Stellar Recruits - 2025 Edition

The image to the left is something called a "stellar vampire" where the larger star is absorbing energy from the smaller star, shrinking it in size as it is consumed. No one in our galaxy has to worry about something like this, but you can see how radiant that growing star is compared to everything around it. That's a good metaphor for me to us as we take a look at some stellar players who will be joining Canada West next season who will light up the ice and scoreboards! Let's dig into who is going where as I post the known recruiting classes for each school!

Based on who graduated and who is incoming, Canada West women's hockey will, once again, be highly competitive among all nine schools this season. Teams and players have made decisions on whether or not full eligibility options can be exercised, and we've seen some players move on as they pursue careers, explore life outside the rink, and continue to further their education opportunities. There's always turnover every summer for Canada West teams, and we need to be aware of who may win a Canada West banner this season as part of their university hockey careers. Everyone loves a winner, right?

As you read through these tables, "Current" is the previous team with which these players were associated while "Prv." is the province or state where that team is found. You'll also notice a few names in yellow. Those names in yellow are players who transferred in from other institutions who have used part of their five years of eligibility. The paragraph below the table will explain how many years those players have left in terms of being an eligible player.

With that information explained, here are all the known or announced players joining the nine Canada West teams in 2025-26.

Canada West Recruits

Alberta Pandas

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Emma Power	Balmoral Hall	MB	F	7	7
Kate Williams	Notre Dame	SK	D	6	13
Kelly Stanford	NAIT	AB	F	11	19

Alberta never seems to release their entire recruiting class details until much later in the summer, but it looks like Howie Draper has the building blocks to keep the Pandas at or near the top of the standings. Power, originally from Newfoundland, got off to a quick start this past season with points in her first four games, and Coach Draper will look to make her a more consistent scoring threat. Williams has seen her point totals increase in each season, and she could be an effective power-play shooter as she had seven PPGs two seasons ago. Stanford comes in having playing one ACAC season where she was third in league scoring. She might stand at 5'4", but Stanford plays a big game while taking very few penalties. There may still be announcements from the Pandas when it comes to new troops.

Calgary Dinos

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Maisie Cope	Delta	BC	G	2.14	.922
Mackenzie Galick	Delta	BC	D	4	10
Alyssa Barrette	NWCAA (AEHL)	AB	G	2.45	.923

I've never been a fan of teams recruiting multiple goaltenders in the same year, but it seems Dinos head coach Josh Gosling has a need for goalies. Cope was posted a solid 12-win season for Delta while Barrette put up a nine-win season in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, but both netminders stand at 5'6". They're not quite that prototypical six-foot netminder, but both are very capable of winning the backup role this season. Galick will be more of a stopper for the Dinos, but the fiesty defender can push the puck when given the opportunity. I'd expect more recruit announcements by the Dinos near September.

MacEwan Griffins

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Jordana Jones	North Shore	BC	F	6	7
Jordan Brown	St. Albert	AB	D	3	7
Taya Currie	Providence	RI	G	3.24	.556
Marley Howes	SAHA	AB	D	5	18
Jayda Becker	Delta	BC	F	3	11
Ana Djordjevic	St. Albert	AB	D	0	3

Head coach Chris Leeming appears to be getting more comfortable as his recruiting class this season is quite solid. Forwards Jordana Jones and Jayda Becker will give him speed and forechecking while both have the capability to finish. They'll need to get stronger to compete against some of Canada West's defenders, but both players give the forward unit more sting. Defenders Jordan Brown and Ana Djordjevic will fortify an improving defence for the Griffins while Marley Howe gives Leeming a solid outlet pass and a good skating, two-way defender. Perhaps the biggest get was goaltender Taya Currie from the NCAA's Providence College who can take some of the work load off of both Lindsey Johnson and Mikayla Christmann. Currie, as you may recall, was the first woman selected by an OHL team in their draft, so she's quite good at stopping pucks. Don't judge her by her stats - get out to see her play next season as she'll look to help MacEwan grab their first Canada West playoff spot!

Manitoba Bisons

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Cypress Classen	Battleford	SK	G	1.49	.946
Izabella Mann	Winnipeg Ice	MB	F	21	31
Shayna Bannister	Balmoral Hall	MB	F	8	11
Sara Harbus	Notre Dame	SK	F	4	8
Sophia Heidinger	Eastman	MB	F	17	22
Julianna De Groot	Balmoral Hall	MB	D	4	19
Claire Moorman	Saskatoon	SK	D	3	12
Jenna Goertzen	Carleton	ON	G	4.17	.860

Head coach Jordan Colliton will enter the 2025-26 season with someone else's recruits, but it's her job to get the most out of these players who offer a ton of upside. Forwards Izabella Mann and Sophia Heidinger were all over the scoresheets in Manitoba, and they bring both solid two-way games and a ton of leadership to the Bisons. Sara Harbus was an excellent hustle player who showed some finishing ability, and Shayna Bannister is that tall, hard-to-move forward who has hands. Defender Julianna De Groot found her game as an excellent two-way defender while Claire Moorman is another defender who is good at both ends of the rink. With a goaltender choosing to leave Manitoba this summer, the Bisons needed more crease options, and they found those in veteran Jenna Goertzen and Cypress Classen. Goertzen was a standout netminder with the Winnipeg Avros before jumping to the OHL's Carleton Ravens while Classen was outstanding in the Battleford nets. The Bisons are stronger with this 2025 class for Colliton's first season at the helm.

Mount Royal Cougars

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Kirby Gray	Yellowhead	MB	F	15	14
Jaselyn Hojnocki	Edge	AB	D	1	6
Keyana Bert	SAHA	AB	F	16	16
Isa MacPhee	Stanstead	PQ	D	11	33
Elyse Denbow	Central Plains	MB	G	3.04	.938

Head coach Scott Rivett added some interesting players this season. Forward Kirby Gray was an offensive dynamo for a rebuilding Yellowhead team while goaltender Elysa Denbow was a large reason why Central Plains hung in games on most nights. Forward Keyana Bert showed she had a knack for scoring while being defensively responsible. Defender Isa MacPhee comes to MRU from Quebec where she was a big offensive force from the back end while defender Jaselyn Hojnicki is a good defensive defender who has shown a little offence. Coach Rivett will have another class of players incoming who can contribute to his team's success immediately.

Regina Cougars

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Sierra Meroniuk	Adelaide (AWIHL)	AU	F	6	14
Quinn McLaren	Lindenwood	MO	D	1	4
Ivy Perkin	Westman	MB	F	29	30
Brooke Fofonoff	Calgary	AB	F	4	8
Callie Hilhorst	Westman	MB	D	12	16
Felicia An	Notre Dame	SK	F	5	5
Amy Swayze	Weyburn	SK	G	2.87	.927
Kiah Shields	Weyburn	SK	F	6	9
Rayna Hennie	Swift Current	SK	D	1	6
Payton Schlamp	Lumsden (SJFHL)	SK	G	3.15	.921

Head coach Brandy West-McMaster surprisingly brought in the biggest recruiting class, but it seems she's aiming for more in 2025-26 rather than just a playoff appearance. Former NCAA player Quinn McLaren will make her blue line better, Callie Hilhorst is good on both sides of the puck, and adding another good defensive player in Rayna Hennie gives the Cougars lots of options on defence. The Cougars add speed and scoring with Ivy Perkin, former Canadian-turned-Australian professional player Sierra Meroniuk is a good scorer, and West-McMaster will get hustle, hard work, and some scoring out of all of Brooke Fofonoff, Felicia An, and Kiah Shields. Payton Schlamp adds a veteran presence to the crease while Amy Swyaze will settle in and work for starts. Regina adds all sorts of talent in their ten players!

Saskatchewan Huskies

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Kara Mitenko	Edge	AB	F	2	16
Peppi Virtanen	HPK	FI	F	9	17
Evangeline West	Winnipeg Avros	MB	D	5	22
Jessica Anderson	Pembina Valley	MB	F	24	7

With the vast majority of the team returning this season, head coach Steve Kook had a few spots to fill, but he chose to fill those spots with exceptional talent. Peppi Virtanen joins the Huskies from the Finnish Auroraliiga where they were finalists for the league championship. She's an offensive player who doesn't shy away from the defensive side of the game. Joining her up front is sniper Jessica Anderson whose 24 goals were fourth-best in the MFHL, and Kara Mitenko was was a playmaker for Edge School. The Huskies also recruited defender Evy West from the Winnipeg Avros who was outstanding at both ends of the ice. The Huskies should be stronger again this season and beyond with this class.

Trinity Western Spartans

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Keelyn Pisani	St. Albert	AB	F	4	13
Kadence Dansereau	Weyburn	SK	F	6	9
Grace Deveau	Lloydminster	AB	G	1.13	.953
Sadie Isfeld	Delta	BC	D	8	25
Maisie Kozak	Notre Dame	SK	F	13	12

Trinity Western looked solid last year, and head coach Peter Hay added more talent to his options for next year. Goaltender Grace Deveau was third in GAA and second in save percentage in the AFHL for goalies who played more than eleven games. Defender Sadie Isfeld was dynamic at both ends of the ice for Delta. Forwards Maisie Kozak had a solid season filling the nets with Notre Dame while both Keelyn Pisani and Kadence Dansereau showed solid compete levels at both ends of the ice. Coach Hay keeps finding good talent as the Spartans continue to grow as they seek their first playoff series win!

UBC Thunderbirds

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Audrey Church	Delta	BC	D	4	25
Elle Lorenz	Edge	AB	D	1	16
Presley Zinger	Red Deer	AB	F	6	10
Tayah Wallace	Edmonton	AB	F	9	16

The UBC Thunderbirds are looking to return to the top of Canada West, and head coach Graham Thomas added some good recruits. Both Audrey Church and Elle Lorenz can move the puck well and will get opportunities to show their defensive games. Forwards Presley Zinger and Tayah Wallace can skate and score with their games, and both will fit into Thomas' uptempo offence. UBC didn't need a lot of fixes for their roster, but these four players will make the T-Birds better next year and in years to come as they seek more banners!

Of course, it's still the offseason and priorities can change, so nothing here is written in stone. These lists are compiled from the U SPORTS Letter of Intent list, various websites with recruitment information, and the teams' social media accounts, so things can still change when it comes to where players may go. If I missed someone, please get in touch with me ASAP so I can make those additions, but I think this is a fairly complete listing of the new stars joining Canada West at this point. If I did miss someone, I apologize profusely in advance!

With the schedule out and teams preparing for September's preseason games, there's going to be a massive infusion of talent into the Canada West women's hockey conference once more this year. I'm excited to see how 2025-26 plays out, and I wish all these players and all nine teams best of luck as they get set for next season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!