PWHL San Jose is bringing one of its own back home.
The team announced Wednesday that it has signed forward Brooke Bryant, a Northern California native and former Jr. Shark, to a one-year deal. With Bryant on board, San Jose now has 13 players under contract heading into a season that begins late this year.
Bryant, a Linden native, made history in 2022 as the first Californian to play in the PWHL when she debuted with Minnesota. She went on to win back-to-back Walter Cup titles with that club before spending last season with the Seattle Torrent.
In 71 career PWHL games, Bryant has six points. She also spent five seasons at Minnesota State University and won gold with Team USA at the 2024 Inline Hockey World Championship.
Her ties to San Jose run deep. Bryant played for the San Jose Jr. Sharks 12-under team that captured the Pacific District Championship in 2012 and also competed in that year’s USA Hockey Tier II National Championships.
At the time, Bryant was 11 and told the Stockton Record that her goal was to play in the Olympics. Her Jr. Sharks coach, Rick Burke, said he saw that drive early after watching her at an all-girls hockey camp the previous summer.
“I remember she had an injury problem at the time, but she’s a tough kid and a hockey player. She skated through it,” Burke told the Record.
“Talk about driven. This kid is extremely driven with natural athletic ability.”