PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner reflects on move to hockey-mad London area

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Natalie Spooner’s first season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League was a dream come true.

“I think it blew away all my expectations,” the PWHL Toronto forward and inaugural Billie Jean King MVP award winner said. “I didn’t think it would be this amazing. We played at Scotiabank Arena and the Bell Centre and were involved in pretty amazing moments. We never thought women’s hockey would get to a point where we would sell out a (NHL-sized venue) game in less than a day as fast as we did.

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“This is what we wanted for so long, hockey as a career and job. For that to finally be here and for it to happen while I’m still playing is amazing.”

Spooner, a 33-year-old Scarborough native, moved from Calgary to London after celebrating Canadian gold at the 2022 Olympics. Her husband Adam Redmond, a hockey skills coach, helped out the Western University women’s hockey team for a spell.

The couple’s son Rory was born 19 months ago at Victoria Hospital and the family settled in Komoka. It has turned into an eventful two years at the rink.

“My training both summers, one was coming back postpartum and this one, I’m coming off knee surgery, which has been a little different,” she said. “I’m doing all my rehab at EPIC (with former women’s national team physiotherapist and trainer Doug Stacey at the Komoka Wellness Centre). It’s been great. I feel like the hockey community in London is huge and I didn’t really realize that before.

“I knew London had good girls’ hockey teams growing up – you always hear about the London Devilettes – but to be immersed in this the past few years has been great.”

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She just ran into Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki at the rink. Last year, she hit the ice with future Canadian women’s star Julia Gosling and her power skating sessions with Kathy McLlwain included NHLers like Seattle Kraken centre Jared McCann.

The knee injury and surgery has been a setback but don’t count her out. Look what she did after having a child – a PWHL-leading 20 goals (runners-up Sarah Nurse and Grace Zumwinkle were nine behind) – and a league-best 27 points in 24 games.

“Coming back postpartum, you don’t know how things are going to go,” she said. “It’s so different for every woman and it’s like an under-researched field. Being able to have the impact I wanted was amazing. It was a tough end to the season with my injury and us not making it past the first round of the playoffs, but I’m super proud of the team and program we built in Year 1.”

There were fans showing up at games in spoon outfits to celebrate her scoring feats. The teams in the league still need nicknames but it’s a good step that individual players are standing out in the crowd.

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It’s hard to argue against Spooner as the world’s top female skater right now.

“I work hard every day to be the best player,” she said. “People bring different parts to the game. Something I’ve always been good at is being around the net and scoring. I was really able to bring that to this league and use my size (five-foot-10, 181 pounds) to my advantage.

“It played into the way I play and how I could finish around the net.”

She’s not done yet, either. She is focused on getting healthy for another season, helping PWHL Toronto win a championship and then preparing for a fourth Olympics in 2026 at Milan, Italy.

“I want to play as long as I can,” she said.

GRAND OPENING: Spooner will be on hand for Pro Hockey Life London’s official grand opening (3165 Wonderland Rd. S., Unit 1) Sunday (1:30-2:30 p.m.). St. Thomas native Lexie Adzija, who plays for PWHL Boston, will be there Saturday (10:30-11:30 a.m.). “I have a place to get my skates sharpened,” Spooner quipped. The meet-and-greets, autograph opportunities and interactive games also will allow visitors to see the shooting shone, Bauer Fit Lab and the pro shop on site.

rpyette@postmedia.com

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