Her-story was made on June 24, 2025, as PWHL Vancouver made their fifth and final selection of the 2025 PWHL Draft, taking BC-local and long-tenured UBC Thunderbird Chanreet Bassi. The forward is the first South Asian player to be selected in the PWHL Draft and will be joining her hometown team after an entire playing career spent in BC. 

“I was just super happy and super grateful to be drafted to Vancouver,” Bassi said. “Never in a million years would I have imagined this, so super excited to head into training camp and kind of be able to have the opportunity to potentially make the team.”

Bassi joins the Vancouver organization after spending six years with the Thunderbirds, three of which she was an assistant captain for. Her beginnings with UBC date back to grade 11, when she first became acquainted with Graham Thomas, the Thunderbirds’ head coach. 

“I first kind of got to know him when he coached me in grade 11 at Team BC, U-18 nationals. That was the first time I talked to him, got to know him. And then our assistant coach, Mike Summer, worked with us a lot in those camps, doing skill stuff and that kind of thing. So I kind of got to know him there. My coach in grade 11 also was an assistant coach at UBC,” she said of the connections that led her to the Thunderbirds. 

Bassi credits lots of her success to her time at UBC — regardless of the highs and lows both she and the team experienced. On the ice, Bassi was one of her team’s most offensively-prolific players, finishing the 2024–25 season tied for second in points on the team with 33 in 35 games. This evolution didn’t happen overnight, however, Bassi insists. When recalling a particular career-defining moment, the forward was quick to mention the struggles she faced early on in her career with the Thunderbirds. 

“After my first year, we lost quite a few games — which was not normal for our program — and got eliminated in the semifinals of Canada West. Then [the COVID-19 pandemic] happened the year after, so we didn’t play for a whole year. I think personally, I didn’t have a great season that first year, because I struggled with the transition and a new team and a new culture, and then going into my second year, we didn’t play a single game,” she explained. “We were just training here for a whole year, and we probably had like 12 new first and second-year players, and we just kind of meshed. I’d say that was kind of the start of my success — spending time in that year of just practicing and developing.”

In some ways, you could say the focus shifted.  

“It was just hockey, every single day,” Bassi added. “I felt like that was a huge shift in my game. I think, not just on the ice but off the ice, I was able to find things I like to do outside of the rink, and how to take care of my body, which I honestly wouldn’t have had time to do before the [pandemic] year because you’re so busy when you’re in season.” 

As well as progressing as a player, Bassi noted that her off-ice development also grew with the Thunderbirds. Having been with the organization from the age of 17 to 23, many of Bassi’s formative years have been spent with UBC. 

“I think the one part of my experience that I really valued is how our coaching staff emphasizes growing us as both players and people,” she said. “We have great academics, so I think I’ve grown a lot on that side of how to be a student and a professional, especially in the workplace and then at the rink, how to develop as a player.” 

Despite embarking on a new journey as part of a new hockey league, Bassi is no stranger to some of the big names in the game. Through the circles of women’s hockey in Vancouver, she has already come into contact with Jennifer Gardiner, Nina Jobst-Smith, and Hannah Miller. However, one big name that she’s kept in close contact with since her days with the Thunderbirds is Rylind MacKinnon of the Boston Fleet. 

“Me and Ry probably talk every day. We work out together every day, especially with me staying this summer, I’ve been in touch with her, kind of asking her questions every single day,” she discussed. “It’s so nice having her, because she obviously was such a great leader when she was here.” 

MacKinnon also played for the Thunderbirds for six seasons, five of which Bassi was also part of the team. She joined the Toronto Sceptres for the 2024–25 season, and played one game in Vancouver during the PWHL Takeouver Tour back in January. Bassi confirmed that she attended MacKinnon’s Vancouver game earlier this year, noting that she wore a shirt with her former teammate’s face on it. Evidently, the two are very close and have learned lots from one-another. 

“[I] just kind of ask about her experience and like, what worked for her, and what the league is like, especially with there being more physicality. So it’s been nice, especially on the ice. We just do our own drills and pick off each other on things we need to work on to be able to transition our game into the physicality.” 

While Bassi has accomplished the first step — being drafted — there is still some work to be done. PWHL Vancouver will kick off their 2025–26 season with training camp, during which Bassi will be vying for a roster spot. 

“Just looking forward to going to that camp and being able to be with those players and pick from what they’re doing every day,” Bassi said of what she’d looking forward to in the coming season. “Just learn, honestly, because that’s the biggest thing I think, going on the next level.”