VANCOUVER – Michela Cava is excited to join a new team that’s building from the ground floor up.
The 31-year-old Thunder Bay forward signed a two-year deal this week with the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Vancouver franchise, one of two expansion teams that will begin play this fall in the eight-team league.
A back-to-back Walter Cup champion with the Minnesota Frost, Cava said it wasn’t easy leaving to join a new team, but at the same time, there’s plenty of excitement building on the West Coast.
“I just feel like it’s a point in my career where I felt like trying something else out would be a good fit for me,” Cava said in a recent interview with Dougall Media.
“I’m super excited to go out west and I think adding those two teams out there is pretty incredible. When I saw some of the players that were being added in the expansion draft, and some of them were pretty good friends of mine from Minnesota, it all made sense to head out there and I’m super excited to head out there.”
Cava, including her time overseas in Europe, has won five straight league championships and enjoyed a resurgence of sorts last season with the Frost, putting up nine goals and 19 points in 30 appearances after scoring just five times and adding three assists in 24 games in her first season in the PWHL.
She’s looking forward to helping the Vancouver team, which has yet to announce its nickname, begin its journey toward a title of its own.
Cava said it would be fun trying to win over new fans and trying to bring the franchise to life.
“I think that’s a really cool thing to be a part of and I think we’re all going to take huge pride in being the first ones out there,” she said.
What role she plays with Vancouver is up in the air, though she acknowledged her self-expectations have continued to build in her two-season PWHL career.
That said, she’ll do what the team needs.
“Obviously, I want to be a top-six forward and be a player that plays a big role on the team. Trying to figure out which team fit me best in this offseason, I addressed those concerns,” Cava said.
“I felt like in Minnesota, I had kind of taken on that role and that’s what I want to continue to play. I expect big things for myself to go out there and prove that that’s where I belong. We have a lot of skilled players out there and I know roles can change, but personal-wise, I think I can still succeed and play a top role in this league.”
Cava said she expects to make her way to Vancouver in mid-October, with the PWHL season slated to start at some point in November. She added she’s unsure of her plans for her day with the Walter Cup, though she remains hopeful she’ll be able to do a public event at some point, dependent on how much time the former Thunder Bay Queen is afforded with the trophy.
