Arthur native selected by Las Vegas in PWHL draft

ARTHUR – Sydney Healey’s lifelong dream of playing professional hockey took a major step forward on June 17, when Las Vegas selected the Arthur native in the sixth round (65th overall) in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) draft.

“It didn’t hit me until I was walking out of the venue, and then I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually happening,’” Healey told the Advertiser.

“The overall feeling was just unreal.”

Healey said she first picked up a “little plastic stick” when she was two years old and learned to skate at age three.

As a child, she primarily played boys’ hockey in Centre Wellington and also competed in minor lacrosse.

The 21-year-old said that growing up, she always dreamed of becoming the first woman to play in the National Hockey League because professional women’s hockey “wasn’t an option” at the time.

That changed during her sophomore year at Boston University (BU), when the launch of the PWHL was announced.

The league was officially founded in June 2023 and began its inaugural season in January 2024.

“That was a really exciting moment for me and all my teammates because we realized that we had the opportunity to continue to play hockey at a really high level,” Healey said.

Now drafted by one of the league’s four expansion teams (Las Vegas does not yet have an official team name), Healey said earning a roster spot is the next challenge.

“I’m going in there to try out and make the team, and obviously I’m going to be on their radar a little more because I was one of their draft picks,” she said.
“So there’s nothing solidified yet.”

Healey will attend the team’s development camp in November. If she earns a roster spot, she will head to Las Vegas for the start of the season in December.

Before the PWHL was established, Healey said she expected to continue her career in Europe. Now, her focus is entirely on earning a place in the PWHL.

“There is no second option. I will be playing in this league,” she said.

Healey is coming off an impressive senior season with the BU Terriers, appearing in 35 games during the 2025-26 campaign and recording 29 points (18 goals and 11 assists).

According to the BU athletics website, four of her goals came while her team was shorthanded, despite never having scored a shorthanded goal prior to the season.

The university also noted that, during her junior season, Healey scored the overtime winner to secure BU’s first Hockey East championship since 2015. And she is just the fourth Terrier to be selected in the PWHL draft.

In 2024-25, Healey played all 38 games, recording 23 points (15 goals, eight assists). She was named Hockey East Tournament MVP after scoring the overtime winner in the Hockey East championship game.

She also earned Hockey East Player of the Week honours on Feb. 2 after scoring twice on Jan. 31.

Before joining BU, Healey played in the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association with the Burlington Barracudas, Oakville Hornets and Cambridge Rivulettes.

During one season with the Barracudas, she recorded 18 goals and eight assists in 29 games.

Healey was also selected to attend the Team Canada U18 hockey camp and the U18 OWHA Summer Development Tryout Camp in 2021.

Looking ahead, Healey said she’s excited for the opportunity to compete alongside players she grew up watching.

“All of the Olympians, and all those players that have really paved the way for us young female athletes to feel confident enough to continue playing and push ourselves … the opportunity to play with them and learn from them, I think, is something I’m really looking forward to,” she said.