Forward Sarah Nurse is expected to sign with PWHL Vancouver, a source briefed on the situation told The Athletic.
The league’s expansion rules allow players in Nurse’s position — as well as unrestricted free agents — to negotiate with either of the new franchises in Seattle and Vancouver during a five-day signing window that opened on Wednesday morning.
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The Toronto Sceptres, where Nurse spent her first two seasons in the PWHL, protected No. 1 defender Renata Fast, captain Blayre Turnbull and forward Daryl Watts. Watts was Toronto’s prized free-agent signing in the offseason and led the Sceptres in scoring, so it’s reasonable that general manager Gina Kingsbury didn’t want to let her go.
Still, leaving Nurse exposed was always going to be a risk. For Vancouver, locking her up during the signing window was a no-brainer.
Nurse, 30, is one of the most recognizable faces in women’s hockey. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she broke a record for points in a single tournament (18) and became the first woman to appear on the cover of an EA Sports hockey video game with NHL 23. She was a key figure in the launch of the PWHL as a member of the player-led bargaining committee that struck a first-of-its-kind CBA.
She was second in league-wide goals (11) and points (23) in the inaugural season and was well on her way to a strong sophomore year with 12 points in her first 15 games before missing several weeks with a lower-body injury.
Nurse is a versatile foundational forward for Vancouver, with the ability to play up the middle or on the wing. She has great hands, an excellent shot and has shown to be a high-impact player for both club and country.
“What I love about Sarah, as a teammate and as a hockey player, is that she does the little things right. She’s versatile. She can win draws, she’s hard to play against, you can trust her in tough matchups,” Team Canada defender Erin Ambrose told The Athletic last season. “For so long with the national team, that was her m.o. Whatever you needed, she was there.”
Vancouver will likely get a highly motivated – fully healthy – Nurse next season after being left unprotected by her former team.
Off the ice, no player is better suited to be the face of a new franchise.
Nurse is personable, charismatic, highly marketable and understands her role in growing the game. In Toronto, with her “Nursey Night” events, she brought over 200 kids from underprivileged communities to games, met with them postgame and provided mentorship throughout the year.
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Nurse joins a core group in Vancouver that already includes star defenders Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, which leaves Vancouver with two final signing spots before the window closes on Sunday night.
The PWHL’s Vancouver team will debut in the fall of 2025 and will play at the Pacific Coliseum, the former home of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
(Photo: Michael Chisholm / Getty Images)
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