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Zoe Boyd, Brianne Jenner and Kayla Vespa will be among the first women to work as professional athletes in Hamilton, and they know how much that means to their fans — especially for girls who can now see a pathway to professional hockey.
Zoe Boyd, Brianne Jenner and Kayla Vespa will be among the first women to work as professional athletes in Hamilton, and they know how much that means to their fans — especially for girls who can now see a pathway to professional hockey.
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Kayla Vespa, Brianne Jenner and Zoe Boyd are among the inaugural roster for Hamilton's new Professional Women's Hockey League team, which hits the ice in December.
Hockey players Zoe Boyd, Brianne Jenner and Kayla Vespa stood near the corner of York Boulevard and Bay Street North, under the massive digital sign that advertises upcoming events at Hamilton's TD Coliseum. One of the many ads in the rotation featured their team, PWHL Hamilton, and they stared silently together at the logo that represents the next chapter in their lives and playing careers.
Boyd, Jenner, Vespa and their teammates on the Professional Women's Hockey League expansion team are local trailblazers in women's sports. They'll be among the first women to work as professional athletes in Hamilton, and they know how much that means to their fans — especially for girls who can now see a pathway to professional hockey.
Thanks to the success of the three-year-old league, many of the league's youngest fans don't remember a time when only men could aspire to playing hockey as a career, said Jenner, previously captain of the Ottawa Charge. WATCH | How much do Hamilton's new PWHL players know about the city? :Hamilton is getting a new PWHL team this year. How well do the city's new PWHL players know the city?
We find out. During the PWHL's last season, its third, the league surpassed one million single-season attendees for the first time and averaged more than 9,000 fans per game, it said. The eight-team league will grow to 12 this coming season, with the addition of Hamilton, Las Vegas, San Jose and Detroit.
"To be where we're at three years in is just mind-blowing," said Jenner, who was part of the formation of the league and a negotiator for the players' first collective bargaining agreement. "I think this is what I envisioned it could be 20 years in. " The Hamilton players are settling into their new city and will attend training camp at Morgan Firestone Arena in Ancaster starting Nov. 18.
They're eagerly anticipating the release of their team name and branding — coming "soon," says the franchise. The league's schedule is also yet to be released, with games expected to start in December. Ottawa Charge's Zoe Boyd battles for the puck with Toronto Sceptres' Blayre Turnbull during PWHL action in Edmonton on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
Boyd was drafted by Ottawa right out of college, and played for the Boston Fleet last season, before signing with Hamilton. In addition to her hockey duties, she also hosts the podcast. The show's interviews with queer athletes and entertainers have episode titles such as, "Is women's baseball the gayest sport?
" and "How gay snowboarding really is. " Asked if she has Hamilton content lined up now that she's almost a local, she responded, "Oh, 100 per cent, girl," but declined to share specifics.
Boyd said she's looking forward to being part of the "vibrant" local queer community, saying it's "definitely a great feeling to be back north of the border" given the "trying times right now" for 2SLGBTQ+ communities in the U.S. Boyd was apartment-hunting in Hamilton the same day as her CBC interview. She says she'll be moving here with her "big, fat, fluffy" cat Sam.
Ottawa Charge's Brianne Jenner waits for a face off against the Vancouver Goldeneyes during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 14, 2026. Jenner has as solid a resume as a hockey player can get, including four Olympic medals with Team Canada.
She was named most valuable player at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and left her role as captain of the Ottawa Charge to move to Hamilton. Jenner comes to Hamilton with her wife Hayleigh Cudmore, who is also a decorated hockey player, and their three children: a five-year-old daughter and two-year-old twin boys. They moved into their place Sept. 1, in time for the new school year.
"The last couple weeks have been definitely emotional, saying goodbye to our friends in Ottawa," she told CBC Hamilton. "I'm really excited to plant my roots here in Hamilton... and just meet as many Hamiltonians as I can and be involved in the community. " New York forward Kayla Vespa celebrates with teammates after scoring against Toronto during the PWHL's first game, in Toronto on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
Vespa grew up in Hamilton, playing for the Ancaster Avalanche and Stoney Creek Sabres. She attended St. Jean de Brébeuf and St. John Henry Newman Catholic secondary schools. After finishing college, Vespa worked as a Hamilton snowplow driver while playing in the Professional Women's Hockey Player Association in Toronto. She played for the New York Sirens in the PWHL before signing with Hamilton, scoring in the league's first-ever game against Toronto on Jan. 1, 2024.
Vespa says it's "just surreal" to think about skating onto the ice at TD Coliseum in front of a hometown crowd.
"I know they'll be packing the barn and just very loud," she told CBC Hamilton. Vespa lives with her parents in Hamilton and describes her older sister as her best friend.
"They're probably like, 'Oh, we love that you're back,' but I'm also probably a pain for them, a little bit, too," she said. CBC Sports insider Karissa Donkin sets the scene for the Walter Cup final in Montreal and gives her insight on the PWHL expansion decisions. Saira Peesker is a reporter with CBC Hamilton, with particular interests in climate, labour and local politics.
She has previously worked with the Hamilton Spectator and CTV News, and is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, covering business and personal finance. Regina Pats aim to level up this WHL season with new coach, young core
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