HER GAME TORONTO

PWHL/X

The PWHL might be in its off-season, but that doesn’t mean that things haven’t happened. Players and fans have all been preparing to make the third season of the league its biggest. Let’s catch you up on what you may have missed as a Sceptres fan!

The Expansion Draft

With the introduction of 2 new teams to the league, PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver, Toronto saw the loss of Sceptres names like Sarah Nurse, Izzy Daniel, Megan Carter, Julia Gosling, and Kristen Campbell. Sceptres fans felt the loss, but also regained some excitement with new players from the expansion draft through trade and free agent signings, and also through the 2025 PWHL Draft.

What’s the Difference between the Expansion Draft and the 2025 PWHL Draft?

Good Question! The Expansion Draft happened on June 9^th, 2025, and focused on allowing the new teams of Seattle and Vancouver to build a roster based on players that were already in the league. This meant that Seattle and Vancouver took various players from the original 6 teams. The 2025 PWHL Draft took place on June 24^th and signed new players onto each of the 8 teams with rounds of draft picks. These new players are mainly new graduates from D1 universities across North America, with the exception of a few players who have come out of retirement or come from a different league.

Let’s explore the new Sceptres signings!

2025 Draft – Toronto Sceptres Picks

Emma Gentry – Sceptres 1^st pick, 11^th overall draft pick.

(You may be thinking to yourself, “There are only 8 teams, how was the Sceptres’ 1^st pick of the draft, the 11^th pick overall?” – Good catch! The Sceptres actually gave up their 1^st round and 4^th round draft picks to the New York Sirens in order to acquire player Ella Shelton. So a bit of a trade happened!)

Emma Gentry, a 22-year-old originally from Alpena, Michigan, signed a two-year contract with the Sceptres. Gentry is a power forward, a player position that the Sceptres very much needed after losing forwards like Sarah Nurse and Julia Gosling. It will be very exciting to see Emma hit the ice in Toronto this coming November and watch her become a part of the Sceptres’ family.

Kiara Zanon – Sceptres 2^nd pick, 16^th overall draft pick.

Kiara Zanon is a 23-year-old originally from Fairport, New York and plays a forward position. Zanon attended Ohio State University, playing in 76 games, and scoring 26 goals with 47 assists. Ohio State has been the home of many PWHL players including big Sceptres names like Emma Maltais, Natalie Spooner, and Raygan Kirk. Kiara has also played for USA’s National team, making her a standout player to join Toronto.

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Clara Van Wieren – Sceptres 3^rd pick, 23^rd overall draft pick.

Clara Van Wieren, a 23-year-old from Okemos, Michigan and plays as a forward. Van Wieren is coming to the Spectres after graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she was the captain of the Women’s Hockey Team. It will be fun to see Clara hit the ice this upcoming season, and we can’t wait to see what she shows us!

Sara Hjalmarsson – Sceptres 4^th pick, 35^th overall draft pick.

Sara Hjalmarsson is one of the few draftees who is not a new graduate. The 27-year-old, originally from Bankeryd, Sweden, is an experienced forward who has played for the SDHL (Swedish Women’s Hockey League) and internationally, on the Swedish National Team. Sara played in the 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympics – so hopefully we’ll get to see her playing for Sweden for the 2026 Olympics this coming February!

Hannah Baskin – Sceptres 5^th pick, 43^rd overall draft pick.

The last Sceptres pick of the draft was Hanna Baskin, a 22-year-old originally from Minnetonka, Minnesota. Baskin plays as a defender and is newly graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she acted as the alternate team captain. So yes, the Sceptres have signed Minnesota Duluth’s former team captain (Clara Van Wieren) as well as the former alternate Team Captain (Hanna Baskin)!

Now that you’ve received the lowdown on the new draft picks, hopefully you’ll be excited to see them hit the ice in that iconic blue jersey come November 2025. First game to watch will be November 21^st, as the Toronto Sceptres head to Minnesota to face the Frost.

Make sure to keep up with Her Game Toronto updates, because we may or may not be having a watch party to celebrate the start of the season… announcement coming soon, so stay tuned!

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