The Toronto Sceptres have hired Vicky Sunohara as coach consultant, the PWHL team announced Tuesday.
In her new role, Sunohara will provide advice and insights to the coaching staff as they prepare and execute team strategy, using her coaching and play experience to enhance team performance.
The recent Canada Sports Hall of Fame inductee will continue as head coach of the University of Toronto women’s hockey team even as she enters this new role, and will take on more hands-on responsibility with the Sceptres after the U Sports season is over.
“It is such an incredible honour to be a part of this amazing group of inspiring athletes and staff. I am both humbled and excited to join the Toronto Sceptres to work with and learn from some of the best people in the game, while continuing as head coach of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues,” Sunohara said in a statement.
Sunohara was a decorated centre and trailblazer as a player in Canadian women’s hockey, winning three Olympic medals — two gold and a silver — and seven World Championship golds.
Sunohara’s coaching accolades also stack up, as she has collected three consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and U Sports Coach of the Year awards. She was also named OUA Female Coach of the Year across all sports in the 2019-20 season.
The second season of the PWHL starts on Nov. 30, when the newly named Toronto Sceptres and Boston Fleet will meet at Coca-Cola Coliseum.