Ottawa signs Jenner, Clark, Maschmeyer to 3-year contracts

The PWHL's Ottawa franchise announced the league's first three signings Tuesday as the team landed forwards Emily Clark and Brianne Jenner, as well as goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, on three-year contracts.

"We are thrilled with the three players we have signed as the inaugural players for the Ottawa franchise. We truly believe that we have signed three incredible hockey players." Ottawa's general manager Mike Hirshfeld said in a statement.

"As important to us, we are focused on making Ottawa a best-in-class organization in the PWHL, a place where players want to come and play. Building a culture is important to us and we believe these three players are incredibly well-respected and will help us to lay the foundation of the type of organization we aspire to be."

PWHL teams have until Sept. 10 to sign up to three players before the league's inaugural draft on Sept. 18.

Jenner, 32, has been a fixture of Canada's national team since 2012. In three Olympics and nine World Championships, the Oakville, Ontario native collected 30 goals and 68 points in 69 contests. She featured in the NCAA at Cornell University from 2010-15 and played four seasons with the CWHL's Calgary Inferno, where she tallied 51 goals and 114 points in 103 games from 2015-19. The 2022 Olympic MVP featured in the PWHPA last season and led Team Sonnet in scoring with 19 points in 20 contests.

"This is a dream come true," Jenner said in a statement. "I'm thrilled and honored with the opportunity to help build a franchise in Ottawa and help establish a culture and atmosphere here that will be a foundation for years to come. I couldn't be more excited to get to Ottawa and become a part of the community."

"(Jenner's) accomplishments to date are incredibly impressive and we are excited to watch her lead our team over the next few seasons," Hirshfeld said of Jenner. "We strongly believe her leadership and work ethic will lay a foundation for all of our players and our entire franchise and create the type of team culture and commitment that we believe is extremely important."

Clark, 27, has played for Canada at seven World Championships and two Olympics. She's accrued 12 goals and 20 points in 55 games across the nine tournaments. Clark's team performance particularly stands out on her resume - she racked up 70 goals and 146 points in 147 games at the University of Wisconsin from 2014-19. The Saskatoon native finished second in PWHPA scoring last season with 10 goals and 23 points in 20 contests as a member of Team Harvey's.

"I couldn't be happier to be a part of the PWHL Ottawa franchise and I am looking forward to building on the strong women's hockey history in the nation's capital," Clark said in a statement. "Having played there before, it was evident that the fans are passionate and that this is a hockey city. This is a dream come true and I cannot wait to get things started in Ottawa!"

"We love her complete 200-foot hockey game and strongly believe she is only getting better as a player and is heading into the prime years of her career," Hirshfeld said of Clark.

Maschmeyer, 28, has been part of the mix in Canada's crease since 2016. She's played 13 games across seven World Championships, where she's posted a .926 save percentage and a 7-4-0 record. The Alberta native made her Olympic debut in 2022, picking up wins against Russian Olympic Committee and Sweden. Maschmeyer starred at Harvard University from 2012-16 and played three seasons in the CWHL with the Calgary Inferno and Montreal Canadiennes. She totaled 51 appearances and a .930 SV% in the league. Last season, Maschmeyer split the net with the PWHPA's Team Scotiabank, recording a .922 SV% in 10 games.

"It is an absolute honor and privilege to be one of the first-ever players signed to the PWHL," Maschmeyer said in a statement. "I am thrilled to be joining the Ottawa organization as we build a strong-charactered, championship caliber team."

"We believe Emerance is one of the top goalies in the world and believe she is heading into the best years of her career," Hirshfeld said.

Ottawa holds the fifth overall pick in the PWHL draft, where the team will build out the rest of its roster.