Based on who graduated and who is incoming, Canada West women's hockey will, once again, be highly competitive 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 while others will return to seek a Canada West banner to cap off their university hockey careers.
As you read through these tables, "Current" is the last team or current 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 bolded names in yellow. The bolded 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, here are all the players joining the nine Canada West teams in 2023-24.
Canada West Recruits
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Glover | Westman | MB | G | 1.42 | .943 |
| Ella Stewner | Balmoral Hall | MB | D | 12 | 25 |
In an usually small recruiting class, the Alberta Pandas went out and picked up two players from Manitoba who were difference-makers on their teams. Grace Glover was the MFHL's playoff MVP two seasons ago after helping the Westman Wildcats to the MFHL title, and she followed that up by helping Westman back to the MFHL Final this season before falling to the Winnipeg Ice. Ella Stewner is dangerous with the puck every time it touches her blade, and she's very good in her own zone when it comes to cutting off angles and moving the puck up the ice. Head coach Howie Draper identified where he needed talent, and he went and found it.
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jada Johns | Regina | SK | D | 2 | 17 |
| Brooklyn Fry | Saskatoon | SK | D | 7 | 11 |
| Solana Cooper | Fraser Valley | BC | F | 12 | 19 |
| Kyla Mitenko | Edge School | AB | F | 13 | 21 |
| Evelyn Lawrence | Calgary | AB | F | 3 | 10 |
| Caitlyn Perlinger | Swift Current | SK | D | 9 | 16 |
Carla MacLeod has really assembled a strong recruiting class for the 2023-24 season. She has three very good defenders who can contribute offensively in Johns, Fry, and Perlinger. Cooper and Mitenko have all sorts of offensive upside as forwards. Lawrence is a tiny player at 5'2", but she skates like the wind. She doesn't have the same offensive numbers as some of her colleagues coming into the program, but coaches can't teach speed and that's where Lawrence may find an advantage in Canada West. As we've seen with players like MacDougall and Ko, it's the size of the fight in the player, not the size of the player on the ice.
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Ayre | Northern Alberta | AB | F | 13 | 12 |
| Jesse Jack | Olds College (ACAC) | AB | F | 4 | 2 |
| Tess Bakus | Swift Current | SK | D | 1 | 8 |
| Letta Mattheos | St. Mary's Academy | MB | F | 8 | 10 |
| Ella Maternick | Winnipeg Ice | MB | F | 16 | 18 |
| Brooke Norkus | Delta | BC | D | 2 | 11 |
| Ashton Bender | Weyburn | SK | F | 4 | 7 |
| Ali Macaulay | Olds College (ACAC) | AB | D | 1 | 8 |
In one of the larger recruiting classes in Canada West, head coach Chris Leeming is putting his mark on the program by bringing in players he knows while finding others than fit his systems. He went back to his ACAC coaching days to bring Jesse Jack and Ali Macaulay who were captaining the Broncos, and will likely be leaned on for leadership as veteran players. It should be noted that Jack has one final year remaining in her eligibility while Macaulay has three years remaining. The Griffins added some offence to the lowest-scoring team by recruiting both Ayre and Maternick. They got some work ethic and grit in Mattheos and Bender. And they added another solid defender whose offensive skills might be overlooked in Bakus. MacEwan needed help on a number of fronts, and this recruiting class helps the Griffins fill some of those voids.
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Staples | Winnipeg Ice | MB | D | 3 | 13 |
| Sadie Keller | Swift Current | SK | F | 12 | 23 |
| Sophia Anderson | Westman | MB | F | 10 | 16 |
| Julia Bilous | St. Mary's Academy | MB | D | 5 | 15 |
| Bianca Zak | Mount Allison (AUS) | NB | G | 3.37 | .919 |
If one were to judge Jon Rempel's recruiting class strictly on talent, one would be pretty content with who he's bringing to Winnipeg. Staples and Bilous play good positional defence while being able to transition the puck up the ice. Anderson and Keller have shown a knack for scoring and leadership. Zak comes in after an MVP season out in New Brunswick. However, not all is what it seems as the Fluffy Cows have had a few players opt out of the program (including possibly one of the above players), and there are more glaring holes than just on the porous defence shown last season. While injuries took key players out of the lineup one season ago, there are a number of players who need to step up this season if the Fluffy Cows aim to join the playoff crowd in February once more. Potentially adding all of these players, though, will make the Fluffy Cows much better in a number of departments.
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Holan | St. Albert Slash | AB | G | 1.73 | .919 |
| Gabby Lindsay | Okanagan | BC | F | 7 | 13 |
| Jersey Watteyne | Swift Current | SK | F | 26 | 17 |
| Ryann Holbein | Red Deer | AB | D | 4 | 22 |
| Summer Fomradas | Calgary Fire | AB | D | 15 | 15 |
| Julia Duke | Okanagan | BC | F | 16 | 15 |
| Ashley Grice | Regina | SK | F | 8 | 20 |
| Jordynne Hojnocki | Okanagan | BC | D | 5 | 7 |
It was fairly well-known that the defending National Women's Ice Hockey Champions were likely going into rebuild mode this summer with a number of key veteran players graduating out of the program. Head coach Scott Rivett went to work and found himself a number of player who will key roles on the Mount Royal Cougars for years to come. Lindsay, Duke, Watteyne, and Grice have all sorts of offensive capabilities to offer as the Cougars reload their front-end. Holbein and Fomradas were two of the best defenders at both ends of the ice to come out of the AFHL this season while Hojnocki didn't light the world on fire with her stats, but she played in every situation for Okanagan. Holan will battle for a backup spot behind Kaitlyn Ross this season. No one will count the Cougars out, but this recruiting class could prove to be the backbone of another deep playoff run soon!
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julianne Girardin | Weyburn | SK | D | 4 | 5 |
| Tessa Stewart | Interlake | MB | F | 6 | 6 |
| Alexis VanNetten | Stoney Creek | ON | F | 11 | 11 |
Canada West's youngest team last season will likely be close to holding that title once more, but we'll have to do the math once the season starts. I say that because head coach Sarah Hodges picked up the leading scorer of the Stoney Creek Sabres in Alexis VanNetten who is 19 already, potentially bumping the average age up. Hodges was also strengthening the defence by adding Julianne Girardin who was good at both ends for a not-so-good Weyburn team, and she added smooth-skating Tessa Stewart who has good vision and hockey sense to find scoring opportunities. Regina will be better with these three players on the roster this season!
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahlen Wisener | Winnipeg Avros | MB | F | 15 | 23 |
| Ava Bergman | Winnipeg Ice | MB | F | 8 | 3 |
| Makenna Stevens | Okanagan | BC | D | 0 | 9 |
With the vast majority of the team returning this season, head coach Steve Kook only needed to fill a few roster spots, but he did well in getting some quality players for those vacant spots. Kahlen Wisener was a force all season long for the Avros while Ava Bergman showed good finish around the net after a slow start to the season. Makenna Stevens is exactly the kind of shutdown defender Steve likes on his blue line. With a veteran group this season, this recruiting class may not play in many games, but they'll learn a ton from the current Huskies and their experiences in playng at Nationals in Saskatoon!
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooke Dorash | St. Albert | AB | F | 2 | 7 |
| Kasey Ditner | NAX | BC | D | 4 | 7 |
| Presleigh Giesbrecht | Post (NCAA) | CT | D | 0 | 2 |
Trinity Western may have surprised everyone last season with their first-ever playoff appearance in Canada West, but I suspect that the other eight teams won't take them lightly this year. In saying that, head coach Jean Laforest opted to recruit some hard-working players whose statistic numbers may fool everyone. Brooke Dorash was an alternate captain with the Slash and she doesn't shy away from board battles while competing for spots in front of the net. Ditner is a strong skater who has some offensive jump to her game while Giesbrecht is everything that a coach could want in a right-shot, shutdown defender that makes opposition forwards earn every inch of space on the ice. Giesbrecht, it should be noted, has four years of eligibility remaining as well. Trinity Western's recruiting class isn't flashy, but they make the Spartans a much more difficult opponent!
| Name | Current | Prv. | Pos | G/GAA | A/SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Perrier | Okanagan | BC | F | 11 | 9 |
| Gabrielle Gracia | Okanagan | BC | F | 2 | 2 |
| Leighanna Rizarri | Calgary Fire | AB | F | 5 | 8 |
| Jaylyn Morris | Delta | BC | D | 5 | 17 |
| Mya Lucifora | Whitby Wolves | ON | G | 1.56 | .930 |
| Makenzie McCallum | McGill (RSEQ) | PQ | F | 7 | 10 |
The two-time defending Canada West champions had a few graduates this season, so head coach Graham Thomas scoured the country for talent. Both Gracia and Rizarri were '21-22 graduates from their programs, so it will be interesting to see if the year off will affect their play. Perrier combines hard work and a knack for scoring in her game, Morris moves the puck well and could be another fantastic contributor from the blue line, and goaltender Lucifora will push Elise Hugens in the crease after jumping into Canada West from Ontario. McCallum, as a transfer, has two more seasons of U SPORTS play, and she brings a nose for the net combined with good leadership. For a team with very few holes, the UBC Thunderbirds are ready to fly once again!
Of course, it's still the offseason and priorities can change, so nothing here is written in stone. I've read through the U SPORTS Letter of Intent list, the various websites with recruitment information, and the teams' social media accounts more than I'd like to admit up to this point in the summer, but this should be a solid list of Canada West recruits for all nine teams up to and including today as far as I know. 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 this season plays out!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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