Vancouver Goldeneyes
PWHL ice hockey team in Vancouver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Vancouver Goldeneyes are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are the league's first announced expansion franchise and joined in the 2025–26 season, part of the league's first round of expansions alongside the Seattle Torrent. Their home games are played at the Pacific Coliseum.
| Vancouver Goldeneyes | |
|---|---|
| |
| City | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| League | PWHL |
| Founded | 2025 |
| Home arena | Pacific Coliseum |
| Colours | Pacific blue, coastal cream, earthy bronze, sunset gold, sky blue |
| Owner | Mark Walter Group |
| General manager | Cara Gardner Morey |
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Captain | Ashton Bell |
| Website | thepwhl.com/en/teams/vancouver-goldeneyes |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 0 |
| Walter Cups | 0 |
 Current season | |
History
Founding
On April 23, 2025, the PWHL announced that their first expansion franchise would be located in Vancouver and would begin play in the 2025–26 season.[1] The team announced that their home arena will be the Pacific Coliseum, former home of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.[2]
The announcement came after speculation that the PWHL would expand to both Vancouver and Seattle.[3][4] Rumours of a Vancouver franchise gained momentum after the PWHL Takeover Tour – a series of exhibition games staged at neutral venues across cities in Canada and the United States – drew a record-breaking 19,038 spectators to Rogers Arena, current home of the Vancouver Canucks, on January 8, 2025.[5]
On May 23, 2025, PWHL Vancouver announced that Cara Gardner Morey would be appointed as the club's first general manager.[6] Brian Idalski was named as the team's first head coach on June 23, 2025.[7] The team's first leadership group was announced on November 21, 2025, consisting of captain Ashton Bell and alternate captains Sarah Nurse and Claire Thompson.[8]
Early Years
Ahead of their first season, the Goldeneyes were projected by some analysts to be serious Walter Cup contenders.[9] The team won their inaugural game 4-3 at home against the Seattle Torrent, becoming the first PWHL team to win their inaugural game on home ice. In the game, Sarah Nurse scored the first goal in franchise history, and Abby Boreen scored the franchise's first game-winning goal in overtime.[10] The team was quickly embraced by fans in Vancouver. The team led the league in regular-season attendance, with over 11,200 fans attending each game.[11] However, the team struggled on the ice, especially on the road, and finished 6th on the season.
Despite missing the playoffs, the Goldeneyes won the PWHL's Gold Plan on a late season hot streak, earning the team their first franchise first overall pick in the 2026 Entry Draft.[12] With the pick, Vancouver selected Caroline Harvey from the University of Wisconsin.[13]
Team identity
As part of the expansion announcement, the team's colours were revealed to be Pacific blue and cream. The PWHL also stated that the franchise would operate under the temporary name PWHL Vancouver until a permanent brand identity is announced, following a similar approach taken by the "Inaugural Six" teams during the 2023–24 PWHL season.[14]
On October 21, 2025, Vancouver released their inaugural season jerseys, which feature the city name diagonally across the front. The jerseys are produced by Bauer. The new team name, the Vancouver Goldeneyes, as well as the new logo, were revealed on November 6, 2025.[15] They will be brought into circulation during the 2026–27 season.[16] The team is named after the common goldeneye—a diving duck endemic to North America including the coastal waters and lakes of British Columbia.[17]
Season-by-season record
| Colour/symbol | Explanation |
|---|---|
| † | Indicates League Championship |
| * | Indicates Regular Season Championship |
| Season | GP | RW | OW | OL | RL | Pts | GF | GA | GD | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 37 | 68 | 81 | −13 | 6th | Did not qualify |
Players and personnel
Current roster
Reserves
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |  |
Brianna Brooks | F | R | 24 | 2025 | Whitby, Ontario |
All-time players
Team captains
- Ashton Bell, 2025–present
Head Coaches
- Brian Idalski, 2025–2026
General managers
- Cara Gardner Morey, 2025–present
First-round draft picks
- 2025: Michelle Karvinen (7th overall)
- 2026: Caroline Harvey (1st overall)