The firsts are so momentous during this time prior to the puck dropping on PWHL Seattle’s inaugural season. The team's first player media tour brought Cayla Barnes, formerly of the Montreal Victoire, and first defender on the team, to Seattle. Barnes signed a three-year agreement with Seattle after she was left unprotected prior to the expansion draft.
Getting Started in Hockey and the Jump to the Pros
Fans may be wondering: How does someone from California get started in ice hockey?
“I have four older brothers, so they were super involved in sports growing up. I kind of watched them,” Barnes said. “Roller hockey is really big in California, so I played that. My brothers played that, and then I started as a figure skater. My mom was super excited to finally have a girl- I’m the youngest of five, so to finally, have a girl, dress me up, go figure skating. Hated it. Definitely did not like it. So I just wanted to do what my brothers did. They played roller hockey and then eventually transitioned to ice hockey as well, so I truthfully, just wanted to follow their path, so that's kind of how I got started.”
Barnes just completed her rookie year with Montreal so she’s no stranger to adapting to new environments. There can be a big jump from the collegiate side to the professional side and the way a league handles that makes a huge difference. “I think anytime you make a major move like that, there's going to be an adjustment period,” Barnes said. “Obviously, the league is so strong, and every team is so talented that every game is one, two-goal games. So it was definitely an adjustment in the sense just getting used to the pace and the physicality and every day was that pace and that physicality. So I think that that was the biggest adjustment, but Montreal- the staff and the organization, the players there- they did such a great job of welcoming us in, so it made the transition a bit easier.”
The Path to Playing in Seattle
Every player has an origin story when it comes to signing with Seattle for this inaugural season. “When the expansion teams were released there was a lot of buzz around the league,” Barnes said. “It's exciting. How many players are protected? What's it going to look like? That was a bit hectic, and, obviously, I wasn't protected from Montreal. From there, it's like you look at your options and things that happen. I knew that I loved Montreal, and if I got the opportunity to stay, I would be happy. But also, I didn't want to not take an opportunity to talk to these other teams if they wanted to talk to me.”
There’s always a balance in sports of enjoying where you are and being excited about other potential options as well. “I think that, for me, it was important to explore my options and talk to these teams and see what they had to offer,” Barnes continued in speaking about her path to signing with Seattle. “And, and that's what I did during this expansion. You know, you truthfully never know if teams are going to come. And you don't know what teams want or what they're looking for. When I got the opportunity to talk to Meg, it was super awesome. It was just instant, like we got along super well. We had great conversation, so that definitely sparked the conversation and getting things going.”
Just as the fans are counting down to seeing this brand-new team here in Seattle, the players are beyond ready to kickstart something new as well. “It's always special to be a part of a first anything. This will obviously go down in history books and the record books. That's something that I'm super honored to be a part of, especially with the league growing so quickly and the popularity of the league,” Barnes said. “To be a part of this new franchise, I think, is amazing. I think that growing the league out here will be a lot easier with a women's team now- growing the league and growing youth sports as well. Just growing the game in general, getting more women's players out here is instrumental in that. I think there's a lot of things that will go on, and being the first team here, or the first players on this team rather- we're part of something special, so I think we're all just really excited to get started.”
The Takeover Tour in Seattle
The Takeover Tour caused such a buzz throughout the league, but those on the teams that played here in Seattle, in Climate Pledge Arena, have a really special perspective. Barnes is someone who had that exact experience last season. “I think the PWHL does a really good job of engaging with fans, and us, as the players, we engage with the fans a lot,” Barnes said. “When we go to new cities, it's super fun to get out there and engage with young kids or fans that are super interested in the PWHL. Having takeover games in those cities where women's hockey is not the primary sport, or hockey in general, is not the primary sport I think is a really unique idea. I don't think many other leagues do something, like the Takeover Tour, which is super cool. Also, it's just, like I said, an opportunity to really get out in different communities that normally don't get that opportunity to necessarily have hockey or women's hockey, so I think that it's instrumental in helping grow the game not only for like youth, but also for the PWHL.”
Cayla also had a great story about her time at Climate Pledge Arena during the tour.
As those who might have been at that Takeover game noticed, Barnes is an excellent puck mover, especially as a defender. What kind of a role is she hoping to fill in Seattle? “I mean, obviously, would like to fill any role that is needed of me,” Barnes said. “But I think continuing to play the way that I have been in the past. I’m an offensive defenseman. When I like to get up the ice, I like to move the puck. That's kind of how I play. I play smart, I play fast.”
What else can fans expect to see from her on the ice? “I'll be up in the play. I'll get back, but I'll be up in the play, and I'll be involved,” Barnes said of her own style of play. “I just like to be involved in the offense and the neutral zone and all areas of the ice- just 200 feet. So just kind of being involved in all pockets of the ice and continuing to jump up offensively.”
The Mental Aspect of the Game
When it comes to hockey, it’s such a mental game. Players can have their physical skills down, but it is so easy to get into your own head from shift to shift. Barnes shared about her ability to move on from a play like that. "As I've gotten older, I've gotten better at kind of rebounding faster. At the end of the day, you're going to go back out, and you gotta make a play that was better than the one that you are obsessing over," Barnes said. "The next play is all that I can focus on, and that's what my team needs me to be ready for so that's kind of how I approach situations like that."
Barnes will be reunited with her former defensive partner in Montreal, Anna Wilgren. Having that familiar face and ability to help one another overcome mental blocks is sure to make the transition to a new team a little easier. "It also helps to have teammates or a D-partner- I was really close with my D partner last year, and she's coming to Seattle as well," said Barnes. "One of our things was we would just try to make a joke or like laugh about it, and then, we'd say something funny, or whatever, and then on to the next."
Mutual Support Between Players and Fans
Barnes is also eager to get to know her teammates on a more personal level after playing against so many last season and through national events. She's also looking forward to a arena full of new fans, and understands the importance of mutual support between players and fans. "I'm just really excited to meet all of them," Barnes said. "I'm a person that really likes to engage with fans, so if you see me walking around, say hello. I love to engage with fans. I love to meet new people. I have a pretty lively personality, so just engaging with people. Super excited to just meet all of them and see their support for us, but also know that we support you as you our fan base. We take a lot of pride, obviously, in playing for Seattle, so I think it'll be a really fun year, and just excited to get going with all of them and build a partnership with our fans and us."