Vancouver Goldeneyes picked as favourite to win PWHL championship
The Vancouver Goldeneyes aren’t your typical expansion team.
Not only is Vancouver’s newest professional franchise expected to be good, but they’re the favourites to win it all.
FanDuel currently has the Goldeneyes listed as favourites to win the PWHL’s Walter Cup.
Considering they’ve yet to play a game, their perch atop the PWHL’s championship favourites list is surprising to see.
However, there’s a rationale for their lofty preseason status.
The Goldeneyes built a dangerous group offensively through the expansion draft and offseason transactions. Six of the league’s top-20 point producers last season are now on the team.
That includes Tereza Vanisova, who finished second league-wide with 15 goals last season while playing for the Ottawa Charge.
It also includes two productive Lower Mainland natives. One is North Vancouver’s Hannah Miller, who finished fifth in league scoring with the Toronto Sceptres. The other is Surrey’s Jennifer Gardiner, who had 18 points in 30 games last season with the Montreal Victoire.
One forward who isn’t included among the PWHL’s top-20 point producers from last season is Sarah Nurse. Darnell Nurse’s cousin was second in league scoring the previous season with Toronto before she was sidelined with an injury.
Vancouver also recruited championship pedigree in the offseason, adding six players from last season’s Walter Cup winners, the Minnesota Frost.
Even after a trade on Wednesday, that remained true as they acquired Anna Segedi from the Frost in exchange for Denisa KĹ™ĂĹľová.
The Frost contingent in Vancouver includes Sophie Jacques and Claire Thompson on defence. Jacques finished first in points among defenders last season, while Thompson ranked third. Mellissa Channell-Watkins was another defender who also helped Minnesota win a title.
In net, goalie Emerance Maschmeyer was an MVP candidate for Ottawa early in 2024-25 before a heavy workload caught up with her. Backup Kristen Campbell had a tough go last season, but was named PWHL Goaltender of the Year in 2023-24.
The hype is warranted on paper, but even a winning season would be unusual among Vancouver expansion teams.
Many of Vancouver’s major sports teams have not seen immediate success. Here’s a list of how the biggest sports franchises in the city have performed during their first season.
- Vancouver Canucks (NHL): 24-46-8 in 1970-71
- BC Lions (CFL): 3-13 in 1958
- Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS): 6-18-10 in 2011
- Vancouver Grizzlies (NBA): 15-67 in 1995-96
- Vancouver Giants (WHL): 13-49-6-4 in 2001-02
- Vancouver Warriors (NLS): 4-14 in 2014
Of course, professional women’s soccer team Vancouver Rise FC is the exception after they won the first championship in the newly formed Northern Super League.
They’ve set the bar for the Goldeneyes to reach, and their Walter Cup quest will begin on Friday, Nov. 21, at a packed Pacific Coliseum. The game can also be viewed on TSN.