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The arrival of the Vancouver Goldeneyes marks a new era for women’s professional hockey on Canada’s West Coast. Built on speed, skill and balance, the team is already shaping its identity.

General Manager Cara Gardner Morey and Head Coach Brian Idalski entered the offseason with a shared philosophy: build a roster that can win now and grow for the future. In doing so, they blended international experience, proven veterans, and emerging local talent, a mix ready to compete from opening night.

“When you talk about identity, the players have to be involved in that process,” said Idalski. “You have to work with them to create it. Obviously, all coaches would love their teams to play fast, be resilient, and be super hard-working and gritty, and those will be things we aspire to.”

The team announced its intentions to be competitive from day one with a flurry of signings at the outset of the June signing window; defenders Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques, goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer and forwards Jenn Gardiner and Sarah Nurse are all amongst the top players at their positions in the whole league and by the close of business on June 5, they were all on Vancouver’s roster.