The yet to be named Toronto franchise in the newly formed Professional Women’s Hockey League signed some big-name talent on Wednesday.
Canadian Olympians Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull and Renata Fast have all agreed to terms on three-year contracts through the 2025-2026 season.
Salary figures were not disclosed, but the PWHL’s annual salaries will range from US$35,000 to $80,000.
The PWHL has stated that six players on each of the six teams will be signed to three-year contracts of not less than $80,000.
The three players were part of Canada’s gold-medal run at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and its silver-medal performance at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“We are beyond excited and proud of the three foundation players we have signed,” said Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury. “For us, it was all about them as a group, building a puzzle that we knew would work well together and give us the best foundation to our team’s success. When I think of the qualities of this group, I think of character, leadership, and talent. A combination we believe we can build upon in the draft and for years to come.”
The signings come one day after Ottawa’s PWHL franchise signed fellow Canadian national team members Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner and Emerance Maschmeyer.
The league opens its inaugural season in January with teams in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York City.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
