Six questions with Goldeneyes camp invite Chanreet Bassi

Hello and happy September! Dylan Nazareth from The Ice Garden here with a special long weekend edition of Hockey Friday.

While you shouldn’t wear white after Labour Day, this fall Chanreet Bassi is more focused on donning Coastal Cream and Pacific Blue. The 2025 Vancouver Goldeneyes draft pick is returning to Goldeneyes training camp this November with eyes set on making the roster after being cut at camp last year. As she prepares for the upcoming challenge, the former University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbird spoke about her growth, what she learned from last year’s experience, and what her training looks like entering the fall.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

THE ICE GARDEN: So you’re headed back to Goldeneyes training camp this fall, what has your training looked like in preparation for that?

CHANREET BASSI: This summer I was back home in Kelowna, just training and skating there until the end of August, and now I’m back in Vancouver doing the same thing, but out here with the girls here. I’m getting reps in both with the pro girls here, as well as my team at UBC that I used to be on. So it’s been kind of nice to balance both.

TIG: That’s great. Looking ahead to another training camp, this time going in with a bit more experience, is there any areas of focus or things you’re working on heading into it?

BASSI: Yeah, obviously I changed a few things compared to last year because of the longer offseason. Just managing my load off the ice and on the ice. As well as just the mental side of things, kind of just focusing on being where my feet are and not getting too ahead of myself.

TIG: Do you feel like you’re entering camp with a different mentality this year?

BASSI: Yeah, of course. I feel like throughout my career I’ve faced a lot of adversity, it’s not something I’d dealt with professionally though. So I think compared to last year, I’m just kind of being myself again. I think with a lot of that excitement, it comes with new challenges. So just kind of learning how to deal with that and not let that really affect you. To just keep being me and just keep things simple.

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TIG: So for anyone who doesn’t know, could you explain what a PWHL training camp looks like?

BASSI: Essentially being a camp invite, I’m fighting for a spot to be on the roster. 
The camp’s going to be however long, and by the end, the goal is to make the team. I have to be really intentional with everything I’m doing on the ice, knowing that I am fighting for a spot. It can be stressful at times, but I think it’s just keeping it simple.

TIG: Definitely. Now you spent time last season in Sweden, what was that experience like?

BASSI: I was super lucky to head out there after last year’s camp, it was a great opportunity. I got to learn a new culture and I also got to be in a place where I was kind of outside my comfort zone. Not being in Vancouver for the first time in six or seven years, it’s different. So I think that was something that was really, it was challenging. But also, looking back, I feel like it was the best thing for me. Because I think I had a few things to work on in my game and there I was able to do that. Especially just putting on some strength in the gym and focusing on things that I haven’t, just being a pro. I think they gave me a little experience with that, so that was nice.

TIG: One more question for you. So much of training camp last year was about the newness of everything. A new team in Vancouver, you being new to the pro environment, being the first South Asian player drafted into the PWHL, the only U SPORTS draft pick last summer. Are you able to reflect on all that now and have it help you entering training camp?

BASSI: I think after going through a challenge and adversity last year, I kind of have a little more perspective in a way going into camp. Like I said, a lot of it is mental. All of the stuff going on around me is noise, so making sure I’m where I need to be and focusing on what I need to do to get there is where I’m at. This year, it’s just about being in a good, level-headed space, and not worrying about the future or what happened in the past.

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