What PWHL expansion means to all players, including Kendra Woodland of the Ottawa Charge

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How deep does the pool go?

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“Four more teams means 100 new jobs,” said Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld. “You’re always going to dilute talent when you add four teams. That’s just math. But the good news is there are lots of great players out there who deserve an opportunity in this league, and that’s what’s exciting. They’ll get that opportunity, and then we’ll have more cities and more fans be able to watch our games and see the great product we put on the ice, and the skill and athleticism of these athletes.

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“We’re really focused on the bigger picture and the good news story that is the fact expansion means that more people get to see our players in our sport, and our sport is continuing to grow.”

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What does it mean for a player like Kendra Woodland?

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If her name is unfamiliar, it’s because Woodland is a third-string rookie goalie for the Charge.

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At 26 years old, the Kamloops, B.C., native is a prime example of perseverance.

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She started to fall in love with hockey when she was three years old and was soon playing the game on the streets with her two older brothers.

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Her “journey” to Ottawa included five seasons at the University of New Brunswick, where she led the Reds to three Atlantic University Sports championships with an overall record of 53-35-0, along with a 1.68 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

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Woodland was overlooked in the 2024 and 2025 PWHL drafts before joining the Charge as a free agent walk-on at this season’s training camp.

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She made the team and played a little more than 45 minutes of one game, on March 18 in Minnesota, when she allowed two goals and made 14 saves in a 5-0 loss to the Frost.

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Woodland may not be a household name, but she does have recognized hockey connections in Carolina Hurricanes playoff star Logan Stankoven, a close friend since childhood who she still trains with in the offseason, and, in a less personal way, former Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood, whose father was the principal at her elementary school in Alberta.

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And then there’s the link to former goalie Manon Rhéaume, a trendsetter who became the first woman to play in an exhibition game with any major North American sports team of any kind when she suited up for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992 and 1993.

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Woodland was a liaison at the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops when she met Rhéaume, who inspired her to continue pursuing her goal.

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“Seeing her become such a trailblazer in hockey, and being that first woman to play in the NHL, was huge for me, especially being a goalie,” said Woodland. “It was something that I could resonate with. To meet her and to just, you pick her brain for a week was really special for me.”

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Four more teams in the PWHL, of course, will provide Woodland with a greater opportunity to become a starting goalie in the league.

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“It was a grind for me to fight my way onto this team, and my journey to get here,” said Woodland. “Obviously, more teams means more spots for everybody, so it’s hard not to think of it on a personal note, but obviously the Charge has been so amazing … I absolutely love it here, and it’s somewhere I’d want to stay.

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“But, yeah, I think more opportunities just means more spots, so finding a way to play and a place to play is really important. I’ll just go where the wind takes me.”

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