Report: Toronto PWHL team to hire Troy Ryan as head coach

The Toronto PWHL team will hire Troy Ryan as its head coach, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported Wednesday.

Ryan, 51, has served as the head coach of Canada’s national women’s team since the 2021 World Championships in Calgary, winning a gold medal in his capacity with the team.

Since then, Ryan has coached Team Canada at two more World Championships and the 2022 Winter Olympics. He had previously served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at two additional World Championships and the 2018 Olympics.

Jeff Marek

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Sounds like Canadian national women’s head coach Troy Ryan will coach PWHL Toronto.

3:27 PM · Sep 6, 2023

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The PWHL Toronto franchise announced its three inaugural player signings on Wednesday morning — and, like Ryan, they’re all Canadian Olympians.

Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, and Renata Fast have all signed three-year contracts with the Toronto club. Nurse and Turnbull will serve as focal points of the team’s forward group, while Fast will be the cornerstone of the defense.

All three of Nurse, Turnbull, and Fast played under Ryan for Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics, with Turnbull serving as an alternate captain. Nurse led Team Canada with 13 assists and 18 points en route to her first Olympic gold medal.

In addition to his international duties, Ryan spent the previous three seasons as the head coach of the Dalhousie University women’s hockey team.

During his playing days as a defenseman, Ryan won a Callaghan Cup with the Halifax Mooseheads (before they entered the QMJHL) before suiting up for the University of New Brunswick and Saint Mary’s University. He concluded his playing career in 1998 and began coaching two years later, quickly moving up the ranks to serve as the head coach of the Acadia University men’s team.

Beyond hiring a coach and signing three players, the PWHL Toronto team still has plenty of business to take care of this month. They’re slated to select second overall in the inaugural PWHL Draft on September 18.