​When the United States and Canada met at Tech CU Arena on November 6, 2024, the game was marketed as another installment in the Rivalry Series. In hindsight, it also served as an early introduction to several figures who would later become central players in PWHL San Jose. Well before the expansion franchise would host its first game at SAP Center, current head coach Troy Ryan was behind Canada’s bench in San Jose, while future San Jose stars Kristin O’Neill, Laila Edwards, and Rory Guilday skated before Bay Area fans. Goaltender Corinne Schroeder also traveled with Canada’s Rivalry Series roster, though she did not dress for the opening match.
Nearly two years later, those early connections have gained new meaning. Ryan’s appearance in San Jose feels especially apt now. Already one of women’s hockey’s most accomplished coaches, he was guiding Canada through another Rivalry Series before being named the first head coach in PWHL San Jose history. His appointment reconnected him with players he had coached extensively on the international stage, most notably O’Neill, while also bringing in others whom he had monitored over years of international competition.
O’Neill represented Canada in the 7-2 defeat to the United States, continuing a long-standing relationship with Ryan through Hockey Canada. Since then, she has remained one of Canada’s most reliable forwards, helping the Montreal Victoire reach the PWHL playoffs and contributing five points (two goals, three assists) during Canada’s gold-medal run at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Her blend of leadership and championship experience made her a natural cornerstone for San Jose’s inaugural roster.
On the American side, Edwards gave Bay Area fans an early glimpse of the dynamic offensive ability that would soon establish her as one of the most exciting young players in women’s hockey. She recorded an assist in the Rivalry Series win before enjoying a standout season at Wisconsin, finishing with 35 goals and 36 assists for 71 points. She followed that by posting four points for Team USA at the 2025 World Championship, cementing her status as a rising star.
Guilday also skated for Team USA that night, bringing the calm, dependable defensive presence that became her trademark throughout her collegiate career at Cornell. She finished her final NCAA season with five goals and four assists before launching her professional career with PWHL Ottawa, where she established herself as a reliable blue liner.
Schroeder’s ties to the game were more behind the scenes. Although she did not play in the November 6 contest, she was part of Canada’s Rivalry Series roster during the San Jose stop. Since then, she has continued to demonstrate why she is regarded as one of the PWHL’s top goaltenders, recording a .919 save percentage, a 2.43 goals-against average, and a 10-8-2 record with the New York Sirens before transitioning to the expansion club’s setup. Her performance since then has underscored the caliber of talent that would anchor San Jose’s roster in its early years.
This trio of Canadian players—O’Neill, Edwards, and Guilday—plus Schroeder’s evolving goaltending resume, helped set the stage for San Jose’s early identity. The initial stages of the team were shaped by the international experiences and development paths these athletes had followed, and their progress since that November night reinforced why they were seen as potential cornerstones of the franchise. The November 6, 2024 game, once framed as a standard Rivalry Series clash, has proven to be a formative checkpoint in the larger arc of San Jose’s emergence in the professional women’s hockey landscape.