Latest news with #TroyRyan
National Post
27-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Toronto Sceptres draft night trade brings Ella Shelton back to plenty of familiarity
The newest veteran defender on the Toronto Sceptres looked down at the colours and crest on the jersey she was wearing and wondered aloud how long it was going to take to get used to them. Article content But the colours are going to be the only uncomfortable thing for Ella Shelton as she makes the move from the New York Sirens to the Sceptres. Article content Article content Shelton, 27, was acquired on draft night for the Sceptres third-overall pick and their third-rounder, 27 th overall. Article content It brings the Ingersoll native back to some familiar company in national team GM Gina Kingsbury, head coach Troy Ryan and players like Renata Fast, Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais and Natalie Spooner, who Shelton has shared plenty of days and nights with during the international portion of her career. Three world championship gold medals and an Olympic gold medal are just some of the spoils from playing with that group. Article content On top of that familiarity, she's now just a two-hour drive from the family farm, is back living in the same city with one of her brothers and has an extensive family support system throughout the area from Toronto all the way back to the family home in Ingersoll. Article content Article content Shelton learned of the deal just before Cassie Campbell took to the stage at the brand new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the outskirts of Ottawa early on draft night and drew gasps from the crowd with the news that Shelton had just become a member of the Sceptres. Article content The gasps may have also been about New York earning the right to claim the top two forwards in the draft after adding Patty Kazmaier winner Casey O'Brien with the third pick after selecting the imposing Kristyna Kaltounkova with the night's first pick. Article content Article content All Shelton needed to see was the joy in the faces of the veteran Sceptres in the crowd as the cameras panned to them to know she was going to be very happy with the deal. Article content Article content 'I think it's really exciting to be back home,' Shelton said Friday while surrounded by microphones and cameras in the Sceptres locker room. 'I wouldn't trade my two years in New York for anything. I think they have done a lot for me there, too, but I'm excited for a new opportunity and a new space and see what I can do for Toronto.' Article content In joining Toronto, Shelton becomes a teammate of the player she most models her game after in Fast, the newly minted PWHL defender of the year. Article content 'I can't say enough good things about Renata Fast,' Shelton said. 'She is one that took me under her wing when I graduated from college. She was one I could reach out to and ask any question and I didn't feel out of place. And then just seeing her work ethic over the past couple of years has just been tremendous and very motivational for myself.
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan named one of PWHL's Coach of the Year finalists
Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan directs his team as they play the Minnesota Frost in the first period of a PWHL hockey playoff game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. TORONTO — Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for the PWHL's coach of the year. Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses). Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL. MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale. The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league — four more than their inaugural total — despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers. Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Bench bosses of 3 Canadian PWHL teams named coach of the year finalists
Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for Professional Women's Hockey League coach of the year honours. Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses). Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL. MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale. The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league - four more than their inaugural total - despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers. Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first.
Globe and Mail
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
‘Winning is not easy': Sceptres reflect on season after early PWHL post-season exit
Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan says his team has learned just how tough it is to win. The Sceptres fell 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday to lose their best-of-five semi-final against the defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost in four games. It's the second consecutive year Toronto lost to Minnesota in the semi-finals despite being the higher seed entering the playoffs. 'Winning is not easy,' Ryan said at the team's end-of-season news conference on Friday. 'If I've learned anything through some of my time at the national team level, sometimes it's taken for granted. It's never easy. 'And I think this group, probably through some hard lessons, are learning that it's not easy to win, and you've got to invest your time in well before it's ever a playoff time to be, you know, putting yourself in a situation where you can have success.' Toronto finished second in the PWHL standings behind Montreal and clinched a playoff berth a week before its regular-season finale. 'I'm going to be unhappy every time [a loss] happens,' Ryan said. 'You can be unhappy where you are at. It doesn't mean you're not happy with where you're going, right? And I think this group … [has] a pretty good sense of … where we can improve.' Captain Blayre Turnbull said the main takeaway will be the importance of being consistent each day of the season. 'There were certain points throughout the year where I felt like, sometimes our habits weren't where they needed to be or where they should be based on what our standards and our expectations are,' she said. 'Looking ahead into next season I think we have to make sure that those habits and details are being executed the way we want them to be every day so that by the end of the season and come playoff time, it's just natural and we can peak for longer than just a few games in the playoffs. 'It would be great for us to kind of have our on-ice identity completely solidified long before we enter playoffs so that we just hit the ground running and everything feels very natural.' The team entered the season with high expectations after an inaugural season that saw Toronto finish first in the league standings before its postseason loss to Minnesota. However, the Sceptres faced their share of injury troubles throughout the campaign. Last season's MVP Natalie Spooner was out of the lineup until Feb. 11 after knee surgery, while top rookie defender Megan Carter was lost before season's start until Jan. 25, and star forward Sarah Nurse missed almost two months before returning late March. Toronto also dealt star defender Jocelyne Larocque to Ottawa in December. 'We lost some big personalities in our locker room,' star defender Renata Fast said. 'We can't replace what someone like Joce [Larocque] brings on the ice and off the ice. But I really do think our group stepped up big. It didn't take us that long. 'We brought in two players that also have big leadership skills, and they came in and just like, it was seamless really. So once we started getting into games, it didn't take long.' With two new expansion teams set to enter the fold, in Vancouver and Seattle, Toronto anticipates losing some 'competitive' players to the upcoming expansion draft. 'I think we're comfortable with our entire team,' general manager Gina Kingsbury said. 'I think, we'll add pieces here in the draft. We'll obviously be active in the free agency period as well and try to continue to build on what we have, but we love the foundation that we've started here as a group with our team. 'Again, we started with this vision and we've built this team here over the last two years. I think we've built it in a way where we feel that with expansion we've created enough depth that now we can try to add pieces and be on the right track.'
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sceptres look to continue battling for Walter Cup after another early playoff exit
TORONTO – Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan says being unhappy with the result shouldn't mean being unhappy with where the team is headed. The Sceptres fell 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday to lose its best-of-five semifinal against the defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost in four games. It's the second consecutive year Toronto has fallen to Minnesota in the semifinals despite being the higher seed entering the playoffs. Toronto finished second in the PWHL standings behind Montreal and clinched a playoff berth a week before its regular-season finale. The Sceptres faced their share of injury troubles, especially with last season's MVP Natalie Spooner out of the lineup until Feb. 11 after knee surgery. They also lost top rookie defender Megan Carter before season's start until Jan. 25, and star forward Sarah Nurse missed almost two months before returning late March. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Ryan was content with his team's effort in Game 4 loss after two tough losses and acknowledged the difficulty of winning in the PWHL. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
