TORONTO — The Toronto Sceptres are set to enhance their lineup significantly with the return of their star forward, Natalie Spooner.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League team revealed that Spooner has been taken off long-term injured reserve and will participate in her season opener during the home game against the reigning champions, the Minnesota Frost, on Tuesday.
Spooner had an impressive performance last season, earning the title of MVP in the inaugural PWHL campaign by scoring a league-high 20 goals and accumulating 27 points. However, the 34-year-old forward from Toronto suffered a knee injury in the third period of Game 3 during the semifinal playoff against Minnesota, which had sidelined her since then.
Expressing her excitement, Spooner mentioned, “I’m thrilled to be back with my teammates and am eager to compete alongside them again. The journey to this moment has been lengthy, and I owe it to the incredible people who supported me along the way.”
As of Tuesday, the Sceptres were positioned in fourth place in the league standings with a total of 19 points, just one point behind the third-place New York team.
In a related roster move, Toronto released defender Lauren Bernard from her standard player agreement but signed her to a reserve contract, while also letting go of reserve player Sam Cogan to accommodate Spooner’s return.