TORONTO — Pucks on sticks, skates carving into ice, whistles and shouts of encouragement echoing around the arena.
After a chapter defined by talking about playing hockey, these are the welcome sounds that ring through the rink on Friday, ushering in the long-awaited opportunity for the best women’s players in the game to hit the ice and just play.
The same sounds and sights heard and seen at Etobicoke’s Ford Performance Centre on Friday played out across the newly established Professional Women’s Hockey League on Friday, the first official day of on-ice practices as the league sprints towards its inaugural season in January.
For PWHL Toronto, that meant 27 players — many of whom have already signed on the dotted line, many others competing for a contract of their own — gathered with their peers and coaches for a series of high-energy drills as head coach Troy Ryan and his staff begin the process of moulding a roster of talented individuals into a team.
Camps officially opened Wednesday, a distinct “first day of school” vibe in the chilly arena air — only instead of newly sharpened sets of pencils and fresh notebooks awaiting them, there were hockey sticks lined up for the choosing, skates to be fitted, and a clean sheet of ice. Players underwent physicals and equipment fittings Wednesday while staff assembled and began the process of getting settled into their new digs.
“I think that’s a little bit of the uniqueness of where we are right now,” PWHL Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury said during Wednesday’s camp-opening media availability. “We do want our athletes and our staff to see the build from scratch, because being part of something and building it yourself and putting your identity on it.
“We’ll tell our athletes and our staff that you know, they’re painting the walls,” she continued. “We will create our own identity and with the fans’ help as well, we will be able to create a franchise here in Toronto that we can call our own, that we all belong to, and I think there’s something unique about the bare walls and kind of starting from scratch. So, hopefully our athletes and our staff feel that … that they’re part of something really special.”
Of course, a hockey team doesn’t truly look like a hockey team until it hits the ice, so while Wednesday brought the first day of school, class was officially in session Friday. The day’s on-ice activities opened with a small-group goalie session before being joined by the rest of the group for what was a fast-past, drill-heavy practice to get legs moving and closed with a series of three-on-three scrimmages. Forwards Blayre Turnbull and Victoria Bach did not skate on Friday, Turnbull watching the action from the stationary bike overlooking the ice pad.
Toronto opened camp with 29 players, 15 of whom have already signed Standard Player Agreements: nine forwards, four defenders, and two goaltenders. Eight more roster spots will be filled by the end of camp. (Per the CBA, each PWHL team can also carry two reserves.)
Kingsbury explained Wednesday her intentions were to strike a balance between giving core players a sense of security as they settle into a new market while making clear to others that there are jobs up for grabs.
“We didn’t want to bring free agents knowing that there’s no open spots because to me, that’s just not the right thing to do,” Kingsbury said. “So, we explained that to the drafted athletes that didn’t sign an SPA and we explained that to the free agents — that they’re coming here to earn a position and there will be an opportunity.”
And there will be plenty of opportunity in the weeks to come as competition ramps up and energy builds from this first outing.
“It was great. It was super fun, everyone was smiling having a good time,” Toronto defender Jocelyne Larocque said of Friday’s first practice. “I think everyone was really excited for this day … we’re all just here to play hockey.”
Larocque, who is expected to suit up alongside a familiar face in Team Canada defence partner Renata Fast as Toronto’s top pairing, was drafted second overall by Toronto and signed a three-year deal with the club earlier in November. She’s one of four rearguards already locked into contracts among a pool of 10 defenders at camp.
“There’s really good size, all of them are good skaters,” she said of the group when asked for her scouting report. “It’ll be hard for the coaches to make those decisions. I was impressed.”
Larocque will be leaned on as a veteran voice not just on the ice but in the locker room, too, and that’s where her focus lies in the early days of camp.
“What I’m trying to focus on right now is just getting to know people and making people feel comfortable. You know, I’m nervous and I’m sure everyone’s nervous, so I think when you can make the environment positive and you can make the environment where people want to come to and they feel comfortable … that’s what I try to do — keep things light, get to know people,” she said.
For PWHL Toronto, the energy outlasted the final whistle of the final scrimmage. Players lingered on the ice post-practice Friday, breaking out into smaller groups to chat, shoot, consult with coaches or do a few extra laps or snap some pictures.
After waiting this long to finally hit the ice, after all, they were in no rush to leave it.