Toronto’s goaltending tandem is intentional, not unsettled. How the Sceptres manage Elaine Chuli and Raygan Kirk reveals a process-driven approach built on trust as well as performance.
The word ‘tandem’ gets used a lot in hockey when a team doesn’t want to designate a number one goaltender. But in Toronto, the label has taken on a more specific — and more interesting — meaning.
From the outset of the season, the Sceptres made it clear they were comfortable entering the year with Elaine Chuli and Raygan Kirk sharing the net in some fashion. The crease situation since has not been a simple back-and-forth split, nor a contentious battle, but something more deliberate: a tandem built around context, matchups, and long-term confidence rather than short-term results.
Two goalies, two very different paths
Chuli arrived in Toronto as a free agent with a resumé that included championships, impressive stats, and years of professional experience. At training camp, she spoke openly about opportunity — not as entitlement (after playing two seasons in Montreal as Ann-Renée Desbiens’ backup), but as something to be earned.
“I think we all want to play,” she said. “But it’s always about the team first. There’s always opportunity — it’s what you do with it.”
From the start, Chuli talked about enjoying the group in front of her, about leadership, and about keeping things light even while remaining intensely competitive. “At the end of the day, it’s a game,” she said. “You’re here to support each other and have fun while you’re doing it.”
Kirk, meanwhile, entered her second professional season in a very different place. Last year was about learning — new systems, new shooters, new expectations. This year, she has focused more on consistency than discovery.
“Last year it was kind of eyes wide open,” Kirk said earlier this season. “This year it’s more about reading my notes, learning from last year, and showing that you can be consistent.”
What usage tells us
Through the early stretch of the season, Kirk handled more starts and more minutes. She was trusted in the first game, the home opener, and difficult matchups. Even after losses, Toronto resisted the urge to overreact.
Chuli’s starts, by contrast, have been more targeted. She played two of the first seven games. Her demeanor stayed even.
After her big win in Montreal at the Bell Centre, Chuli downplayed the moment.
“It’s a special building,” she said, “but I just tried to treat it like any other game. Give the team a chance to win.”
The Minnesota game: a stress test, not a referendum
The team philosophy was tested in the next game against Minnesota, when Chuli got the start and Toronto struggled to find offense. A late goal at the end of the second period — turning a 3–1 game into 4–1 with just seconds remaining — changed the tenor of the night. Chuli was replaced for the third period, with Kirk finishing the game cleanly in relief.
It was the first in-game goalie change of the season, and the first time the tandem had been tested under real stress.
Head coach Troy Ryan described the decision in practical terms, pointing to familiar coaching considerations: momentum, and the need to keep a game from getting away when scoring is hard to come by. He emphasized that the move was situational: "We need to have our goalie make those saves when we’re not putting the puck in the net. We need to keep it close –– she [Chuli] knows that, she acknowledged it after the game."
What “tandem” means to the coach
Ryan has been candid about how he views goaltending — and just as firm about what he doesn’t believe.
He has repeatedly pushed back on the idea of “win and you’re in” or “lose and you’re out,” stressing that such thinking creates unnecessary pressure. Instead, he describes goaltending decisions as layered.
Some goalies, he noted, match up better against teams that generate traffic and point shots. Others excel against teams that attack below the goal line. Confidence matters. So does how the team feels playing in front of a goalie. None of those factors alone make the decision — but all of them inform it.
Ryan rejected the idea that a tandem has to mean equality.
“Tandem isn’t equal to me,” he said. “It’s not 50–50. It’s that we’re going to play both.”
There is, at least for now, no internal push to label a number one. The priority is keeping both goalies engaged, confident, and capable of stepping into difficult situations without fear that a single night will define them.
Why Toronto’s approach stands out
Minnesota has operated a tandem for three seasons — but with a different rhythm. Under head coach Ken Klee, the Frost have often split starts early, then leaned heavily on the hotter hand once one emerges. This season, Nicole Hensley has earned that run, starting more games and delivering strong numbers, while Maddie Rooney has been used more sparingly.
Minnesota’s tandem works not just because of performance, but because it has that shared context. Toronto’s is being built in real time — with the coaching staff actively managing confidence, not just results.
Both models work. But they answer different questions. Minnesota asks: Who is playing best right now?
Toronto asks: Who gives us the best chance in this game — and how do we protect both goalies over the season?
The human element
What's crucial to this approach isn’t just philosophy — it’s buy-in.
Chuli has consistently emphasized being a good teammate first, framing her role in Toronto around reliability and support.
“I think that’s something you learn as you get older,” Chuli said. “It’s about being a good teammate and a good person first. That really goes a long way. At the end of the day, it’s a game — you want to compete, but you also want to support each other and enjoy being here.”
That mindset has shown up not just in how she’s handled starts, but in how she’s navigated the uncertainty that comes with a shared crease. Chuli has spoken often about leadership, communication, and keeping things light, even while acknowledging her own competitive edge.
“I am very competitive — sometimes to a fault,” she admitted at training camp. “So I try to turn it on when I need it, and also learn how to turn it off and be a great teammate.”
Kirk, meanwhile, has spoken about trust — both in her preparation and in the group playing in front of her.
That trust, she noted, becomes especially important when games turn quickly. “Things are going to swing — that’s just how games go,” Kirk said. “For me, it’s sticking to my checklist, staying in my routine, and having a lot of belief in our D-core. When you trust them, it lets you stay calm and just focus on the next shot.”
Toronto’s tandem will need to remain steady even if results and roles shift — and so far, the numbers reflect that balance. Kirk has handled the heavier workload, appearing in six games, posting a 2.07 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage (and just one win). Chuli has been used more selectively, appearing in four games, with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage (but three wins).
Neither goalie is treating starts as validation, or backing up as a setback. And the coaching staff has been careful not to frame decisions in those terms either.
Looking ahead
Toronto’s next game against Seattle (in Hamilton) comes at a moment when this structure has finally been tested.
Who starts (likely Kirk?) will matter because it shows how Toronto responds to discomfort. The Sceptres aren't evading answers in net. They’re refusing to simplify a position that rarely rewards the easy path.