PWHL Vancouver has made a splash in free agency, signing three of the top forwards available on the market.
North Vancouver native Hannah Miller (three years), two-time Walter Cup champion Michela Cava (two years) and the Ottawa Charge’s Tereza Vanišová (two years) all signed deals with the expansion team in the first 24 hours of free agency.
After an expansion process that saw Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey focus on building the team from the net out, the three signings give Vancouver offense and more two-way ability up top.
Miller will be reunited with former Toronto Sceptres teammate Sarah Nurse on Vancouver. She racked up 24 points in 29 games with Toronto before a late-season injury seemed to slow her scoring pace a bit.
Miller is a defensively-responsible forward who can play anywhere in the lineup, from the power play to the penalty kill. Only Toronto teammate Renata Fast had more power play assists last season than Miller.
“Hannah is an elite forward who can put up points and wear down opponents,” Gardner Morey said.
The contract brings Miller back home to British Columbia after stops in China, Europe and Toronto.
“It means so much to me to represent the city where I first fell in love with the game,” Miller said. “It’s a real full-circle moment, and I can’t wait to meet all the fans and get started.”
A proven winner
Cava spent the last two seasons on the Minnesota Frost’s top line alongside Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise.
Remarkably, Cava has won five straight titles in four different leagues. In addition to back-to-back Walter Cups with Minnesota, she won championships with the Premier Hockey Federation’s Toronto Six in 2023, the KRS Vanke Rays in Russia’s ZhHL in 2022 and Luleå in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League in 2021.
Now, the 31-year-old from Thunder Bay will try to win with a new team on the west coast, without Heise on her line.
“Michela has tremendous vision, and her elite playmaking will help our offense,” Gardner Morey said.
Vanišová tied Boston’s Hilary Knight with 15 goals in 30 regular-season games, trailing only Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin.
Beyond her skill with the puck, Vanišová is hard to play against. That helped fuel Ottawa to a playoff spot, even if she was undisciplined at times. Vanišová led the league in regular-season penalty minutes.
In Vancouver, Vanišová could slot in on the top line beside Sarah Nurse or play on a gritty second line.
In the expansion draft, Gardner Morey, alongside head scout Kathy Pippy and salary cap expert Alex Gimenez, selected young, two-way forwards with an offensive touch. They targeted 2024 draft picks who outperformed expectations last season, including Toronto’s Izzy Daniel and Minnesota’s Brooke McQuigge, and who were likely on smaller contracts.
Going into free agency, Gardner Morey wanted to sign two more top-six forwards. So far, she’s done that and more.
Tabin re-signs with Montreal
Elsewhere in the league, the Montreal Victoire re-signed top defender, Kati Tabin, for another two seasons. Tabin spent most of last season beside Erin Ambrose, and bringing her back was a top priority after Montreal lost two top defenders to expansion.
“Kati is an invaluable part of our team, both on the ice and in the locker room,” Victoire GM Danièle Sauvageau said.
“Over the past two seasons, we’ve seen tremendous growth in her game, and she continues to elevate her play each year. Her ability to contribute at both ends of the rink makes her a key piece of our lineup, and we’re thrilled to have her back.”
More will be coming for Montreal on the blue line. Only three defenders are officially signed for next season: Tabin, Ambrose and Amanda Boulier.
The Victoire also signed forward Shiann Darkangelo from the Ottawa Charge, which will give the team some of the centre depth it was missing last season. Darkangelo had a breakout year offensively, scoring 17 points in 29 games. She signed with Montreal for two seasons.
In Toronto, the Sceptres signed one-year deals with goaltender Elaine Chuli and forward Claire Dalton, who both played for the Victoire last season.
“Elaine brings consistency to our team,” Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury said. “A proven goalie in the league, she brings a lot of traits we value both on and off the ice. We are also excited to have signed Claire Dalton, who brings size, a great shot and a high ceiling.”
Signing Chuli suggests Toronto might want to go into next season with a tandem of Chuli and Raygan Kirk. But that will require finding a trading partner for Kristen Campbell, who has one season left with the Sceptres.
