VANCOUVER — Vancouver's Professional Women's Hockey League team continued to add to its initial roster Thursday by signing goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer to a two-year contract and forward Sarah Nurse to a one-year deal.
Later, Vancouver finished its business during the exclusive signing window for expansion teams by inking former Montreal Victoire forward Jenn Gardiner. That gave Vancouver its maximum of five free-agent signings before the upcoming expansion draft.
Maschmeyer spent the last two seasons with the Ottawa Charge. She was one of the franchise's three foundational signings in the PWHL's inaugural season, but she sustained a season-ending lower-body injury in March.
Gwyneth Philips was excellent in relief as the Charge advanced to the Walter Cup final, and the 30-year-old Maschmeyer was left unprotected by Ottawa heading into the exclusive signing period and expansion draft to stock the rosters of the teams in Vancouver and Seattle that start play in 2026.
Maschmeyer from Bruderheim, Alta., had 15 wins with two shutouts, a goals-against-average of 2.42 and save percentage of .914 over two seasons in Ottawa.
Nurse was one of the Toronto Sceptres first three signings. She had six goals and eight assists in 21 games last season, despite missing nearly two months with injury.
The 30-year-old from Hamilton added one assist in four playoff contests before the Sceptres were ousted from the semifinals by the Minnesota Frost, who went on to win the Walter Cup for the second year in a row.
Nurse — cousin of WNBA star Kia Nurse and Edmonton Oilers defender Darnell Nurse — is a two-time Olympian, winning gold for Canada at the 2022 Games in Beijing and bringing home silver from Pyeongchang in 2018.
The moves were another splash by Vancouver general manager Cara Gardner Morey, who opened the signing period Wednesday by luring defenders Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques away from the Frost. Both players are finalists for the league's defender of the year award.
“Joining Vancouver is an incredible opportunity, and I’m thrilled to be a part of such an exciting chapter of the league’s expansion,” Maschmeyer said in a release. "Vancouver has proven to be a vibrant hockey city and I’m thrilled to play in front of such passionate fans. I’m aligned with Cara’s vision and values and honoured to have the opportunity to help build this organization’s culture from the ground up."
Both players were on Canada's Olympic championship team at the 2022 Beijing Games. Nurse has also represented Canada at six women's world championships, winning three gold medals, while Maschmeyer has played at three worlds.
"I am so honoured to be joining PWHL Vancouver, finally bringing professional women’s hockey to the West Coast,” Nurse said in a release. “I already got a taste of the passion last year during the Takeover Tour and can’t wait to experience that daily."
Gardiner, from Surrey, B.C., was selected eleventh overall by Montreal in the 2024 PWHL draft and is a finalist for the league's rookie of the year award.
She finished second among all rookies and third on the Victoire in 2024-25 with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 30 games.
"I think I speak for all of Vancouver and the entire province of British Columbia when I say it’s extremely special to add a local player like Jenn to our inaugural season lineup,” Gardner Morey said in a release. "She is a player with experience building chemistry alongside some of the top players in the league and has been on an upward trajectory throughout her career. I can’t wait to see her thrive in front of her hometown fans."
The Charge also lost forward Danielle Serdachny to Seattle. As a result, they were able to add American forward Gabbie Hughes as a fourth protected player.
The Victoire also lost defender Cayla Barnes, who signed a three-year deal with Seattle. Barnes, from Eastvale, Calif., tied for the Victoire lead in scoring among defenders and ranked fifth among all PWHL rookies with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 30 games.
After losing two players, the Victoire gained a fourth protection slot and used it on 2024 defender of the year Erin Ambrose.
Expansion teams have an exclusive window to sign a maximum of five players up until 5 p.m. ET Sunday.
The expansion draft is Monday. Seattle and Vancouver will select a minimum of seven players until each has reached a 12-player roster.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
The Canadian Press
