The Vancouver Goldeneyes struggled offensively, and failed to find consistency with the puck during their inaugural season despite building a roster filled with scoring prowess and depth.
The Vancouver Goldeneyes built a roster via expansion and free agency that many, if not most, believed would place them squarely and incontestably atop the PWHL standings. It didn't work out that way for the Seattle Torrent, nor the Goldeneyes.
The league's new west coast teams certainly had challenges. They were given only weeks to assemble a staff, prepare for the 2025 Draft, plan their expansion targets, negotiate with free agents, all while managing the logistical hurdles of setting up offices, facilities, housing, and more. It's a laundry list that most expansion teams in professional sports have months if not years to complete, not weeks. Couple in additional travel impacts for athletes who, unlike their men's hockey counterparts, do not have the comforts of luxury hotels, sleep specialists, or chartered flights.
On the ice, the Vancouver Goldeneyes held on to their playoff hopes slightly longer than their counterparts in Seattle, but not long enough to give them a legitimate shot at fulfilling the hockey world's Walter Cup expectations for the team.
Powerless Power Play
If you'd told people that a power play capable of sending out Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson on the blueline, and a combination of Sarah Nurse, Hannah Miller, Jennifer Gardiner, Tereza Vanisova, and Michelle Karvinen up font would have the league's worst power play, you'd likely have been laughed out of the room.
It's exactly what happened however as Vancouver operated at a paltry 8.6%.
That number is a level of deficiency nearly unheard of in high level hockey.
Inconsistency With The Puck
Vancouver had a very polarizing situation with the puck. On one side, they led the league in takeaways. On the other side, they led the league in puck losses.
Vancouver also struggled at the face-off dot this season winning only 48% of their draws overall, a number that dropped to 45% in their own zone.
The result was that despite the offensive weapons the Goldeneyes brought in, the team spent the least amount of time of any team in the PWHL on the attack this season averaging 25:15 per game playing offensively, while being on the defensive 26:20 per game.
Scoring Was An Issue
While the Goldeneyes could score, as they showed in their most recent 6-5 comeback win over Seattle, it was inconsistent. The team was held to one goal or less 14 times this season. That's more than 50% of their games to date, which included being shutout a league-high five times.
Being shutout five times and managing one goal or fewer in 14 games during a 30 game season is problematic.
It's not surprising however given the Goldeneyes have a Net xG of -4.73. They struggled to get to dangerous areas on the ice, shooting more often from low percentage spaces on the ice.
Overall, Vancouver has the second fewest shots on goal this season, and second most shot attempts blocked by their opponents.
On the ice, what could go wrong did for the Vancouver Goldeneyes, did. They remain in a good spot for the 2026-27 season, and will now have the opportunity to pick one of Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, or Abbey Murphy ahead of next season, players who could significantly alter their hopes for next year for the better.
**Stats were compiled using InStat