participate in the women's ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics.
Laura Rachel Stacey is a Canadian ice hockey player for PWHL Montreal, and a member of the Canadian women's national team. She previously played with the Markham Thunder and the Dartmouth Big Green and competed internationally with the Canadian under-18 and under-22 teams. She won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics and a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Blayre Turnbull is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for PWHL Toronto of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She made her debut with the Canada women's national ice hockey team at the 2014 4 Nations Cup.
Sarah Nurse is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for PWHL Toronto of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and the Canadian women's national team. She made her debut with the national team at the 2015 4 Nations Cup. Nurse represented Canada at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Renata Fast is a professional ice hockey player for PWHL Toronto of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and member of Canada women's national ice hockey team.
Sophie Shirley is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for PWHL Boston of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She made her debut with the Canadian women's national team in a two-game exhibition series against the United States in December 2016.
The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the promotion of professional women's ice hockey. It was founded in May 2019 following the dissolution of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. PWHPA members expressed dissatisfaction with the operations of the existing professional National Women's Hockey League and vowed to boycott existing women's leagues and to work towards the establishment of a unified, financially sustainable professional league. From 2019 to 2023, the PWHPA organized a series of exhibition seasons, known as the Dream Gap tours, to generate support towards its goal.
Ella Shelton is a Canadian ice hockey player, alternate captain of PWHL New York of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), and member of the Canadian national team. She was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 PWHL Draft by New York.
The Professional Women's Hockey League is a professional women's ice hockey league in North America, wholly owned and operated by the Mark Walter Group. It consists of six franchises, three each from Canada and the United States, who play a regular season of matches to earn one of four places in a postseason tournament that determines the champion. Differences between the PWHL and other professional hockey leagues, include a 3-2-1-0 points system, terminations of penalties following a short-handed goal, best-of-five shootouts, and greater restrictions on body checking. The league's matches are broadcast nationally in Canada by the CBC and TSN, their French-language affiliates Radio-Canada and RDS, and Sportsnet. In the United States, it is broadcast in syndication, while worldwide it is streamed on YouTube.
The 2023–24 PWHL season is the first season of operation of the Professional Women's Hockey League, and began play on January 1, 2024. Six teams compete during the inaugural season, located in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Boston, Ottawa, and Minneapolis–Saint Paul. The season will culminate with a two-round best-of-five playoff including the top four teams to determine the season champion.
Ottawa are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Ottawa plays its home games at TD Place Arena.
Montreal are a professional women's ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They play home games at the Place Bell in Laval and the Verdun Auditorium in Verdun.
New York are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York metropolitan area. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
Minnesota are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
Boston are a professional ice hockey team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
The 2023–24 PWHL Montréal season is the team's inaugural season as a member of the newly created Professional Women's Hockey League. They play their home games at the Verdun Auditorium in Montreal and at Place Bell in the suburb of Laval.
The 2023–24 PWHL New York season is the team's inaugural season as a member of the newly created Professional Women's Hockey League. They play their home games at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
The 2023–24 PWHL Ottawa season is the team's inaugural season as a member of the newly created Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They play their home games at TD Place Arena in Ottawa.
The 2023–24 PWHL Toronto season is the team's inaugural season as a member of the newly created Professional Women's Hockey League. They play their home games at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.
Teams will also carry 3 reserve players for 2024 season
