The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is expanding to the West Coast with two new teams, PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver. As the league continues to grow, it hosted its first-ever Expansion Draft to keep teams fair and ensure that veterans and the incoming 2025 draft class are evenly distributed amongst the teams.
Each of the original six PWHL teams lost four players to the new clubs. While this was a hard loss for every team involved, it is for the betterment of the league overall. Let’s look at who the Toronto Sceptres lost.
Nurse’s Absence Is Palpable
One of the biggest surprises was Sarah Nurse’s absence when the inaugural six teams released their player protection lists. Nurse was born in Hamilton, Ontario, so to play in her home province was something special to her. She played in Toronto for her first two seasons in the league. In the 2024 season, she recorded 23 points in 24 games. This past season, she recorded 21 points via six goals and eight assists. She suffered a lower-body injury while playing for Team Canada during the rivalry series, so she had to miss several games to recover. Nurse was a major part of Toronto’s top six, often playing first-line center.
Nurse was clearly upset about leaving the city she called home after writing a letter published in Toronto Life. While there are some hardships, she ends the letter with a positive outlook and is excited to grow the state of women’s hockey in the wonderful city of Vancouver. Nurse had the honor of bringing the PWHL to Toronto, now she can do that in a brand-new city with adoring fans looking up to her.
Daniel Has Room to Grow
2024-25 was Izzy Daniel’s first in the league. Drafted in the third round by Toronto, Daniel played in all 30 games and recorded seven points via two goals and five assists. She played right wing anywhere from the first line to the last and this was perhaps her biggest issue. Daniel did not have a great point total in her rookie season, but constantly switching lines also didn’t help as it is hard to build chemistry with linemates constantly playing with different teammates.
Related: New York Sirens Lose Key Players in PWHL Expansion Draft
The move to Vancouver might be what Daniel needs to unlock her potential. She is a gifted forward, recording 59 points in 34 games during her senior year of college with Cornell. Daniel knows she can score and just needs to find the right teammates to help her find that success.
Gosling Shows Promise
Another rookie this season, Julia Gosling, made her PWHL debut after she was the first player Toronto selected in the 2024 PWHL Entry Draft. In her first season in the league, she played all 30 games and scored four goals and earned six assists for 10 points. Mostly playing left wing in the bottom six, she promises to be a stronger player with more practice and time on ice. She has great puck handling and speed on her side.
Toronto Loses Another Rookie in Carter
Drafted in round three by Toronto in the 2024 PWHL Entry Draft, Megan Carter is the only defender the Sceptres lost but their third rookie. She played 19 games this season and recorded one assist. This is no comparison to how she played in college, however. She played at Northeastern University for five years from 2019-2024 and even served as captain in her final season. She played in 165 games and recorded 86 points via 18 goals and 68 assists.
Based on her collegiate performance, Carter has the potential to be a great two-way defender for Seattle. Perhaps a change of scenery will give her the confidence to perform at the level she was in college.
PWHL Entry Draft Is on June 24
There is no shortage of talent in this league, and PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver are trying to create stellar teams from the beginning. Both teams are getting exceptional players from the Sceptres.
On Tuesday, June 24, the PWHL will host its entry draft at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Ottawa, Ontario at 7 P.M. ET. 199 players have entered the draft and are eager to see if one of the eight PWHL teams will select them.
