‘It exceeded expectations’: Vancouver Goldeneyes see bright future after first season

VANCOUVER —

The Vancouver Goldeneyes know they’ll never have another season quite like this.

While the team missed the playoffs, players and staff alike are taking away many memories and lessons from Vancouver’s first PWHL campaign.

They know, too, that with further expansion looming, the team will look much different when they return to the ice this fall.

“Understanding that, I think that’s the most disappointing part for us, that we had such a great group this year, on and off the ice,” said Goldeneyes forward Sarah Nurse.

“So to have fallen short of having won a Walter Cup, it’s sad to know that we’re not going to be able to do this again next year with this group. Because there really was something special in our locker room.”

The Goldeneyes started their season with an electric 4-3 overtime win against fellow expansion side the Seattle Torrent. A sellout crowd of 14,958 packed Vancouver’s historic Pacific Coliseum for the game.

Attendance remained high through the year, with 11,310 in the stands Saturday to watch the Goldeneyes defeat the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost 4-3 in overtime.

The boisterous fans were “a little bit overwhelming” throughout, said head coach Brian Idalski.

“It was more than you ever could have expected, especially having done this for 25 years and starting out with friends and family,” said the former NCAA bench boss. “If you had a hundred-plus people, that was awesome. And now what it is, with the growth of the game, the opportunity for the women to play in this kind of environment was awesome. It exceeded expectations 1,000 per cent.”

Vancouver finished with a 12-3-4-14 record, good for sixth place in the eight-team league, and missed the playoffs by eight points.

The team struggled out of February’s month-long Olympic break, winning just one of their next six games and slipping down the standings.

A late rally saw the Goldeneyes win their last four outings and outscore their opponents 18-11 across the stretch.

“This year really was a dream year. I’m still not even over everything,” said forward Jenn Gardiner. “There’s a lot up in the air. Obviously we’d love to keep this group the exact same next season. We really had a great group and thought that if this group had a couple more games under our belts, we really could have made a big push.”

The end-of-season win streak saw Vancouver capture first pick in this summer’s entry draft via the PWHL’s “gold plan.”

The initiative gives the highest draft ranking to whichever team collects the most points after being eliminated from post-season contention. The Goldeneyes edged the Torrent on the final day of the regular season.

“I was so proud of the players in the locker room that continued to fight and fight for every point,” said Goldeneyes general manager Cara Gardner Morey. “They got five out of a possible six points after elimination. You wonder ‘Will they keep going?’ And obviously they did.

“They played with so much pride for this city. … They wanted to prove the type of team they knew they were.”

The incoming draft class boasts some big-name talents, including Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards, who both played at Wisconsin and on the American team that won Olympic gold in February.

“I think this year’s draft class is incredible. No matter what pick you have, you’re going to get a great player,” said Goldeneyes defender Sophie Jaques, who led the team with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) and became the first PWHL defender to tally 50 career points.

“And I think Harvey is someone who’s a great hockey player, a great offensive defenceman with a great mind. I think she’s proven herself on the international stage year after year. So just excited to welcome a player like that into our team, if we were going to go that route. I think it would be a lot of fun to play alongside her.”

The draft pick is far from the only question mark on next season’s roster.

The PWHL has yet to announce its expansion plans, leaving front office staff and players wondering who will be sporting a different jersey come training camp.

“My biggest challenge in the offseason is making sure that we have our core here, keeping — honestly — as many players as we can through this process,” Gardner Morey said. “And then finishing our roster with people who are going to help us elevate our game to the next level.”

Pitching Vancouver to free agents isn’t difficult, she added, between what the city itself has to offer and the culture the team is building both on and off the ice.

“We have so much to offer here. I think everyone saw the fan response and how loved this team is,” the GM said.

“You can tell that this city of Vancouver is really dedicated to the team and the players. That’s almost an easy sell in how valued they are when they come here.”

Some of the Goldeneyes’ top talents are among this year’s free agent class.

Nurse and Gardiner are both due new deals after tying Jaques for the team lead in goals (nine). Nurse accomplished the feat despite missing eight weeks with an upper-body injury, while Gardiner became the first PWHL player to score four goals in a single game.

Other players are now contemplating whether they’ll continue their hockey careers.

Defender Claire Thompson said she wants to take some time off before deciding between continuing to play or returning to medical school.

“I’ll go back to my home base in Toronto, spend some time with family thinking about what next year will look like, what the next five years, the next 10 years, and really make a decision on what’s best for me at this time,” said the free agent.

“I think once I spend a few months away from the rink, I’ll know whether I’m coming back next season, where that might be and what that will look like.”

Michelle Karvinen said she, too, is thinking about what comes next.

“I’m not the youngest, if you haven’t noticed,” the 36-year-old Finnish forward said with a grin. “I will definitely take some time now to consider what my next steps are, if I’m going to continue to play or not.”

The Goldeneyes selected Karvinen seventh overall in last year’s entry draft and she made the jump to the PWHL following a decorated career in Europe. She had three goals and six assists over 30 games for Vancouver.

Getting a chance to play the best players in the world every week has been amazing, Karvinen said, noting she wasn’t sure she’d ever get the opportunity.

“I’m just really excited for the future of women’s hockey. I feel like we’re taking great steps every single year,” she said.

“It’s been, I would say, magical to play here in this rink.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.