After more than a decade of playing hockey around the globe, Hannah Miller is back home.
Miller signed with the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s new Vancouver expansion team as a free agent in June in a move that has since spurred a number of “full-circle moments.”
The latest came last week when she helped coach an under-13 girls team in North Vancouver, B.C. The skills session took place at the same rink where she played as a kid.
“Itâ€s amazing,” Miller said of returning to her hometown. “Iâ€ve been playing kind of all over the place, overseas and in Toronto. So to come back and be in Vancouver and playing professionally, itâ€s a dream come true.
“I think it hasnâ€t really set in yet. I think thereâ€ll be a lot of emotions on that opening night in the (Pacific) Coliseum.â€
The 29-year-old forward was a standout for the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres during the 2024-25 campaign, contributing 10 goals and 14 assists over 29 regular-season appearances in her second year with the team.
Choosing to leave was difficult, she said.
“I really enjoyed my time in Toronto. Loved the group there, loved the staff. They drafted me back in the inaugural season, so that means a lot to me,” Miller said.
“But to have the opportunity to come back to Vancouver, where I grew up, where my family is, it just kind of seemed like everything was falling in place and coming full circle. And I think it was an opportunity I just couldnâ€t pass up.â€
A love of hockey has always been part of Miller.
There was no PWHL to work toward when she was first learning the game, but growing up, she dreamt of playing college hockey and playing in the Olympics.
“As soon as I put the skates on and was playing, youâ€re not thinking about anything else,” she said. “I just loved every aspect of it. Loved the team, the camaraderie thatâ€s built there. I think itâ€s the greatest game on Earth.â€
Miller played at St. Lawrence University in Upstate New York, and recorded 123 points in 124 games.
She went on to join the KRS Vanke Rays in Shenzen, China, and helped the team to two Zhenskaya Hockey League titles, and played for awhile in Sweden’s women’s league.
Her time in China allowed Miller to play for the country at the 2022 Beijing Olympics where she scored the host country’s first goal of the Games.
Now, though, Miller wants to once again play for Canada, the country where she grew up and earned back-to-back U-18 women’s hockey championships in 2013 and 2014.
After a stellar run in PWHL play last year, Miller was named to Canada’s roster for the women’s world hockey championship in March. The International Ice Hockey Federation later ruled she was ineligible to play because of its transfer rules.
The athlete and Team Canada have asked the sport’s governing body to reinstate her eligibility for the national squad, and are still awaiting the IIHF’s decision.
“Itâ€s kind of in the back of my mind, I guess. I think this process … itâ€s taken longer than I anticipated, than I thought it was going to be,” Miller said.
While they wait, she continues to train with the Canadian contingent as the country prepares for another world championship in November, followed by the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics in February.
Miller went to training blocks in Calgary and Toronto this summer, and will join the team for another in Montreal before returning to Vancouver for PWHL training camp.
No matter what the IIHF decides, the camps are a special opportunity, she said.
“At the end of the day, having the opportunity to go to these camps, get the preparation, get the best-on-best in practice, in training every day, thereâ€s really nowhere Iâ€d rather be,” she said.
“Regardless of what happens, I think itâ€s great preparation for myself leading into the season. Itâ€s been a lot of fun so far to be part of that group and get to know those girls better. Itâ€s pretty special.â€
Some of the faces in the Canada camps are the same ones Miller will soon skate alongside with PWHL Vancouver, including former Sceptres teammate Sarah Nurse and Jenn Gardiner, who spent last season with the Montreal Victoire.
The talent on Vancouver’s new team is part of what motivated Miller to sign a three-year deal.
“Honestly, when the team was getting built after I had signed, I was really happy with what (general manager) Cara (Gardner Morey) was putting together,” she said. “Great hockey players. I think we have an incredible team. But also a really great group of people. So I think itâ€s going to be a really fun team to be a part of.â€
The group will come together for the first time in mid-November before Vancouver hosts fellow expansion side PWHL Seattle for their first-ever game on Nov. 21.
“I think weâ€re going to be a fast, highly offensive team thatâ€s really exciting to watch,” Miller said.
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