Defender of the Year Finalist and two-time Walter Cup Champion becomes the second player to join the expansion team
VANCOUVER, BC (June 4, 2025) – PWHL Vancouver today announced that defender Sophie Jaques has agreed to terms on a three-year Professional Women’s Hockey League Standard Player Agreement to join the team through the 2027-28 season. Jaques, a finalist for the league’s 2025 Defender of the Year award and a two-time Walter Cup champion with the Minnesota Frost, is the second player to sign with PWHL Vancouver, ahead of the team’s inaugural campaign.
“Vancouver fans are going to quickly fall in love with everything that Sophie brings to her game,” said Cara Gardner Morey, PWHL Vancouver General Manager. “Sophie is a proven winner, and that experience will be instrumental in shaping our foundation from the blue line. She is a dynamic defender with world-class speed and skill, and a player I believe is only scratching the surface of her potential.”
Jaques tied for the lead in scoring among defenders this season with 22 points, recording seven goals and 15 assists in 25 games with the Frost. During the playoffs, she tied for second among all skaters with seven points, counting two goals and five assists in eight games. Over the course of her two-year career, Jaques ranks second among defenders with a 0.68 points-per-game average in the regular season and is third among all skaters with 13 playoff points. The 24-year-old from Toronto, ON, was originally selected tenth overall by Boston in the inaugural PWHL Draft and was named to the 2024 PWHL All-Rookie Team. She turned pro following an NCAA career at Ohio State University where she won a National Championship in 2022 and the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2023. This season, she represented Canada and earned a silver medal at her first IIHF Women’s World Championship in Czechia.
“I'm incredibly honoured to sign with PWHL Vancouver and to help lay the foundation for something truly special in this city,” said Jaques. “Being part of this historic moment means so much, and I can't wait to get started and represent Vancouver with pride in this vibrant and hockey-loving community. I want to thank the Minnesota Frost for the opportunity the past two seasons, and I am so proud of the work we did to win two championships. I am looking forward to meeting all the fans in Vancouver and to being a part of spreading the PWHL out West!”
Jaques joins a PWHL Vancouver blue line that already features her former Frost teammate, Claire Thompson, who signed with the club earlier today.
Expansion teams have been granted an exclusive window to sign a maximum of five players up until Sunday, June 8 at 5 p.m. ET. The 2025 Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck will take place on Monday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET where Seattle and Vancouver will select a minimum of seven players each until each has reached a 12-player roster.
Fans can place a time-stamped deposit for PWHL Vancouver to secure priority access to season tickets for their historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. For the latest news and updates, fans can subscribe to the
Vancouver newsletter.
About the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. It is comprised of eight teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. Launched on Jan. 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. In 2024, the PWHL was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year and received the top position in the first-ever Canadian edition of the Harris Poll, which ranks companies’ reputations. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter to receive the latest league updates. Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial.
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