This is Part I in a five part series on Port Moody’s PWHL draft prospect, Sophia Gaskell.

On April 23, 2025, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced their first-ever expansion city: Vancouver. 

In the six months that followed, Vancouver built up an inaugural team featuring names like Sarah Nurse and Jenn Gardiner, a strong identity with the Goldeneyes brand, and a fanbase that kept thousands flocking to their home arena Pacific Coliseum throughout their first season in the PWHL. 

The impact of this team on girls and women’s hockey around not just Vancouver, but the entire province of BC, has been astronomical. 

Women’s hockey has fought to construct itself a consistent stage to play on — and internationally speaking, it has done that in dividends. Where things have gotten difficult, however, is establishing a dedicated league — kind of like the National Hockey League (NHL). 

Prior to the PWHL, there was the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF): a six-team professional women’s hockey league operating out of both Canada and the U.S. that ran from 2015 to 2023. The league was also known as the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) earlier on.

Before that came the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), which began operations in 2007. This professional league featured various teams from Canada, the U.S., and even China before it shuttered in 2019. 

For a while, pursuing a career in professional women’s hockey was difficult; stability was hard to come by. 

Now entering its fourth season, and second in the league for Vancouver, the PWHL is allowing young girls and women in hockey to see this league as a future career path.  

Sophia Gaskell, a UBC Thunderbirds defender for five seasons, is one of many. 236 eligible players have declared for the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft, with Gaskell being one of them. A grand total of 207 players were listed to PWHL rosters on opening night of the 2025–26 season, with this total only set to grow with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose joining the league in expansion next year. 

“From a career standpoint, the growth of Vancouver’s expansion and the PWHL as a whole has completely changed how I view my future,” Gaskell told NewsLight. “Now, being able to see a real, growing league where I can build a career has shifted my mindset and definitely impacted other career paths I had considered growing up.”

Gaskell, 24, is one of 16 women’s hockey players from BC who have declared for this year’s draft. Some of the names listed include Gaskell’s teammates and Thunderbirds standouts Grace Elliott and Annalise Wong. 

The list of cities that these players are from varies from Metro Vancouver, to spots in the Fraser Valley, to towns up in the interior of BC. Gaskell, who hails from Port Moody, is looking to become the second player from the Tri-Cities to be drafted to the PWHL. 

It’s a dream that, prior to the emergence of the PWHL, hadn’t often been seen as a feasible career path. 

“Seeing a team come to Vancouver was incredible, especially because it means young girls growing up here now have something concrete to work toward and can see a clear professional path in the women’s game, just like the men have had for so long.” 

Part 2 can be found here.