‘Making history’: PWHL Vancouver drafts first South Asian player

UBC forward Chanreet Bassi will be playing professional hockey with her hometown team next year.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League has selected its first South Asian player, and it happens to be a rising B.C. athlete.

Chanreet Bassi secured her spot Tuesday evening during the league’s 2025 draft in Ottawa for its new, Vancouver team.

“It was a shock,” she said. “Definitely blacked out. I think especially going into a draft, you’re not really sure what’s going to happen. But, (I’m) super ecstatic to be drafted by Vancouver.”

Not only will Bassi be the first South Asian player in the PWHL, she’s also the first UBC Thunderbird athlete to be drafted.

Graham Thomas, the head coach of the UBC Women’s Hockey Team, said it’s a very exciting moment for the sport.

“Making history, so I mean it’s an inspiration,” he said.

‘So many accolades’

Thomas said when Bassi joined the team, she made an impact right away – ending her six-year university career as a four-time Canada West All-Star.

“She’s tied with Tatiana Rafter for all-time career points as a Thunderbird,” he said. “She’s had so many accolades. So many accomplishments.”

At 23 years old, Bassi is making groundbreaking strides in her career.

It’s a moment she’s been preparing for, applying the same hard work on and off the ice.

During her teenage years, she grew on her family’s farm in the Okanagan, planting hundreds of cherry trees on the five-acre property.

“That was just what we did day-to day, every day for our family and for each other,” she said.

‘There’s a pathway’

Bassi started playing hockey when she was three years old, following in her older brother’s footsteps.

The path she’s paving didn’t exist when she was young.

“There wasn’t really a route for us to go,” she said. “We just played because it was fun.”

Thomas echoed that sentiment, adding the league’s expansion to Vancouver provides more opportunities to aspiring professional athletes.

“This is now showing that there’s a pathway,” he said. “It’s not only a great place to go to school and get a great education and play your university hockey.”

Bassi said she doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.

“I think it’s super cool for girls to have someone to look up to, which is something we never experienced,” she said.

“It kind of brings that community together, especially younger girls dreaming to play in the PWHL one day. That’s what the sport’s for.”

Fans will be able to follow Bassi’s journey when the season gets underway in November.