Cara Gardner Morey Leaves Princeton to Lead the New PWHL Team in Vancouver
Cara Gardner Morey will leave her position as women’s hockey coach at Princeton after seven seasons to take on the role of general manager and first employee of the PWHL Vancouver expansion franchise, the league announced on Friday.
In addition to his 14 seasons at Princeton, Gardner Morey has held various coaching roles with Hockey Canada at the senior women’s and under-18 levels. He was also a development camp coach with the Philadelphia Flyers for the past four years.
In 2020, he led the Tigers to their first ECAC conference tournament title, as part of a record season for the school with 26 wins.
Among the former Tigers players are members of the Canadian national team, forward Sarah Fillier and defender Claire Thompson, who were selected first and third in last year’s PWHL draft.
Gardner Morey’s first priorities will include hiring coaching and support staff, as well as preparing for the league’s exclusive expansion signing period from June 4-8 and the expansion draft on June 9.
Her hiring comes two days after the PWHL named Meghan Turner, assistant general manager of the Boston Fleet, to take over as general manager of its other expansion franchise in Seattle. The six-team league, which is in the midst of completing its second season, announced the additions of Vancouver and Seattle in separate press conferences held a week apart late last month.
Cara brings exceptional experience at all levels of the game, a deep understanding of player development, and an unwavering passion for the advancement of women’s sports.
Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations
Originally from Hensall, Ontario, Gardner Morey played ice hockey and field hockey at Brown University, and also played in the original NWHL. She earned a master’s degree in education from Arizona State University.
It’s a privilege to help bring the best women’s hockey to one of the world’s greatest cities.
Cara Gardner Morey
Vancouver was selected as the first PWHL expansion franchise after attracting a sold-out crowd of 19,038 people to a neutral-site game in January. The yet-to-be-named Vancouver team will play in the former home of the Vancouver Canucks, the Pacific Coliseum.
