The PWHPA unveiled the four team rosters competing in the 2022-23 Dream Gap Tour Wednesday afternoon. Unlike in previous years, PWHPA teams will not be determined geographically. The PWHPA has used a ranking system to attempt to create even rosters. The players will train in local groups but shuffle into their four teams for showcase weekends which will take place in cities across North America.
The first two showcases will take place in Montreal and Truro, NS, Oct. 15-16 and Nov. 4-6.
Team adidas
Forwards: Kendall Coyne Schofield; Samantha Donovan; Laura Dostaler; Jess Jones; Amanda Kessel; Sarah Nurse; Kristin O’Neill; Sarah Potomak; Jill Saulnier; Laura Stacey; Kayla Vespa; Kaitlin Willoughby
Defence: Emily Curlett; Jessica Digrolamo; Jincy Dunne; Megan Eady; Renata Fast; Haili Krzyzaniak; Jocelyne Larocque; Meaghan Mikkelson
Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel; Maddie Rooney; Sydney Scobee; Shea Tiley
Staff: Matt Leitner (GM/Head Coach)
Fans are excited to see an entire season of hockey where American and Canadian Olympians play on the same team. Sarah Nurse and Amanda Kessel are two power forwards who will make adidas’ offence a formidable threat. Nurse had a dominant Olympic performance in 2022, scoring 18 points in seven games. The two are joined by speedy American captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. This veteran forward group will pose a size and power problem for the other sides.
A young goaltending group contrasts the offence. Aerin Frankel is a highly touted prospect. She backstopped five successful years at Northeastern, winning the Patty Kazmaier award in her fourth year. 2022-23 will be the young goaltender’s first test at the professional level. With the prodigy set to be the next pillar of the American national team, everyone is excited to watch her thrive.
Team Harvey’s
Forwards: Emily Clark; Rosalie Demers; Jessie Eldridge; Karell Emard; Kelly Gribbons; Alexa Grushchow; Rhianna Kurio; Bailey Larson; Marie-Philip Poulin; Alexandra Poznikoff; Jamie Lee Rattray; Hayley Scamurra; Sophia Shaver
Defense: Mellissa Channell; Laura Fortino; Jacquie Greco; Savannah Harmon; Kristen Richards; Lauriane Rougeau; Lee Stecklein
Goaltenders: Marlène Boissonnault; Ann-Renée Desbiens; Geneviève Lacasse
Staff: Danièle Sauvageau (GM/Head Coach)
Team Harvey’s doesn’t excel at any one aspect of the team, but they are loaded with star power from top to bottom. Marie-Philip Poulin, the best women’s hockey player of the last decade, leads a forward group with plenty of experience. The team features just one rookie, 22-year-old Rosalie Demers, who played her NCAA career at Colgate. The rest of the team brings extensive PWHPA and Olympic experience.
Ann-Renée Desbiens headlines the backend. The 28-year-old is the star who has made saves for team Canada in every major game over the last three years, filling the national team shoes of Shannon Szabados.
Watch Team Harvey’s games for amazing highlight reel plays and outstanding individual performances.
Team Scotiabank
Forwards: Victoria Bach; Alex Carpenter; Mélodie Daoust; Madison Field; Grace Graham; Rebecca Johnston; Nicole Kosta; Hayley Lunny; Kelly Pannek; Tatum Skaggs; Natalie Spooner; Blayre Turnbull
Defense: Jaime Bourbonnais; Mélanie Desrochers; Katelyn Gosling; Megan Keller; Brigette Lacquette; Makayla Langei; Cat Quirion; Ella Shelton
Goaltenders: Kristen Campbell; Amanda Makela; Emerance Maschmeyer
Staff: Becky McGee (GM), Dean Seymour (Head Coach)
Team Scotiabank is the youngest team with an average age of 26.8, yet they still manage to lay claim to 10 players who competed at the 2022 Olympics – more than any other team.
Canadian superstar Natalie Spooner is on this roster, but she won’t be hitting the ice any time soon. Spooner recently announced that she was expecting a new “teammate to our lineup in December 2022!” Spooner’s energy, encouragement, and experience bring almost as much to the team off the ice as she does on it. And, if she does play with the team before the end of the season, that will be an incredible accomplishment itself.
Even without Spooner to start the year, Scotiabank’s offence will pack a mighty punch. The team is stacked with high-scoring players like Blayre Turnbull, Mélodie Daoust, and Victoria Bach. The defensive core brings together young and veteran players with an all-Canadian goaltending trio to back them up.
Team Sonnet
Forwards: Hannah Brandt; Hanna Bunton; Samantha Cogan; Demi Crossman; Iya Gavrilova; Brianne Jenner; Hilary Knight; Rebecca Leslie; Carolyne Prévost; Abby Roque; Malia Schneider; Natasza Tarnowski
Defence: Erin Ambrose; Leah Bohlken; Lilian Braga; Emily Brown; Emma Buckles; Ella Matteucci; Nikki Nightengale; Claire Thompson; Micah Zandee-Hart
Goaltenders: Lindsay Browning; Nicole Hensley; Erica Howe
Staff: Rebecca Michael (GM), Laura McIntosh (Head Coach)
Team Sonnet will challenge the offensive strength of its opponents with rock-solid defence. Erin Ambrose is a veteran defender with 70 games of international experience. In just seven games at the 2022 Olympics, she was a +19.
Claire Thompson will quarterback this team with brilliant playmaking abilities from the point. She had a breakout Olympic performance in 2022 with 13 points in seven games, proving to be one of the best defenders in the game today.
The forwards of team Sonnet are tough and hard-hitting. They will backcheck and grind opponents into the ground. Greasy goals late in the game will be this team’s bread and butter.