Sirens activate Dayle Ross from long-term injured reserve

An intriguing rookie is close to making her PWHL debut.

On Monday, the New York Sirens announced that defender Dayle Ross has been activated from long-term injured reserve. In response, the team has placed fellow blueliner Olivia Knowles back on its reserve list.

Ross was taken by the Sirens in the fourth round, 25th overall, of the 2025 PWHL Draft, signing a one-year contract with the team this past October. She was placed on LTIR before the season started as the 22-year-old had been recovering from offseason knee surgery. During her senior year at St. Cloud State, she was playing on a torn ACL that she didn’t realize until late in the campaign. It did little to slow her down, as she tied her career-high with 15 points in 36 games. She also registered a career-best plus/minus of +11 in 2024-25.

Ross could make her pro debut on Tuesday night, when New York visits the Toronto Sceptres. She admits that it has been a long road to recovery.

“I’ve worked extremely hard over the past nine months and have been patient while preparing for this opportunity,” Ross said in a release. “I’m excited to prove myself with the New York Sirens and to help my team in any way I can by playing with tenacity and grit. I’m also looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere our fans create and feeding off their energy when that moment comes.”

The Spirit River, Alb. native made an impact as one of the Huskies’ top defensive defenders, using physicality and exceptional awareness to help her stand out. Her fearlessness made her a standout on current Vancouver Goldeneyes head coach Brian Idalski’s teams at SCSU. She led the NCAA with 104 blocked shots during the 2022-23 season. In 142 games as a Husky, she notched seven goals and 33 assists for 40 points.

Knowles appeared in just one game for New York in her stint on the main roster, not seeing any ice time on New Year’s Eve against the Goldeneyes.

The Sirens (5-0-0-5) currently sit third in the PWHL, four points back of the first-place Boston Fleet.