Jenner and Saulnier enter Cornell HOF
Team Canada stars Brianne Jenner and Jill Saulnier have combined for three Olympic gold medals. Both players added another accolade to their impressive resumes, entering the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame. “It was a huge honour,” Jenner told the Cornell Sun, praising her alma mater for making her “…the athlete I am today, and the person I am today.”
Jenner has been the captain of the Ottawa Charge (nee PHWL Ottawa) in each of the PWHL’s first two seasons. She has compiled 35 points in 52 regular season games over that stretch. A member of Canada’s Olympic Team that won the 2014 gold medal, it was Jenner who sparked the comeback victory, scoring her team’s opening goal just before the Americans missed the chance to ice the game, instead infamously hitting the “Sochi goal post.”
In 42 regular season PWHL games, Saulnier has collected seven points, playing for Boston and New York. Both Saulnier and Jenner won a CWHL Clarkson Cup in 2016 with Calgary, and were teammates on the 2018 and 2022 Olympic squads that won silver and gold, respectively.
Other women’s hockey Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame inductees include Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston and Lauriane Rougeau, who have all starred in either the CWHL, or PWHL, or both.
Montreal and Vancouver announce multiple signings
As reported by Rachel Donner, the Montreal Victoire announced the signings of their three foundational players. Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Ann-Renee Desbiens were each inked to two-year deals, extending their terms to the end of the 2027-28.
Meanwhile, PWHL Vancouver came to terms with three of its draft picks. Nina Jobst-Smith was signed to a two-year deal, and forwards Brianna Brooks and Madison Samoskevich each signed one-year contracts. The three players were Vancouver’s 2025 selections in the third, fourth and fifth rounds, respectively.
“We’ve built a good group of young players heading into our inaugural season, including draft picks Nina, Brianna and Madison,” said Cara Gardner Morey, PWHL Vancouver General Manager via media release.
Ottawa Charge in jeopardy?
To the disappointment of women’s hockey fans in Canada’s capital, the city of Ottawa and OSEG (Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group) have plans for a reduced capacity arena at Landsdowne Park. The Charge are now entering the final year of a three-year lease at the venue.
The proposal, known as “Landsdowne 2.0”, would cut down capacity to about 5,500 and force another 1,100 fans to view the games in standing room or other non-seated areas.
Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations, called the proposal “a huge step back” and not viable for the PWHL, citing a worst-case scenario of having to move the team out of Ottawa.
Under the PWHL model, the league owns each of its eight franchises; the teams do not have individual owners.
In the league’s inaugural season, 2024, PWHL Ottawa led the league in attendance, with an average of 7,496 fans per game. Most of its home games have been played at TD Place Arena.
A final decision by city council is expected on November 7.
