The inaugural PWHL season starts this week. Get to know some of the players from Saskatchewan
4 players from the province are signed to rosters for the Professional Women's Hockey League's 1st season
Growing up in Saskatoon, Emily Clark dreamed of being a professional hockey player, but the only option was the NHL because there was no established or sustainable women's league.
Clark's dream is finally coming true with the introduction of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She is one of four women from Saskatchewan signed to official rosters for the inaugural season that starts this week.
The 28-year-old Saskatoon native made history in September when she was one of the first three players to sign free agent contracts with Ottawa's PWHL franchise.
"It was like Christmas. Like you're just so excited to see how it's going to look. Now to actually be here with my team every day has been amazing," Clark said.
"I just called my dad on the way here and he said have a good day at work. It's definitely pretty special to get to call this work."
Ottawa's first regular season game is on Tuesday against Montreal's PWHL franchise at 6 p.m. CST. All six PWHL teams played pre-season scrimmages in Utica, New York, in December.
Clark said the PWHL will provide young girls from Saskatchewan hope that they can play professional hockey one day.
"I'm really excited for women and future generations to just be hockey players, to get to go through high school hockey and college hockey and dream, and playing pro is just part of the journey," Clark said.
While this will be Clark's first experience in a professional league, she has been a mainstay on Canada's women's hockey team.
The forward helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Games and was part of the silver-medal winning squad in Pyeongchang in 2018.
Clark also played in all four games of the 2023-2024 Rivalry Series against the United State's women's hockey team. She is hopeful that she will be in the lineup for games five and six in Saskatoon, her hometown, and Regina in February.
"It's probably been 10 or 12 years since I've played a game in Saskatoon. The last time I played in Saskatoon was probably when I played for the Stars when I was 16, so I think it's gonna be a really surreal moment," Clark said.
Fellow Saskatoon product playing for Boston
Clark won't be the only Saskatoon Stars alumni playing in the PWHL's first season.
Sophie Shirley, who also played with Clark at the University of Wisconsin, was selected 63rd overall by Boston's PWHL franchise. Her squad's first game is on Wednesday against Minnesota at 6:00 P.M. CST.
Shirley said she remembers the pride she felt when Boston called her name at the draft in Toronto.
"It was super cool. It was similar to what you would see at an NHL draft," Shirley said.
"In previous leagues that had folded, there was never really a draft that you would go in person to."
Shirley said she has high hopes for her team this season and is looking forward to playing with many of the best female hockey players in the world. At 24-years-old she is on the younger side of the players in the league.
"I'm looking to learn as much as I can so that I'm able to kind of make that jump on the national team and hopefully, you know, play a few games at that level," the forward said.
"I've always been a really offensive player, so I'm wanting to kind of help the [Boston] team out in any way that I can that way, and then also focusing a little bit more on my defensive game."
Shirley is excited for aspiring hockey players back home in Saskatchewan to have new goals to reach for.
"I just think back to myself when I was a younger girl, and for me it was like the Olympics was the only thing that was after college," Shirley said. "But now for these young girls, they have a stable professional league that they can strive for."
Shirley would like to see the PWHL eventually add more teams to allow more women to continue their hockey careers.
Prince Albert duo set to face off in PWHL's first ever game
The PWHL's first ever regular-season game, which iwll feature New York and Toronto on Monday at 11:30 CST, is set to feature two Prince Albert products.
Brooke Hobson was selected 45th overall by New York, while 28-year-old Kaitlin Willoughby was signed to Toronto's roster after a successful training camp.
Hobson said there is a buzz around New York's newest pro sports team.
"I think there's gonna be a lot of highlights this year and I think a big thing is the support that seems to already be growing from fans around here," Hobson said. "When we're walking around, people are excited for Jan. 1 and our home opener on Jan. 5."
Hobson's goal is to be a versatile player for her team. This won't be her first professional experience, as she spent last year playing for MoDo in the Swedish Hockey League after graduating from Northeastern University in Boston.
While the 24-year-old defender enjoyed her time playing across the pond, she is excited to help grow the professional game back in North America.
"There are the teams in Sweden, there was the PHF, the PWHPA, and now everything's kind of coming together and the end goal is to have the best players play against the best players," Hobson said.
"Seeing this become reality is really nice."
Hobson is happy that there are a handful of Saskatchewan players in the league that girls back in the province can look up to.
"This can be your job now too," Hobson said.
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