Jenn Gardiner has had a busy off-season. 

Fresh off signing a three-year Standard Player Agreement with her hometown Vancouver Goldeneyes, the forward has made appearances across ice sheets and other landscapes throughout the Lower Mainland. 

Her most recent gig has been with none-other than the Vancouver Canucks, who are currently holding their development camp out in Abbotsford. 

One of a couple of guest coaches for the Canucks this week, the other being longtime Vancouver defenceman Alex Edler, Gardiner took to the ice alongside some of the Canucks’ brightest young stars on Monday, offering mentorship on playing college hockey, being drafted, as well as a variety of other topics. 

“They came right up to me and introduced themselves and just asked some questions,” she told reporters after Day 1 of Development Camp. “A lot of them are going to college or in college right now, and so they were excited to kind of hear about my journey at Ohio State, what that looked like, and then just being drafted, Montréal, playing in Vancouver now, just through the expansion process, free agency.” 

Gardiner, who turns 25 in September, is the same age as the Canucks’ oldest camp invitee, Austin Brimmer, but isn’t far off from the ages of the rest of the prospects. The Goldeneyes forward noted that the proximity in age is something that has helped her get to know them a little better, and vice-versa, compared to the rest of the staff in attendance. 

“Just knowing that I’m somebody they can relate to, I’m not much older than them, and just trying to be a resource for them.” 

While she’s officially joining the camp as a coach, Gardiner notes that the week’s activities are more of a give-and-take when it comes to learning. 

“[There are] a ton of incredible resources and staff who just have so much knowledge, and so many guys who have played the game and had such incredible careers,” she said of what she’s been able to take away from the opportunity. “Just trying to listen in on all the conversations, the video sessions, drills at practice, just those little things that go a long way. Definitely gonna think about it tonight and see how I can add that to my own game.” 

Canucks development camp isn’t the only thing Gardiner has had on her dockett as of late. Earlier last week, the forward, along with fellow BC-based teammate Hannah Miller, helped new Goldeneyes defender KK Harvey tour the city by bringing her on one of Vancouver’s classic hikes — Quarry Rock. It was only one piece of a busy three-days for Harvey in Vancouver, though Gardiner says she got to learn lots about her new teammate during that span of time. 

“She’s very curious and very excited about Vancouver, and so [I’m] just doing everything I can to help her out, maybe help her find a good spot to live and figure out the best hikes to go on.” 

On top of helping her new teammate familiarize herself with Vancouver, Gardiner has also been taking part in some of the Fraser Valley Super League games — the likes of which have featured fellow PWHLers Jenna Buglioni of the Ottawa Charge, Sandra Abstreiter of the Montréal Victoire, and fellow 2025–26 Goldeneyes teammates Malia Schneider and Kim Newell. 

That’s not all she has on her plate right now, however, as the Goldeneyes forward has also been busy setting up her youth summer camp, Camp JG12. Running from July 3 to 5 in Surrey, the camp will host three different sets of age groups — U-11, U-13, and U-15 — and will feature other PWHL guest coaches alongside Gardiner herself. 

This off-season’s been a busy one for Gardiner so far, that’s for sure — but every opportunity both on- and off-ice has been huge in increasing the presence of women’s hockey throughout the west coast. It’s not something she takes lightly whatsoever. 

“Women’s hockey’s always been huge on the west coast for me — I’ve been a part of it. But everybody else in the world is just finding it now, and I think it’s so special, and such a cool time to be alive, and just to be part of this movement is so incredible.” 

Gardiner is expected to join the Canucks for one more day of development camp, July 1, before gearing up for Camp JG12 in the following days.