Vancouver bolsters blue line with Channell-Watkins, Greco

PWHL Vancouver is adding more championship pedigree to its blue line.

The expansion franchise announced Tuesday it signed defenders Mellissa Channell-Watkins to a one-year contract and Emma Greco to a two-year deal.

Channell-Watkins spent the last two seasons with back-to-back Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost. The 30-year-old tallied nine points in 53 regular-season games across the past two campaigns and added one goal and eight assists in 18 appearances over the last two postseasons.

"Mellissa is a proven veteran defender who can play against this league's top talent," PWHL Vancouver general manager Cara Gardner Morey said. "She is a fierce competitor who is not afraid to play physical in all situations."

Greco, 30, has registered three assists in 50 career regular-season PWHL games. She suited up in 10 playoff contests en route to a Walter Cup with Minnesota in 2024 before spending last season with the Boston Fleet.

"We are equally thrilled to add another experienced veteran in Emma to our world-class D-corps," Morey said. "Emma plays a confident and tough defensive game on the back end with the vision and ability to move the puck up ice quickly."

Channell-Watkins and Greco will join a blue line that already includes former Walter Cup champions Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques.

Vancouver already loaded up on forward with Tereza Vanisova, Hannah Miller, and Michela Cava in free agency after reeling in Sarah Nurse, among others, during the expansion process.