Goldeneyes officially eliminated from 2026 PWHL playoff contention

A disappointing result for what was supposed to be a fruitful inaugural season in the PWHL.

Despite beating the Seattle Torrent on Saturday in overtime, the Vancouver Goldeneyes were officially eliminated from contention for the 2026 Walter Cup Playoffs.

With that, the team can now start accumulating Gold Plan points in its final two games of the regular season.

The Gold Plan was introduced by the PWHL prior to its inaugural season. What it means is, once a team is mathematically unable to qualify for the postseason, it can start earning points in a separate standings – Gold Plan points (or draft-order points). The point system is the same as the rest of the teams, but now the eliminated squad is trying to earn as many points as possible, with the team that gets the most draft points being granted the first overall pick in that year’s PWHL Draft. The Sirens have “won” the No. 1 pick in each of the first two seasons, leading to the team selecting Sarah Fillier and Kristyna Kaltounkova in consecutive years.

Compared to the Torrent, the Goldeneyes were the team that came out of last summer’s expansion process with the greatest expectations. With general manager Cara Gardner Morey calling the shots, the team made huge splashes in signing Sophie Jaques, Claire Thompson, Sarah Nurse, Emerance Maschmeyer and Jenn Gardiner. Then, the team selected captain Ashton Bell and Abby Boreen in the expansion draft and signed the likes of Tereza Vanisova and Hannah Miller in free agency.

However, when the puck actually dropped, Vancouver fell flat on its face. Sure, losing Sarah Nurse for almost two months certainly didn’t help, but even with a fully healthy lineup, the team struggled to perform on a consistent basis, hanging near the bottom of the league standings. The Goldeneyes have one of the worst road records in the PWHL, winning just one of 11 true away games for the first-year franchise.

Now, with the postseason future determined, the Goldeneyes can try and focus on building for the future. With a strong core, Gardner Morey has the tools to build a much better team for Year 2.