PWHL Toronto notebook: Turnbull returns as week comes to early end

PWHL Toronto wrapped up training camp for the week on Wednesday.

It was a set plan from the staff to allow American players to return home for Thanksgiving and provide those remaining in Toronto a chance to explore the city without the requirements of practice and fitness testing.

As such, after six straight days of on-ice sessions, PWHL Toronto is off until Monday.

Here are the latest updates from training camp:

Blayre Turnbull is back

After missing Toronto's first four full practices, Turnbull hit the ice donning a blue jersey on Wednesday.

Turnbull - one of three foundational signings for Toronto - was the lone player who had yet to participate in an on-ice session.

"I was itching to get back on the ice," Turnbull said. "It's definitely not as fun when you have to watch from a bike, so it was really good to be back out there today."

Turnbull stayed out after practice for some extra reps - one of which was inspired by a certain fellow Nova Scotian.

"With (Rebecca Leslie), I was working on this tip that Sidney Crosby scored with the other day," Turnbull explained. "A strong side tip with your blade facing out, so it's a little bit tricky."

Turnbull said she often tries to find new skills to utilize when watching games:

"It's great to have access to highlights and watching NHL games almost every night of the week, you get to learn some things and see some different skills that the guys are doing. So it's fun to try to add them into our game as well. And when we have free time at the end of practice, that's the perfect time to work on that stuff."

Updated roster splits

Assistant coach and skills specialist Mike Ellis led practice on Wednesday, with head coach Troy Ryan observing from the stands alongside general manager Gina Kingsbury.

The result? A couple of different combinations as players worked through three-on-three mini-games. Here are the groups from Wednesday's session:

Team 1 (Blue & Green jerseys)

Forwards (4): Brittany Howard, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, Kaitlin Willoughby

Defenders (2): Mellissa Channell, Jess Kondas

Team 2 (White jerseys)

Forwards (3): Jesse Compher, Rebecca Leslie, Emma Maltais

Defenders (3): Kali Flanagan, Emma Keenan, Olivia Knowles

Team 3 (Red & Yellow jerseys)

Forwards (4): Sam Cogan, Jess Jones, Natalie Spooner, Morgan Wabick

Defenders (3): Renata Fast, Lauriane Rougeau

Team 4 (Black jerseys)

Forwards (3): Maggie Connors, Hannah Miller, Alexa Vasko

Defenders (3): Jocelyne Larocque, Allie Munroe, Taylor Wabick

Goaltenders Kristen Campbell and Amanda Makela dressed in black jerseys, while Erica Howe and Carly Jackson were in white. The netminders rotated with each squad.

Howard continues unique Toronto legacy

The past five years have been an...interesting time if you're a Toronto-based fan of women's hockey.

You had the Toronto Furies, then PWHPA Toronto, which overlapped with the Toronto Six, and now we have PWHL Toronto.

No player knows this as well as Brittany Howard. She's the only player who played for all three prior Toronto teams and now joins PWHL Toronto.

As such, few are as well-versed in describing the changes and building momentum in the women's game in Toronto.

"Last summer, I was able to bring the (Isobel) Cup home (to St. Thomas)," Howard said. "Definitely saw the fanfare there, went back to my high school, and was able to see - like Joe Thornton's from St. Thomas and we're good family friends - things like that. You just see the growth of women's hockey from that standpoint."

She continued: "People watching the draft, watching this league, the growth, and you've definitely seen it over the last five years. More people are engaged, more viewership, and that's what we want as the end as the goal, cause that's what's gonna grow the league."

The group of Furies were quick to reconnect with Howard after she was drafted 47th overall by Toronto.

"Right when the draft happened, Renata (Fast), (Natalie) Spooner, (Sarah) Nurse all reached out, (Mellissa) Channell (too)," Howard said. "We had a great group with the Toronto Furies and to see those familiar faces in the locker room again, it's definitely more of a comfort zone. You don't know what training camp's gonna bring, so they definitely give me a level of comfort."

Since September, Howard has utilized her teaching qualifications at Victus Academy, which also gave her the opportunity to get on the ice in the lead-up to Toronto's camp. She noted that she's still working online with the school.

"It works best of both worlds," Howard said. "Able to play hockey and then still work on my career a little bit on the side after hockey."

Willoughby pushes for roster spot as lone USports rep

PWHL Toronto has 29 players at training camp. 28 played collegiate hockey in the NCAA.

Kaitlin Willoughby is the exception. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native is among a handful of USports alumni across the PWHL looking to make an impact in the new league.

"I am a homebody, so I think that kinda was my leading factor in my decision back when I was younger," Willoughby said. "I played for (the University of Saskatchewan), which was a great program. I loved every second of my time there. I got to play five years under Steve Kook, who's an amazing coach."

She continued: "The West league was very challenging. We ended up being in the finals a lot of the years, got to go to the national championship two years, so we had a strong team. I feel like I developed great as a player, especially because Hockey Canada was involving USports All-Star teams in their camps. So every summer, I was kind of involved in that, and that was awesome to be seen through that side with Hockey Canada."

Willoughby noted the talent available in the Canadian university ranks is worth paying attention to for PWHL management.

"Scouting should be done in both NCAA and USports, keeping an eye out for all those players who we think the coaches or the scouting staff would fit with this level," Willoughby said. "I think that we should definitely not overlook those players because there's definitely a lot of players that are great and could play at this level (in USports)."

Willoughby participates in Toronto's camp as a free agent invite. The 28-year-old knows what she has to do to earn a contract.

"I come here knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and for sure I'm not that offensive player that's gonna be scoring a lot of goals," Willoughby said. "But I do know that I do a good job of shutting down top lines. That's what I love to do, I love the challenge of that."

"Very well respected and liked by her teammates," head coach Ryan said of Willoughby. "She's fit, she's very fast. So I think someone like that, for them to be effective and to have an impact in this league, they're gonna just be that aggressive, that energy, that fast player. And then maybe add a little physicality to it so she can be effective on forechecks and stuff like that."

An unexpected opportunity for Thomson

Scroll to the bottom of PWHL Toronto video coach Stefanie Thomson's Elite Prospects page, and you'll find a fascinating detail:

Drafted 2018, 10 #50 overall by Toronto Furies in the CWHL Draft

Thomson never played a game for the team. Instead, she landed a head coaching job with the NAIT Ooks' women's team and opted to begin her post-playing career. As she had already declared for the CWHL draft, the pick was more or less a formality.

It makes for a slightly different arrival to the PWHL than the Furies' top pick from the 2018 draft, Sarah Nurse.

"If I would've kept playing, I don't think I would be here, you know what I mean?" Thomson said. "I think that I make for a better coach than I do player, and sometimes that's kinda tough to say out loud, but I think that's the reality of it."

She continued: "When you're not a high-end player, you pick up on things. And when you become a coach, you literally coach the way that you wanted yourself to play."

The chance to coach the top players in the world came as a surprise to Thomson.

"When Gina (Kingsbury) made that first call, it's like, I have an opportunity to work with Gina and Troy (Ryan)? That's an insane opportunity," Thomson said. "Two people that I respect so much that I can learn from. It doesn't stop there. You talk about Mike Ellis, Rachel Flanagan, and then you go to strength and conditioning, right down to the management side of it, I'm so grateful for this opportunity and it certainly wasn't something that I was expecting when the league got announced.

"I was so happy for the players and for the cities, but no way did I think that I would be standing here today. So it's pretty special."