Toronto Sceptres' general manager Gina Kingsbury is also the GM of the senior Canadian national team. This dual role has created a strong connection between the two squads, from head coach Troy Ryan (who also coaches Team Canada) to the players she has brought into the Sceptres' room.

In the PWHL's first year, Toronto had seven national team members on their roster. In the second year, as new players entered via the draft and others departed in free agency, Toronto had eight players from the Canadian roster, plus Hannah Miller, who was named to Team Canada but deemed ineligble. 

In a huge mid-season trade, Kingsbury sent two Canadian staples (Jocelyne Larocque and Victoria Bach)  to Ottawa for two American players, Hayley Scamurra and Savannah Harmon.

Already this off-season, Toronto has lost one Canadian hopeful, Hannah Miller, to Vancouver via free agency. And some further moves will test the connection that has existed between the Sceptres and Team Canada. When Kingsbury steps up to draft third overall, there will likely be at least one American superstar on the board available to her.

Haley Winn, an offensive defender from Clarkson, would help the Sceptres' blue line and add scoring from the back end. And if Wisconsin forward Casey O'Brien, a center who set the school record for points, is still there, it would be an excellent choice to fill the void that Miller left.

However, there will also be a Canadian player available: Nicole Gosling, who has already played with the senior team at the World Championships and is very familiar to Kingsbury and Ryan. (She is also the cousin of former Sceptre Julia Gosling). What Kingsbury does with this selection will speak volumes.

Another indicator of the direction Kingsbury intends to take is in goal, where longtime Canadian national goaltender Kristen Campbell might find herself moved out of town in favor of the newly signed Elaine Chuli. It has been suggested that Campbell will also be left off future Canadian rosters, marking a sharp departure for the perennial third goalie.

With Eve Gascon ready to step up and play with the Canadian team, this parting of ways would show that Toronto's GM is willing to sever relationships that were developed over years of working with players in both organizations.