Goldeneyes protect Nurse, Jaques and Maschmeyer for PWHL expansion

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Centre Sarah Nurse, defender Sophie Jaques and goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer are the Vancouver Goldeneyes’ three protected players to begin the PWHL expansion process.

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The pro women’s hockey league is adding four new teams for next season, with clubs in Detroit, Hamilton, San Jose and Las Vegas bringing the circuit to 12 teams for upcoming Year 4.

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The eight existing clubs needed to have their three-player protected lists in to the league office by 2 p.m. Wednesday. Only players signed for next season were eligible to be protected. Nurse was a pending free agent, but inked a two-year deal with Vancouver on Tuesday. Jaques and Maschmeyer were already signed for next season.

Nurse is a longtime Canadian national team member. Jaques led the Goldeneyes in scoring (20 points), tied for the team lead in goals (9), and is a top three finalist for the league’s defender of the year award for a second straight season. Maschmeyer was Vancouver’s starting netminder and goaltending was said to be in short supply in the league even last season. Seven of the eight teams protected a goalie on Wednesday.

Vancouver was an expansion team last season and Nurse, Jaques and Maschmeyer were among their first five signings, along with forward Jenn Gardiner and defender Claire Thompson. All five played for Team Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

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That leaves Gardiner and Thompson among the notables left unprotected by Vancouver for this initial signing period for the four new clubs, along with forward Hannah Miller and blueliner Ashton Bell, who was the Goldeneyes’ captain in their inaugural campaign. Miller and Bell both were under contract to the Goldeneyes for next season. Gardiner and Thompson were pending free agents. Gardiner (Surrey) and Miller (North Vancouver) highlighted the team’s local connections in the opening campaign.

Vancouver (9-3-4-14) finished sixth in the eight-team PWHL last season, missing the fourth and final playoff spot by seven points. The team fired coach Brian Idalski earlier this week. There is no word yet on a replacement.

Detroit, Hamilton, San Jose and Las Vegas now have until noon Thursday to submit their list of 20 players from around the league they are interested in acquiring as one of five “Foundational Signings.” The four new clubs cannot sign or even negotiate with any player who does not appear on their 20-player list.

This Phase 2 of the expansion process runs through Monday and the new teams can sign as many as five players. An existing team can lose a maximum of three players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season.

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Phase 3, which sees all 12 teams eligible to negotiate with all unsigned and unprotected players, starts next Wednesday and runs through next Friday. Expansion teams may sign as many as three players during that period. Existing teams will add three more protections, and the protections may consist of players already signed to the team’s 2026-27 roster as well as players on expiring contracts signed during the phase.

There are six phases to expansion, with the final one an open signing period beginning on June 19.

@SteveEwen

SEwen@postmedia.com

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