VANCOUVER, BC (October 20, 2025) – PWHL Vancouver today announced several new additions to the team’s staff for the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. The additions include Assistant Coaches BJ Adams and Brendon Knight, Senior Advisor to the General Manager Kathy Pippy, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Shannon MacAulay, Goalie Coach Joey Ali, and Video Coach Andrew Boucher.
“We have assembled a seasoned and accomplished Hockey Operations staff, with experience across the board at all levels of professional hockey and women’s hockey,” said PWHL Vancouver General Manager Cara Gardner Morey. “I’m very proud that our players will get to work with such knowledgeable coaches and mentors who have led and supported many teams and athletes to success at the highest levels.”
BJ Adams joins PWHL Vancouver as an Assistant Coach, having most recently served as General Manager and Head Coach of the ECHL’s Allen Americans. The Scarborough, ON, native spent eight seasons as a coach with the OHL’s Erie Otters, winning a championship title in 2017, after which he was promoted to Associate Coach and then to Head Coach. Prior to the OHL, he was an Assistant Coach in the NCAA for five seasons with Canisius College, winning a conference championship in 2013, and a player-coach with the UHL’s Port Huron Flags and the IHL’s Port Huron Icehawks. He was also an Assistant Coach with Team Canada Red at the 2017 World U17 Hockey Challenge, and throughout his career has helped develop numerous current NHL players.
Brendon Knight brings over 20 years of NCAA coaching and recruiting experience to his new role as Assistant Coach with PWHL Vancouver. The native of St. Luc, QC, spent 10 seasons coaching with Syracuse University, helping lead the women’s hockey team to two NCAA tournament appearances and two CHA tournament championships. Following his decade with Syracuse, Knight spent one season with Utica University in 2022-23, in addition to serving as Head Coach of the U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games and Video Coach with China’s women’s hockey team at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship. His resume includes serving as Head Coach of Hamilton College’s women’s team for six years and three seasons with his alma mater, SUNY-Potsdam’s men’s team.
Kathy Pippy is working alongside Cara Gardner Morey as a Senior Advisor to the General Manager. The VP of Girls Hockey Operations at Premier Ice Prospects, Pippy’s experience includes 10 years with Selects Hockey, creating elite exposure events throughout North America and Europe that have been experienced by hundreds of NCAA players. Pippy is credited with having started a girls hockey program over 20 years ago that evolved into the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Girls, which has since won two USA Hockey National Championships. She is now a Senior Advisor to the Penguins Elite Girls Hockey Program, and was a Special Advisor, Hockey Operations with the Ottawa Charge during the first two seasons of the PWHL.
Shannon MacAulay is PWHL Vancouver’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, having previously served in this role with the Minnesota Frost. Prior to the Frost, MacAulay worked with the Acumen Health and Performance Clinic in Calgary and has been a Strength and Conditioning Coach with Canada’s Women’s National Team Program since 2017. Hailing from Mount Herbert, PEI, MacAulay won an NCAA championship title as a player in 2014 with the Clarkson Golden Knights, a gold medal with Canada at the 2012 IIHF Women’s U18 World Championship and played one season in the CWHL with the Brampton Thunder in 2016-17.
Joey Ali brings his extensive experience coaching NCAA, WHL, Junior A and Junior B goaltenders to his role as PWHL Vancouver’s Goalie Coach. The Vancouver native is the founder of Proali Goalie Training and co-owner of Pro-Formance Goalie Schools and spent the last two seasons as a Goaltending Coach with the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen and Simon Fraser University. He attended Hockey Canada’s national women’s team camp in 2024, has been part of the NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Program, and has also coached with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, the PIJHL’s Langley Trappers, SharpShooter Academy teams, and the Canadian Blind Hockey Association.
Andrew Boucher is PWHL Vancouver’s Video Coach and has held similar roles with Hockey Canada’s national women’s, U18 women’s and men’s, Para and Spengler Cup teams. The South Porcupine, ON, native also previously worked with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s and the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.
These additions round out PWHL Vancouver’s hockey operations staff led by General Manager Cara Gardner Morey, which also includes Head Coach Brian Idalski, Team Services/Hockey Operations Manager Maeghan Stocker, Hockey Operations Manager Cierra San Roman, Head Athletic Trainer Lydia Maxwell, Assistant Athletic Trainer SJ Sanghera, Head Equipment Manager Gordon Hamilton and Assistant Equipment Manager Matina Landstad.
PWHL Vancouver will open the 2025-26 regular season on Friday, Nov. 21 against PWHL Seattle at the Pacific Coliseum. View the full 2025-26 PWHL Vancouver schedule here.
Season Ticket Memberships, Half Season Ticket Packages and Single Game Tickets are available now. Click here for more information. Fans can stay up to date on detailed ticketing information by signing up for the PWHL Vancouver email list here.
ABOUT PWHL VANCOUVER
PWHL Vancouver is part of the eight-team Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and was announced in April 2025 as one of the league’s first two expansion clubs. Set to debut in the 2025–26 season, PWHL Vancouver will play its home games at Pacific Coliseum, located on the property of the PNE. The PWHL was founded in 2023 and began its inaugural season in January 2024, featuring the best women’s hockey players in the world. Since launch, the league has broken multiple attendance records, including setting the global record for attendance at a women’s hockey game.
For the latest news and information on PWHL Vancouver, visit thepwhl.com/Vancouver or follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Follow the league at @thepwhlofficial on all platforms.