Second Team All-Star in 2024 becomes the fourth player to join the expansion team
VANCOUVER, BC (June 5, 2025) – PWHL Vancouver today announced that forward Sarah Nurse has agreed to terms on a one-year Professional Women’s Hockey League Standard Player Agreement to join the team for the 2025-26 season. Nurse, who spent the past two seasons as a member of the Toronto Sceptres, is the fourth player to sign with PWHL Vancouver ahead of the team’s inaugural campaign.
“Sarah is one of the sport’s biggest stars, both on and off the ice, and she will play a significant role in growing professional women’s hockey in Vancouver,” said Cara Gardner Morey, PWHL Vancouver General Manager. “Her outstanding on-ice abilities will help establish our foundation at forward, and her unwavering commitment to building an inclusive hockey community makes her a fan favourite everywhere she goes.”
Nurse joined the PWHL as one of Toronto’s first three foundational signings and ranks fifth with a career points-per-game average of 0.82, compiling 37 points (17G, 20A) in 45 games. During the inaugural season, the 30-year-old from Hamilton, ON, tied for second in league scoring with 23 points in 24 games and was voted a Second Team All-Star. This season, she contributed 14 points in 21 games and competed with the Sceptres in the Vancouver Takeover Tour game at a sold-out Rogers Arena on Jan. 8. Prior to the PWHL, Nurse played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin and four seasons professionally between the CWHL and PWHPA. The two-time Canadian Olympian won silver in 2018 and gold in 2022 –– breaking the points record (18) for a single Olympic tournament in Beijing. She is also a six-time World Championship medalist, including three gold medal victories.
“I am so honoured to be joining PWHL Vancouver, finally bringing professional women’s hockey to the West Coast!” said Nurse. “I already got a taste of the passion last year during the Takeover Tour and can’t wait to experience that daily. The vision for this organization could not be more exciting and I am so humbled by Cara’s confidence in me as a player and as a person. The love and support I’ve felt already has meant so much to me, puck drop can’t come soon enough!”
Nurse is the first forward to join the PWHL Vancouver lineup alongside a trio of fellow Canadian National Team members in goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and defenders Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson.
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, live at thepwhl.com and on the league’s YouTube channel, 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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