PWHL Toronto notebook: What you need to know from the first weekend camp

It’s finally a reality.

The six teams across the new Professional Women’s Hockey League took to the ice for the first time this past week to commence training camps ahead of an anticipated January start to the season.

Here’s everything that you need to know from the first days of PWHL Toronto’s camp.

Home venue confirmed…kinda

The Eyeopener received confirmation from TMU director of sports operations Nick Asquini on Wednesday that PWHL Toronto will play at Mattamy Athletic Centre for its inaugural season.

The league is waiting to announce home venues and schedules until everything is signed and sealed, understandably. But in the meantime, Sarah Nurse commented on the possibility of calling the former Maple Leaf Gardens home:

“Obviously, there is a lot of history there. It’s gonna be pretty cool. I remember my dad talking about that building growing up, that was the first time he ever saw a hockey game live. And so, if we’re able to play there, that’s gonna be such an exciting thing to be a part of the legacy.”

Roster Split

The 29-person roster has been split into white and black jerseys for practice:

Team Black Forwards (8): Victoria Bach, Sam Cogan, Jess Jones, Rebecca Leslie, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Alexa Vasko, Kaitlin Willoughby

Defenders (5): Renata Fast, Olivia Knowles, Jess Kondas, Jocelyne Larocque, Lauriane Rougeau

Goaltenders (2): Erica Howe, Amanda Makela

Team White Forwards (6): Jesse Compher, Maggie Connors, Brittany Howard, Emma Maltais, Hannah Miller, Morgan Wabick

Defenders (5): Mellissa Channell, Kali Flanagan, Emma Keenan, Allie Munroe, Taylor Wabick

Goaltenders (2): Kristen Campbell, Carly Jackson

At least one roster cut must be made by November 29. Four draft picks are still without a contract, while 10 undrafted free agents are attending camp on an invite basis.

Blayre Turnbull’s status

If you’ve got a keen eye, you’ll notice that Turnbull’s name is missing from the group above.

That’s because Turnbull - one of Toronto’s three foundational signings - has been absent from the three on-ice sessions so far.

Head coach Troy Ryan had no update on Turnbull’s status but said that he expects her to hit the ice sometime this week.

Turnbull spoke to the media on Wednesday and played the previous weekend with Team Canada at the Rivalry Series.

Spooner looking big picture

Natalie Spooner missed Saturday’s practice before hitting the ice again on Sunday. She explained her absence was part of a planned approach as she gears up for her first full season after giving birth to her son Rory last December:

“Just a recovery day. Just kinda taking it slow post-baby, trying to figure it out still. Just making sure I’m taking the right steps to make sure I’m ready to go in January.”

Bach back in the mix

Victoria Bach was absent from Friday’s first practice, which was made particularly notable by the fact she’s Toronto’s highest-drafted player without an announced contract for the season.

Ryan explained post-practice on Friday that they “know Victoria’s not gonna be on the ice all the time right now.”

Sure enough, Bach hit the ice on Saturday and Sunday. I noticed her alongside Nurse and Spooner to commence a drill on Sunday, which could be a tantalizing offensive trio to experiment with.

An early thought: I wonder if Ryan looks to reunite Bach with Rebecca Leslie at some point. The two dominated the NCAA back in 2018 with Boston University, combining for 63 goals and 124 points in 33 games. Could be worth a look. Both are on Team Black in practice.

An early duo emerges

Despite a lack of regular lines or pairings this early in camp, it was hard not to notice Jesse Compher and Emma Maltais consistently in reps together through three practices.

There are six forwards donning a white jersey, so naturally when five-on-five drills start, there’s a lot less rotation rep-to-rep than the counterparts in black. On Sunday, Maltais and Compher were joined by Brittany Howard before Maltais rotated with Maggie Connors onto the other line in a later drill.

No matter what rotation or who joined them, Maltais and Compher have stood out during each practice. The two have a lot in common: Both were born in 1999, came up the ranks at the same time, impressed in the NCAA, and have played a similar role when playing internationally.

The difference is that they’ve done it on different sides. Maltais hails from Burlington and played for Ohio State, while Compher comes from Illinois and had a collegiate career at Boston University and Wisconsin.

Both players noted how nice it is to finally be on the same side.

“It’s definitely pretty cool to see how she is on your team,” Compher said. “Obviously, I’ve played against her, been in battles in the corners with her, and had some big games against her, but it’s fun to finally be on her side and kinda see how she thinks the game and see how hard she works.”

“Maggie (Connors) going to Princeton, Jesse at Wisconsin, we’ve all played against each other a little bit,” Maltais said. “We know each other, but it’s fun to get to know each other in a different way. Like, yes we know each other’s tendencies, but you really don’t know how someone is to play with until you actually get to play with them.”

Maltais and Compher building quick chemistry not only caught my eye, but that of head coach Troy Ryan as well:

“Some of the things that coaches will do - so for example, going out and not necessarily forming lines - you actually start to see a little bit of what they may feel is chemistry, or what they may like, or who they may pair themselves with, who they feel most comfortable with.”

He continued: “You just saw Compher and Maltais together, that’s something I’ve seen. So if they constantly put themselves in those situations, it sends a bit of a message to me to be a little bit aware of it.”

Compher noted the conversation hasn’t been Canada-USA, but rather Buckeyes-Badgers. Wisconsin and Compher beat Ohio State and Maltais for the national championship in the spring.

Another early thought: I think there’s a real chance Emma Maltais will become the face of the PWHL Toronto franchise. She’s a young Canadian who plays a relentless game. She’s quick and will score her fair share of goals. Factor in her infectious personality and fun social media presence, and there’s a future star here.

Flanagan embracing new ‘adventure’

Kali Flanagan’s spent essentially her entire hockey career in her home state of Massachusetts. She played four seasons at Boston College, spent two years in the PWHPA’s New England hub, and starred with the PHF’s Boston Pride for the last two seasons.

Of course, until now.

Flanagan was drafted by PWHL Toronto in the sixth round, 35th overall, and she signed a two-year contract with the team earlier in November.

Her move north of the border - she’s never previously lived in Canada - marks an important distinction between the PWHL and previous women’s leagues.

“I think that was the exciting part, is that our sport’s never really had the integrity of a draft,” Flanagan said. “It’s kinda just based off where you live before, mostly. And so, being able to land in Toronto, I couldn’t be happier or more excited to have a new adventure here.”

As Flanagan noted, previous women’s leagues such as the CWHL and PHF primarily saw players remain close to home. There was never a true draft in either league.

The PWHL holding a draft where teams were free to draft anyone (except for a small handful of compassionate circumstance players) was a statement of intent. And we saw it in the outcome, with Flanagan and Compher being selected by Toronto, Jamie Lee Rattray getting scooped up by Boston, Montreal snagging Jillian Dempsey, and many other examples.

Ryan noted his excitement about the American defender on Saturday:

“I’ve always seen a sneaky offensive side to her game. She skates well, right shot D, like there’s a lot of things there that I think, in the right environment, maybe with the right D pair, she’ll get to showcase that a little bit.”

He added: “I’m just excited about her. I had the opportunity to coach against her for a few years, I was just glad she’s still playing and put her name in the draft.”