PWHL Vancouver isn't rushing to make their first head coaching hire. New general manager Cara Gardner Morey knows there is a plethora of qualified coaches looking to join the PWHL, but is also looking for the right person.
"I would love to get that head coach put in in time (for the expansion draft), but it's certainly something we don't want to rush because we want to make sure we have the right person at the helm of these players," Gardner Morey said.
She's begun the process, and knows there's currently no shortage of coaches looking at the PWHL. Gardner Morey herself had served as the head coach of Princeton since 2017. She wanted to join the PWHL, and knows others do as well.
"First of all, there's a lot of great candidates," Gardner Morey said. "There's a lot of really highly qualified coaches that are excited to get into this league. That's incredibly exciting at this moment."
In terms of the type of coach and attributes Gardner Morey is looking to hire to fill PWHL Vancouver's top job, the first priority for Vancouver's GM is finding someone who is a proven winner, and has experience with elite players.
"I think that one with proven winning records would be one of the top of my list, and again, coaches that are familiar working with this elite level of hockey player, whether it's from professional level, or national team level, or highest of NCAA," Gardner Morey said.
But it also goes beyond on-ice winning to developing a winning culture in Vancouver.
"I will stress, culture is really important and making sure that we have similar value systems and that people are in this game for the right reasons and that is to promote the sport, at the same time bringing that Walter Cup to Vancouver," she said.
With the expansion process beginning June 4 with the exclusive signing window, and the expansion draft on June 9, there's still some time for Gardner Morey to get her bench boss in place. If it doesn't happen before the expansion draft, it will be for good reason, and with an emphasis on building a base that will last in Vancouver.
For a city without a Stanley Cup to their name, bringing the Walter Cup to Vancouver would be a significant sporting moment for the biggest city in western Canada.