Vancouver Goldeneyes re-sign, protect star Sarah Nurse ahead of PWHL expansion

Vancouver Goldeneyes' Sarah Nurse (20) and Minnesota Frost's Denisa Krizova (41) vie for the puck during the first period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Ethan Cairns / The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Goldeneyes have locked up star forward Sarah Nurse as the PWHL’s expansion process begins.

The team announced Tuesday it has signed Nurse to a two-year contract through the 2027-28 campaign, making her the first of three players Vancouver will protect during the league’s expansion process.

Existing PWHL teams have until Wednesday evening to finalize their protected lists before the four new clubs in Hamilton, Detroit, San Jose and Vegas begin signing their foundational players.

Nurse was one of the five players the Goldeneyes signed for their inaugural campaign during last year’s expansion process.

The 31-year-old from Hamilton scored Vancouver’s first ever goal and finished the season with 15 points (nine goals, six assists) despite missing 11 games with an upper-body injury.

Nurse played the first two PWHL seasons in Toronto, putting up 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) over 45 games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2026.