The first few weeks of Anna Segedi's first PWHL season have moved rapidly on and off the ice.
Both on and off the ice, entering the PWHL has been a whirlwind for Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Anna Segedi. Vancouver acquired Segedi on November 19, only two days before the team’s home-opener. Only a couple of days after that, the Goldeneyes hit the road for a three-game trip around the east coast.
It’s safe to say things have been moving at rapid speed for Segedi.
Segedi, who was drafted 22nd overall by the Minnesota Frost in the 2025 PWHL Draft, played in her first-ever PWHL game on November 26 as a member of the Goldeneyes. Throughout her first five games in the PWHL, there’s been one thing that sticks out as a major difference when it comes to the level of play she has faced — the speed of the league.
“The biggest thing is just the speed of the game,” Segedi told The Hockey News of what differences have stood out most to her in comparing the PWHL and NCAA, in which she spent five years of her career. “You don’t have any time out there if you get the puck — someone’s on you immediately, you have to make quick decisions, quick plays.”
The speed element of the game is something many expected from the Goldeneyes right off the first puck drop. With high-flying players like two-time Walter Cup champion Michela Cava and Finnish hockey icon Michelle Karvinen, the two wingers Segedi has been playing with most often as of late, the Goldeneyes have no shortage of talent. It’s something Segedi isn’t taking for granted.
“Obviously everyone is so skilled, and this league is the best league in the world, so getting an opportunity to play with some of the greatest players has really been exciting for me and to grow as a player and a person. I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”
Speed has been a factor in Segedi’s on and off-ice adjustment to the PWHL. Off the ice, she’s had to deal with preparing for her first season in a completely different city, only to be traded two days before her new team’s first game. The turnover is, to say the least, pretty quick.
Vancouver is new to Segedi, who is from Michigan, though something that has helped ease the transition is having familiar faces around the locker room as well as on the bench. The forward played for Goldeneyes Head Coach Brian Idalski both with the KRS Vanke Rays as well as the China’s 2022 Olympic team. Segedi also mentioned Goldeneyes Assistant Coach Myles Fitzgerald as someone she has worked with in the past.
“Coming over here, it was nice to see some familiar faces [ . . . ] [it’s] really been nice to kind of get used to it and kind of get my feet in the water. I’d say the transition has been pretty smooth just because of that.”
Segedi is one of a few Goldeneyes who share that connection to China’s 2022 Olympic team. Alongside Segedi, Vancouver locals Hannah Miller and Kim Newell also skated for this Idalski-coached team. Newell, who is making her return to pro-hockey with the Goldeneyes, spoke on what it’s been like having a former teammate in Segedi around.
“It was obviously a surprise when the trade happened, but I think her joining the team, it’s been nice to have another former teammate,” she explained.
With Newell being from BC, Segedi has leaned on her former teammate lots when it comes to recommendations around the city. One thing that Segedi and Newell have discussed at length is hot pot — a Chinese staple that has been growing more and more popular throughout the lower mainland.
“When I was in China, we would go for hot pot all the time. Now, being in Vancouver, I was talking to Kim, and I was like, ‘I need to go get some hot pot,’ because I literally love it. Being from Michigan, we don’t have that — we don’t have as much of the flavour and stuff,” Segedi said before referring to Newell as “the hot pot connoisseur.”
Another recommendation given to Segedi, this time by her linemate, Karvinen, was the Shipyards Christmas Market. Many BC locals know of the market, its many vendors, and the beautiful view it gives of downtown Vancouver while only a 10-minute SeaBus ride away from the city’s main hub.
With the PWHL on break during the second leg of the Rivalry Series, as well as the Goldeneyes having a short home-stand before and after it, Segedi has had some time to find her footing; both as a rookie in the PWHL and as a newcomer to the city of Vancouver. When it comes to slowing things down during the break, there’s one particular thing the forward is looking at working on while on the ice.
“In terms of hockey, kind of just getting chemistry with some of the girls that I’m playing with, and then just knowing their habits, them knowing what I do, and we’ll get a better feel for each other. I think it’ll really be noticeable on the ice in the next coming weeks.”