Vancouver’s new-look push got a major boost with the addition of Caroline Harvey, a left-shot defender who arrives with a résumé that already stretches from the Olympics to the NCAA’s biggest stage.
Harvey, who stands 5-foot-8, has represented the U.S. at two Olympics and five world championships, where she has won two top defender awards. She also just finished another dominant run with Wisconsin, helping the Badgers reach the NCAA Frozen Four national final for the fourth straight year. That stretch included a 3-2 win over Ohio State on March 22, Wisconsin’s third title in that span.
The 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner put up 64 points, including 18 goals and 46 assists, in 33 games last season. Her 1.94 points per game ranked second in the country, behind only Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy, who finished at 2.13.
Harvey’s style fits the kind of defender who changes the rhythm of a game by jumping into the attack. She put it plainly: “I love to be the fourth attacker, in constant pursuit of promoting offence. I love to have that jump in my step and just be aggressive and transitioning quickly.”
That offensive mindset could make for an intriguing pairing with Sophie Jaques, who was Vancouver’s second-leading scoring blue liner last season. Jaques posted nine goals and 20 points in 30 games and was a runner-up for the league’s top defender award. How coach Cara Gardner Morey uses the two next season will be worth watching.
Harvey also drew a memorable comparison to Bobby Orr, though she wasn’t eager to lean into it. “He’s a legend.
He was phenomenal,” Harvey said of Orr. “I don’t feel I deserve to be in the same sentence as him.
Hearing that was crazy.”
Her nickname, KK, has stuck for years. It came from her older sister Grace having trouble saying Caroline when she was born, and it’s now common enough that PWHL broadcasters use it on first reference. Harvey says she still likes hearing Caroline, but she even signs her autographs with KK.
Gardner Morey, who was named coach for Year 2 on July 30 after moving from inaugural GM to replace Brian Idalski, said she wanted to bring back the core from the team’s first season. With four expansion teams joining the league, Vancouver managed to keep much of that group intact. The returnees include Jaques, goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and forwards Sarah Nurse and Jenn Gardiner, all of whom represented Canada at Milano Cortina.
The timing of Harvey’s arrival also lines up with another busy international window. The women’s world championships run Nov. 6-16 in Denmark, giving Harvey another chance to face some of her future Goldeneyes teammates before joining them at the Pacific Coliseum.
PWHL training camps are scheduled to open Nov. 18.
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