Sports
Sarah Nurse Signs With PWHL Vancouver For 2025-26 Season
PWHL Vancouver has landed one of the game’s most recognizable names. The team announced today that forward Sarah Nurse has signed a one-year Standard Player Agreement and will suit up for the club’s inaugural 2025-26 season. Nurse spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Sceptres and becomes the fourth player to sign with Vancouver.
“Sarah is one of the sport’s biggest stars, both on and off the ice, and she will play a significant role in growing professional women’s hockey in Vancouver,” said General Manager Cara Gardner Morey. “Her outstanding on-ice abilities will help establish our foundation at forward, and her unwavering commitment to building an inclusive hockey community makes her a fan favourite everywhere she goes.”
Nurse was one of Toronto’s foundational signings when the PWHL launched and quickly became one of its top performers. She has 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in 45 career games, ranking fifth in points per game (0.82). In the league’s first season, she tied for second in scoring with 23 points in 24 games and earned Second Team All-Star honours. This past year, she added 14 points in 21 games and played in front of a packed Rogers Arena crowd during the Vancouver Takeover Tour on January 8.
Before joining the PWHL, the Hamilton, ON native starred at the University of Wisconsin and played professionally in the CWHL and PWHPA. She’s a two-time Olympian for Team Canada, winning silver in 2018 and gold in 2022, where she set an Olympic record with 18 points. She’s also earned six World Championship medals, including three gold.
“I am so honoured to be joining PWHL Vancouver, finally bringing professional women’s hockey to the West Coast!” said Nurse. “I already got a taste of the passion last year during the Takeover Tour and can’t wait to experience that daily. The vision for this organization could not be more exciting and I am so humbled by Cara’s confidence in me as a player and as a person. The love and support I’ve felt already has meant so much to me, puck drop can’t come soon enough!”
Nurse is the first forward to sign with Vancouver, joining fellow Canadian National Team members Emerance Maschmeyer (goaltender), and defenders Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson.
Expansion teams have until Sunday, June 8 at 5 p.m. ET to sign up to five players before the 2025 Expansion Draft. The draft, presented by Upper Deck, will take place Monday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET and will stream live on thepwhl.com and the league’s YouTube channel. Seattle and Vancouver will each select a minimum of seven players to round out 12-player rosters.
Sports
Toronto Tempo Could Make WNBA Attendance History in Montreal
The Toronto Tempo are on the verge of making WNBA history when they bring their Cross-Canada Series to Montreal next month.
The Tempo will face the Atlanta Dream at the Bell Centre on July 10, with the possibility of setting a new attendance record for a WNBA game. If the game sells out, more than 22,000 fans would fill the arena, surpassing the current WNBA regular-season attendance record of 20,711 set by the Washington Mystics at Capital One Arena in 2024.
A packed Bell Centre would also eclipse the WNBA playoff attendance record of 22,076, which was established during Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks before being matched in Game 5 of the 2007 WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and Detroit Shock. It would mark the largest crowd ever for a professional women’s basketball regular-season game, breaking the previous record of 21,490 set during an Unrivaled game in Philadelphia earlier this year.
The potential milestone comes during the Tempo‘s inaugural WNBA season and would add another chapter to the continued growth of women’s basketball in Canada.
“Playing two games in Montreal this summer is a huge moment for the Tempo and for basketball in Canada,” said Tempo President Teresa Resch. “From the beginning, we’ve said we want to be Canada’s team, and bringing the WNBA to Montreal is an important part of that vision. There is such a strong and passionate basketball community in Quebec, and we’re excited to connect with fans there in a meaningful way. We can’t wait to experience the energy inside the Bell Centre and continue growing the game across the country together.”
The Cross-Canada Series will offer more than basketball. Throughout the weekend, the Tempo will host community events, youth programs and fan experiences aimed at growing the sport across Quebec.
The team is partnering with Ball Her Way and the Mathurin Family Foundation to increase access to basketball for young athletes, including a girls’ 3-on-3 tournament presented by Canadian Tire featuring teams from Montreal and Quebec City. The Tempo say more community investments and programming in the Montreal area will be announced in the coming months.
Fans can take part in Tempo Live at the Bell Centre on July 11. The free event will include interactive basketball activities, community clinics, exclusive merchandise and family-friendly entertainment.
The weekend concludes on July 12, when the Tempo host the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty at the Bell Centre at 3 p.m. ET as part of the Cross-Canada Series.
Tickets for both Montreal games are available through Ticketmaster.
Sports
Toronto Tempo Reveal Opening Day Roster for Inaugural WNBA Season
The Toronto Tempo have officially announced their Opening Day roster, marking another milestone as the franchise prepares to begin its first season in the WNBA.
The inaugural squad brings together a mix of experienced veterans, international players, and promising rookies, giving the expansion team a balanced foundation as it enters the league.
To finalize the roster, Toronto waived Aaliyah Nye, Kitija Laksa, and Nina Milic. The Tempo will retain the rights to Maria Kliundikova, Adja Kane, Saffron Shiels, Charlisse Dunn, and Yvonne Ejim, keeping each player in the organization’s long-term plans.
The roster announcement comes just days before the franchise makes its long-awaited regular-season debut. The Tempo will host the Washington Mystics in their first-ever home game on May 8 at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Toronto enters the 2026 campaign as the WNBA‘s newest franchise, becoming the league’s first Canadian team and ushering in a new era for professional women’s basketball in the country. The season opener marks the beginning of what the organization hopes will be a landmark year for the sport in Canada.
| No. | Name | Po. | Height (ft) | DOB | Exp. | Prev. | Country |
| 1 | Kiki Rice | G | 5’11 | 2004-01-14 | R | UCLA | USA |
| 2 | Laura Juškaitė | W | 6’4 | 1997-09-22 | R | — | Lithuania |
| 3 | Marina Mabrey | G | 6’1 | 1996-09-14 | 7 | Notre Dame | USA |
| 7 | Teonni Key | F | 6’4.5 | 2003-07-10 | R | Kentucky | USA |
| 8 | Nyara Sabally | F | 6’5 | 2000-02-26 | 3 | Oregon | Germany |
| 10 | María Conde | W | 6’3 | 1997-01-14 | R | Florida State | Spain |
| 11 | Kia Nurse | G | 6’0.5 | 1996-02-22 | 7 | Connecticut | Canada |
| 12 | Lexi Held | G | 5’9.5 | 1999-12-28 | 1 | DePaul | USA |
| 14 | Temi Fágbénlé | C | 6’5 | 1992-09-08 | 5 | Southern California/Harvard | United Kingdom |
| 20 | Brittney Sykes | W | 5’11 | 1994-02-07 | 9 | Syracuse | USA |
| 21 | Isabelle Harrison | F | 6’5 | 1993-09-27 | 8 | Tennessee | USA |
| 22 | Julie Allemand | G | 5’10.5 | 1996-07-07 | 3 | — | Belgium |
| 34 | Mariella Fasoula* | C | 6’4.5 | 1997-09-02 | R | Vanderbilt | Greece |