With the PWHL past the midway point of the season and the PWHL Takeover Tour coming to Alberta this weekend, we take a look at the players with connections to Calgary. Home of the Calgary Inferno for eight seasons, Calgary won two Clarkson Cups, including winning it all in the last season before the folding of the CWHL.
Player connections to Calgary
F – Kaitlin Willoughby – Toronto Sceptres
This season: 16GP
Kaitlin Willoughby was drafted 37th overall by the Calgary Inferno in the 2018 CWHL Draft. She played for the Inferno during the 2018–19 season, contributing to the team’s victory in the Clarkson Cup that year.
For the past two seasons, Willoughby has been with the Toronto Scepters for two seasons, where she has recorded one point in 39 games.
F – Jill Saulnier – Boston Fleet
This season: 10GP
After three seasons in Calgary from 2015 to 2017, where she won a Clarkson Cup, Jill Saulnier was drafted in the seventh round by the New York Sirens. After playing in five games this season, she was traded to the Boston Fleet, where she is still seeking her first point of the season.
D – Jessica Kondas – Toronto Sceptres
This season: 1GP, 1G
Jessica Kondas of Calgary—a member of the Toronto Sceptres reserve list—made her PWHL debut near the end of December, scoring a goal in her first game.
F – Sophie Shirley – Boston Fleet
This season: 15GP, 2A
Drafted 63rd overall by Boston in 2023, Sophie Shirley scored three goals and put up five in 20 games last season. Still searching for her first goal of this season, the winger has chipped in with two assists in 15 games.
Shirley played for the Inferno during the 2017–18 season, winning Rookie of the Year with eight goals and 11 points in 26 games
F – Rebecca Leslie – Ottawa Charge
This season: 16GP, 2A
Drafted in the 12th round of the 2023 PWHL Draft by Toronto, she appeared in 24 games with them last season where she scored two goals and nine points. This year, she signed a one-year contract with her hometown team where she has picked up 2A in 16 games so far this season.
Playing one season with the Calgary Inferno back in 2018–19, she won the Clarkson Cup and was a finalist for Rookie of the Year.
D – Jocelyne Larocque – Ottawa Charge
This season: 16GP, 4A
Drafted second overall by Toronto in the 2023 PWHL Draft, Jocelyne Larocque was traded to the Charge six games into the 2024–25 season.
She began her career in Calgary with the Calgary Oval X-Treme in the Western Women’s Hockey League from 2004 to 2007 before moving on to the University of Minnesota Duluth. After spending four years in the NCAA, she returned to Calgary to join the Inferno. She played with the Inferno for one season before being traded to the Brampton Thunder.
F – Blayre Turnbull – Toronto Sceptres
This season: 17GP, 5G, 3A
Part of the first few signings before the inaugural draft, Blayre Turnbull signed and was named the first team captain in Toronto. This season, Turnbull passed her goal total last season of three and is currently tied for second in team scoring with five goals. With 13 games left to play this season, she needs only two points to pass her total of nine points last season.
Turnbull spent four seasons in Calgary from 2015–19, winning two Clarkson Cups.
F – Brianne Jenner – Ottawa Charge
This season: 14GP, 2G, 5A
Brianne Jenner and her former Inferno teammate Emerance Maschmeyer were two of Ottawa’s three initial signings, along with having been named the inaugural team captain of the franchise. This season, Jenner ranks fifth in team points, scoring two goals and five assists.
During her four seasons with the Calgary Inferno from 2015 to 2019, she won two championships and wrapped her CWHL career ranked second all-time in the team’s history with 89 points.
G – Emerance Maschmeyer – Ottawa Charge
This season: 13 GP, 5W, 2.44 GAA, 0.922 SV%
Emerance Maschmeyer—hailing from Bruderheim, Alberta—was a first-round pick of the Calgary Inferno in 2016, where she played for one season. In her second PWHL season, she currently ranks first in total time played and third in save percentage among goalies who had logged more than 300 minutes.
Coaching connections to Calgary
Alberta’s Carla MacLeod has deep roots in the Calgary hockey scene, starting with her time playing for the Calgary Oval X-Treme in the Western Women’s Hockey League (WWHL) for three seasons.
After her playing career, she served as an assistant coach at Mount Royal University and later became the coach of the U18 Female Prep Team at Edge School in Calgary. Before joining the Ottawa Charge, she spent parts of three seasons as the sixth head coach of the Calgary Dinos.
Rooting interest until we see the PWHL expand
In October, it was reported that the PWHL is aiming to add two expansion teams as early as the 2025–26 season, with Calgary being considered as one of the potential locations. As fans in Calgary eagerly anticipate the expansion of PWHL hockey to the west, many may wonder which team to support tonight as the Toronto Sceptres face off against the Ottawa Charge in Edmonton.
Looking at the numbers, Calgary’s representation in the PWHL is notably led by Ottawa, which has four representatives—five if you count Ottawa’s head coach. Interestingly, Toronto follows closely behind with three connections to Calgary. Given the similarities in colour scheme and, some might argue, logo, I would choose to support the Charge in this matchup.
