Vancouver Goldeneyes defender Nina Jobst-Smith is making her return to the Pacific Coliseum.
Nina Jobst-Smith is no stranger to the Pacific Coliseum, home of the PWHL’s newest Canadian franchise. The Vancouver Goldeneyes defender, who is from North Vancouver, remembers wandering around the concourse selling 50/50 raffle tickets as a 10-year-old for her local hockey organization.
“Fast forward 15 years later, I’m going to be playing in that arena,” she told The Hockey News. “I would have never guessed it in a million years.”
Jobst-Smith was Vancouver’s third-round selection in the 2025 PWHL Entry Draft, going to her hometown team after spending five seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth of the NCAA. Even after spending all this time in Minnesota, Vancouver is still near and dear to her heart. Hearing her name called by the Goldeneyes was nothing short of surreal.
“There are eight teams picking in the draft, so you don’t really expect one team or another, just because of the probability, right?” she explained. “When I heard Vancouver call my name, I was super emotional. I got to share that moment with my family and Ashton [Bell], and it was super special, something I’ll never forget. When you play for your hometown, and you’ve been drafted by your hometown, it’s just a huge sense of pride. I’m only gonna use that to fuel the fire and contribute to this team in any way I can this year.”
Part of the thrill of playing for her hometown, Jobst-Smith noted, is being able to help grow the game out on the West Coast. It’s something that means a lot more to her, being from BC, as there wasn’t as much exposure to women’s hockey in Vancouver when she was beginning her young career.
“I think I grew up with not a lot of female role models that I was able to look at and go watch play — my idols were always on the Canucks, and there wasn’t a way to watch women’s hockey on TV with the exception of the Olympics. Now all of these young players have that opportunity, and it’s really special to be a part of that.”
Jobst-Smith was one of 11 Goldeneyes players present at the team’s name and logo reveal on November 6. They found out what the team’s permanent name and identity would be that very morning.
“I think none of us really knew what to expect. There’s just another sense of pride with the new logo being unveiled and having that identity, I think we were just so looking forward to it. It was a long off-season of waiting on many exciting announcements, and now we’re here, and things are right around the corner. Our group is really pumped about it.”
Much of the discussion around the name Goldeneyes is the characteristics associated with it — speed, strength, agility, resilience . . . The list goes on. They’re all traits that Vancouver is determined to carry with them throughout their inaugural season and onto their quest for a Walter Cup.
“Just to all the points we’ve talked about — the speed, the agility, the resilience of a goldeneye. I think there’s so many cool parts about that bird, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it and forming our team around that identity, and using some of those as our values.”
Jobst-Smith will be one of many representatives of the Goldeneyes identity heading into Vancouver’s inaugural season. From the concourse of the Coliseum to centre ice, the young Goldeneye is ready to spread her wings and soar.