PWHL Vancouver has officially signed 2025 first-round draft pick, Michelle Karvinen, to a one-year standard player agreement for the upcoming season. Karvinen, who has been to the Olympics four times throughout her professional hockey career, was PWHL Vancouver's first-ever entry draft selection. Karvinen's ties to Vancouver are strong, as she took part in her first-ever Olympics in BC back in 2010 and won bronze with the team. Her trophy cabinet is decorated with accolades like three Olympic bronze medals and eight IIHF World Championship medals: seven bronze and one silver. As the current all-time leading scorer for Finland at the World Championships (24G, 38A), Karvinen is a staple in Finland's hockey scene. “Joining Vancouver is like a full circle moment,” Karvinen explained in a press release. “Vancouver, you made my Olympic dream come true at the 2010 Olympics. Today you have once again made a dream come true. As a little hockey girl, I could only dream of this moment, to be a professional hockey player and to play in a professional women’s hockey league. I feel very honoured to join the Vancouver and British Columbia community, to be part of raising the women’s hockey bar even higher, and to be part of PWHL Vancouver from the very first puck drop.” Karvinen spent three years in the NCAA with the University of North Dakota from 2011 to 2014, even serving as captain in her last season with the team. From there, she spent five seasons in Sweden, all with Luleå HF, and finished with a total of 141 goals and 173 assists in 152 games. After stints in Switzerland, Russia, and Sweden once again, the 35-year old has found her way back to Vancouver as a member of the PWHL. “Michelle is a proven winner and hockey veteran with a wealth of experience, and we are excited to welcome a player of her calibre to PWHL Vancouver,” General Manager Cara Gardner Morey added. “Her leadership on and off the ice is going to be immensely important to the success of our team this season.” Karvinen is part of a deep Vancouver draft class that includes defenders Nina Jobst-Smith and Madison Samoskevich, and forwards Brianna Brooks and Chanreet Bassi. While the final roster is currently unknown, fans will definitely want to catch the team's home opener against PWHL Seattle on November 21 at the Pacific Coliseum.
