Sarah Nurse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarah Nurse |
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Nurse with PWHL Toronto in 2024
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| Born | January 4, 1995 Burlington, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 148 lb (67 kg; 10 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoots | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PWHL team Former teams |
PWHL Vancouver Toronto Sceptres Toronto Furies |
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| National team |  Canada |
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| Playing career | 2015–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sarah Nurse, born on January 4, 1995, is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. She plays as a forward for PWHL Vancouver in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Sarah also proudly represents the Canada women's national ice hockey team. She first joined the national team at the 2015 4 Nations Cup. Nurse has played for Canada in two Winter Olympics, in 2018 and 2022.
After playing college hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers, Nurse played one season for the Toronto Furies in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). When that league closed in 2019, she helped start the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). She was also on its board of directors. In 2023, when the PWHPA helped create the PWHL, Sarah Nurse joined the leadership team for the league's player union, the PWHL Players Association (PWHLPA).
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Hockey Days
Sarah Nurse started her hockey journey playing for Stoney Creek. She won a silver medal at the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) provincials. In high school, she earned a bronze medal at the 2010 OFSAA championships and a silver in 2011.
During the 2010–11 Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL) season, she was the top scorer for the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres. She was also named an alternate captain for Stoney Creek in the 2011–12 season. That year, her team won a bronze medal at the PWHL championships. In the 2012–13 season, Nurse set a new league record for most goals in a season, scoring 35 goals. She even scored a hat-trick in the final game of that season.
College Hockey
From 2013 to 2017, Sarah Nurse played NCAA Division hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin. They were part of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
In 2015, during the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game, Nurse scored two goals. One of these was the game-winning goal against Bemidji State. On December 4, 2016, she scored three goals against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This was a special moment, as she was the first player in her program's history to score a hat-trick against their main rivals.
Professional Hockey
CWHL (2018–2019)
After playing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sarah Nurse was chosen second overall by the Toronto Furies in the 2018 CWHL Draft. On October 17, 2018, she scored her first CWHL goal. This goal broke a tie and helped the Furies win their game 3–1.
PWHPA (2019–2023)
After the CWHL closed, Nurse played for Team Sonnet (Toronto) in the 2021 Secret Cup. This event was part of the 2020–21 PWHPA Dream Gap Tour. She scored a goal and had an assist in the championship game.
PWHL (2023–present)
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When the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) started, Sarah Nurse was one of the first three players signed by PWHL Toronto. The other two were fellow Canadian Olympians Blayre Turnbull and Renata Fast. In her first season, the 2023–24 season, she scored 11 goals and made 12 assists in 24 regular season games.
During the 2024–25 season, she scored six goals and had eight assists in 21 regular season games.
As the league grew to eight teams for the 2025–26 season, Nurse was not protected by the Toronto Sceptres. On June 5, 2025, she signed a one-year contract with PWHL Vancouver.
International Play
Sarah Nurse has had a very successful international career playing for Canada. She was part of Team Ontario blue that won a gold medal in 2011 and a bronze in 2012 at the National Women's Under-18 Championship. She also helped the Canadian team win gold at the 2013 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship.
At the 2015 4 Nations Cup, Nurse won a gold medal with Canada's U22/Development Team. She also participated in the Elite Women's 3-on-3 game at the Skills Competition of the 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game.
Nurse was chosen to play for Team Canada in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. She scored her first Olympic goal in a 2–1 win against the United States. Team Canada won a silver medal in a shootout against the United States.
On January 11, 2022, Nurse was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team for the Beijing Games. In Beijing, she set two new Olympic records for women's hockey. She had the most points (18) and most assists (13) in a single tournament.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Sarah Nurse started skating when she was three years old and began playing hockey at age five. Her family has many athletes. Her cousins include Darnell Nurse, a professional hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers, and Kia Nurse, a basketball player for the Chicago Sky. Her uncles were also involved in sports; Donovan McNabb played professional football, and Richard Nurse played in the Canadian Football League.
Sarah Nurse is biracial, with a Black Trinidadian father and a white mother. She has spoken openly about racism in ice hockey. In 2016, after an offensive incident at a college football game, Nurse spoke out against racism in student athletics. In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, she encouraged Canadians to recognize racism in their own country. She also mentioned how much attention her social media posts about racial equality received. In September 2020, another player, Liz Knox, stepped down from the PWHPA board so Nurse could take her place, recognizing the need for more focus on race issues in hockey. After the PWHL started in 2023, Nurse was named to the executive committee of the PWHL Players Association.
In November 2020, Mattel and Tim Hortons created two special Barbie dolls based on Sarah Nurse and fellow hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin. These dolls were part of Barbie's You Can Be Anything program, which aims to inspire girls. Nurse was also featured on the June 2021 cover of Elle Canada. In 2022, Nurse appeared as a guest judge on the third season of Canada's Drag Race. Also in 2022, she made history by becoming the first woman to appear on the cover of an EA Sports NHL video game, NHL 23, alongside Trevor Zegras.
Career Statistics Summary
Sarah Nurse has had a strong career in various leagues. In her amateur career with the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres, she played 105 games, scoring 76 goals and 49 assists for 125 points.
During her college years at the University of Wisconsin (2013–2017), she played 150 games, scoring 76 goals and 61 assists, totaling 137 points.
In the CWHL (2018–2019), she played 26 games for the Toronto Furies, scoring 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points. She also played 3 playoff games, scoring 1 goal.
In the PWHPA (2019–2023), she played 24 games, with 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points.
For the PWHL (2023–present), she has played 45 regular season games, scoring 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points. In 9 playoff games, she has recorded 2 assists.
Internationally, for Team Canada, she has played 5 games in the U18 category, scoring 1 goal. In senior international play (Olympics and World Championships), she has played 54 games, scoring 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points.
Awards and Honours
- EA Sports NHL cover athlete (2023)
NCAA Awards
- All-WCHA Rookie Team (2013–14)
- 2015 WCHA Frozen Face-Off Most Outstanding Player
- WCHA All-Tournament Team (2015)
- All-WCHA Third Team (2015–16)
- Second-Team All-American (2016–17)
- WCHA 20th Anniversary Team
PWHL Awards
- PWHL All-Second team (2023–24)
IIHF and Olympic Medals
- IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship gold medalist (2021, 2022, 2024)
- IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship silver medalist (2023, 2025)
- IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship bronze medalist (2019)
- Olympic gold medalist (2022)
- Olympic silver medalist (2018)
