From an early age, Emma Woods had an undeniable passion for hockey, carving out a career marked by accolades, a championship, and suiting up for various professional teams across multiple continents while being an inspiration to a new generation of hockey players.
Woods, who excelled in many sports, explained her early life, being born in London, Ontario, and eventually moving with her family to Burford, where she established herself as a talented hockey player at a young age.
“I was born in London. My family had a farm in the area, and then my dad had the opportunity on a farm out in British Columbia. We moved there and loved it there for a couple of years, and then we came back to the Burford area, and that’s where I grew up…my dad’s a dairy farmer, and my mom comes from a family of beef farmers, so we’ve always been around animals. I started playing hockey when I was around four years old, but I played any sport that I could. I played baseball and soccer growing up [as well as] basketball, badminton, tennis, and track and field. Although I loved those other sports, I knew at an early age that hockey was the sport that I wanted to do [and] my parents saw this and definitely encouraged me at every step to do it,” she said. “I played for the Burford Coyotes with my twin brother. We grew up playing together almost our whole childhood, and I was the only girl in the organization the entire time. I don’t even remember feeling different..being a girl. I felt that the whole community and all the boys, my teammates, [and] my coaches embraced me there…and I never felt like I was in the wrong place. It always felt natural to me. I played on the rep teams growing up in Burford until I think I was 13 at the Bantam level, and that’s when I switched to playing with the girls in Brantford.”
However, Woods would eventually take the next step in her hockey career with stops for teams in Cambridge and Kitchener.
“When I left the Brantford Ice Cats, I wanted to develop my skills and challenge myself…, so the next step for me as an athlete was to move to the next level. I would go to what is now the U22 Elite League. During my first year, I played for the Kitchener Lady Rangers [and] it felt like the right fit, and I learned there. My parents didn’t know much about the league… but we signed up for it. It was a 45-minute to an hour drive for practices for my parents. It was a lot for the family, but obviously, my mom and dad sacrificed a lot to allow me to play. I played one year for the Lady Rangers. It was a great year, but I realized I wanted to do something different, and Cambridge was shifting into the Rivulettes. I transferred there, and it was the first year they went back to the Rivulettes name, which brings up a lot of history…the Rivulettes were one of the most successful women’s hockey teams ever and had a tremendous winning record. There were a lot of changes that the team was experiencing, including having a new coaching staff. Despite that, it was a good fit for me. I was the captain of that team, which was a great experience. It was a great team and great coaching staff with whom I still stay in touch. I actually did the puck drop for their home opener this year, which was pretty special,” explained Woods.
During that time, Woods had many great experiences and early highlights.
“A big highlight for me was just the memories of the teammates…and going on the road trips, and to the tournaments. Until then, I just played with the boys, which I wouldn’t change for the world, but for me, it was a transition. All of a sudden, I was on this team with all girls, and it was just so new for me. We had some success, and obviously have a lot of good memories…but more than anything, it’s my teammates I remember most,” she reflected.
Early on, Woods would also gain several mentors who would positively shape her journey in hockey.
“My parents were very important in shaping me as a person…they instilled hard work into my siblings. As for coaches, Cy Elvin was great, and Pete Crosby had a huge impact on me. John Edgar and Kent Sinclair were two other coaches who helped me, too. Geoff Haddaway, in Cambridge, is someone I am still in touch with. But there are so many other coaches that have helped me along the way….instilling good habits in me and providing little life lessons….I think I’ve just taken all those things with me through the years… a lot of these people have stayed in touch with me, and they have followed my career. They are always messaging me when I score a goal. It’s very special to have these people support you, even from afar,” she noted.
In her teens, Woods started drawing attention from recruiters from NCAA Division I universities in the United States because of her strong play, on-ice leadership, and competitiveness.
“I started getting emails from different college scouts, and a lot of the schools that I was looking at were in the ECAC [Eastern College Athletic Conference]…[a conference that competes in NCAA Division I.] My brother, my dad, and I actually just did an East Coast road trip and visited most of the schools in the ECAC [including] a bunch of the Ivy Leagues like Princeton, Cornell, Yale, Brown, and Quinnipiac. My parents were super supportive, but they really just gave me the reins [and] I pretty much handled the whole process. I went through different conversations with coaches and learned about each program. It was such a new thing for me [because] growing up, I had all of these teammates that were from the United States…they went to prep school, and from a very young age, they knew about these schools and where they wanted to go. And for me, as a 14-year-old, I didn’t even know what Division I meant,” she explained. “But I just worked through the process…sending emails, talking with people at tournaments, and then doing unofficial visits, and checking out the campuses…I also had conversations with the coaches and explored the different programs, and when we visited Quinnipiac, it just felt right. I had a great connection with the coach Cass Turner, right from day one, and she’s still a big mentor of mine.”
At Quinnipiac University and playing for the Bobcats, Woods would grow as a leader while building friendships with her teammates.
“It was a bit overwhelming at first. I had a full school schedule and a full hockey training schedule, just starting school there when I was 17…. Quinnipiac has such a strong culture, and I wanted to win for this team and this program. We won the ECAC championship my junior year, and that’s by far one of my greatest memories. There was a tenth anniversary recently, and a bunch of the girls are posting their stories. That brought back all of these memories for me. It’s the first and only championship in program history to date,” she noted. “It was a very strong program…which helped me and the girls become better hockey players and better people and better leaders. They really care about their players and the people they bring into that organization, and it’s a special place to play. So, it definitely helped shape me as a hockey player, as a leader, and as a young woman.”
In her fourth and final year at Quinnipiac, Woods was selected to wear the ‘C’ on her jersey, marking a development as a team captain, solidifying her reputation as a leader.
“Most years, only one player gets to wear the ‘C’, so it’s a privilege. Because when I was playing at Quinnipiac, I could look around, and there were easily six seniors who were deserving of being captain. When I got it, honestly, it was the best feeling, because it told me that my coaches, staff, and teammates believed in me [and] that I deserved to wear the ‘C’, which was such an honour and something I took very seriously. I took a lot of pride in that. And those girls on my team and those coaches helped shape me into that leader,” Woods said.
After graduating, Woods would get an opportunity to play with a team that wasn’t in either Canada, the United States, or even Europe.
“The opportunity came at the right place, and at the right time to play in China. Honestly, when I graduated from Quinnipiac, women’s pro hockey was not where it is now. I didn’t even think about my career in hockey ahead in two years. Instead, I was thinking about maybe staying in Connecticut and finishing my Master’s, and looking at a career outside of hockey. And then the next thing you know, I learned about this team, these two teams that were going to start playing in China, and would be joining the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. A good friend of mine, who I played with at Quinnipiac…reached out to me and she asked me if I would go there to play. I was intrigued by her story, and the next thing I knew, the general manager of the team, Digit Murphy, who had coached my college coach, Cass Turner, at Brown University. Digit got in touch with Cass, who put a good word in for me. And before I knew it, I was getting a call from one of these coaches asking if I wanted to be a part of the team,” Woods recalled.
Woods made her decision in less than 24 hours and told her parents she was off to play in China in two weeks.
“Essentially, we were brought over as pro players, of course, but also as sport ambassadors. The whole mission was to grow the game in China and help develop their national team for the Beijing Olympics in 2022. Playing in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League….we traveled a lot. Each of the Canadian or American teams would come visit us once a season, staying for ten days…and playing two or three game series, and then we were on the road all the time. I flew directly from, like, Toronto or Boston, to Hong Kong, 12 to 15 times in two years. So, there was quite a bit of travel,” Woods recalled. “As for living arrangements…we lived in Shenzhen…where they had apartments set up for us. At that time, I believe, there were only 300 female hockey players in China…and they wanted to really grow in hockey. I remember that we would have 5000 people show up to watch our games. They didn’t know much about hockey…[for example] they would cheer at the wrong times during play, but the teams would teach the game of hockey to the fans throughout the game. Since then, the game has really grown there, and the national team had some success at the Olympics. There’s a 16-team league that exists in China now, and the game has continued to grow. It was a great experience to live and play there. It was very special.”
After the league folded, Woods was out looking for opportunities to play hockey.
“The team I played for still existed after the league folded, but they were going to be playing in a Russian League, while there were coaching changes, [with] a whole new dynamic. So, I took this opportunity to go play in Sweden, and it was a completely different experience compared to playing in Canada, the United States, or Asia. I was in a small town called Leksand, and I lived in a little cabin on the lake. I was playing with girls from 15 to 30 who were Swedish or came from North America, and it was just a great year,” she said. “But I learned that every league has a different style of play, whatever it is, but in, you know, kind of allows you to just, kind of shape yourself as a player. It allows you to play with different players and learn new things about yourself as a player. I really loved my year there…it was short and sweet.”
After three years overseas, Woods returned to North America and would come to a crossroads in her career before another opportunity arose.
“I didn’t necessarily have an interest in playing in that league, especially because I was over in China, and, like, I didn’t really know what came next. I wasn’t physically at a draft. It was a formality for the benefit of the league. After I played my year in Sweden, I didn’t even look much past that. I was considering hanging up my skates…I didn’t know what the future of hockey looked like at that time. And to be honest, I don’t think anyone playing did. I asked myself do I move on from this? And that’s the time when the Toronto Six started their inaugural year. The GM of those teams in China, Digit Murphy, was now leading the Six team. And one of the first people she called was me, and asked me if I wanted to be part of the team. She made a great pitch, appealing to me to join the ride,” Woods reflected. “But I was hesitant at first because I had this other opportunity I was leaning towards. Digit didn’t take no for an answer and kept calling me. And finally, hockey won out, and I accepted, as I would get back to playing in Canada again. I am so happy that I decided to join the team. I loved my three years with the Six. Some of my best friends played with me. And after three years, we won the Isobel Cup in Arizona in 2023.”
After the season, Woods was ready to play a fourth season with the Toronto Six, signing a contract with the team. However, the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) would fold, and a new league, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), emerged.
“I actually just signed to stay in Toronto, as most of my teammates did. Many of us were finally at a point where we’re looking at this as a good living, and we’re very excited about our contracts. And then the league got bought out. [But] I was drafted by the New York Sirens and loved it there. It was a great group of girls, and…the staff, everyone really embraced us. It’s hard to start something from scratch, and I thought the teams and the league in general did such a good job,” Woods said. “I will always be grateful for my time in New York because they took a chance on me and drafted me. But it was more about the opportunity to come back home and play in Toronto with the Scepts. That, and Toronto also had a great group of girls, a great coaching staff, a great roster, and a great opportunity to win, and a great staff. I didn’t want to pass that up. So I signed there as a free agent.”
With now close to two seasons with the Toronto Sceptres, the veteran hockey star has continued to thrive with the team, bringing her grit and leadership to the team on and off the ice.
“The best part of being here is the number of friends and family that I have in the stands at every single home game. To be honest, Toronto is one of the best cities in the world for hockey, and being a pro hockey player here is amazing. The community and the fans are incredible. Every night, it feels like a privilege to play in a place like this. Although we aren’t exactly where we want to be in the standings right now, we are always out there battling, and the games are very close,” Woods stated. “With the group of players we have right now, we have the opportunity to win every single day…and Gina [Kingsbury] [our GM] and Troy [Ryan], [our Head Coach] did a great job handpicking each player and getting these girls together. At the end of the day, I’m not just playing hockey…I’m competitive, I always have been, and I want to win…and we have the group that can win.”
However, for Woods, it is important to be a guiding light to others, including children, and that they can follow their dreams.
“One of the most important parts of what we’re doing is helping the next generation of girls to see themselves in our shoes and that they can be pro players. That’s something that the other girls I played with had when we were going up. And for many of us in the league, being on TV, on magazine covers, or in the community, is great, and these young girls see that they can do it and play hockey at a high level. For me, to have this platform and this league for all these young girls to pursue their dreams and to motivate them, and to be a part of something special like this,” she noted. “And to experience this energy when we are playing, with the screaming fans [and] getting fan mail…you realize the impact it’s having. I have families and friends and their daughters send me their like pictures and hockey cards…and they send me letters saying that they changed their number to number 67 [which is my number]..that is very inspiring….but realizing how important all this is…that’s pretty special.”
Most recently, in December 2025, Woods’ number and Burford Coyotes jersey were retired in the community, marking a full circle to her success across various levels of hockey.
“When they reached out to me and said they wanted to retire my jersey and hang it up in the arena in Burford, it was an honour. When I got there for the ceremony, there were all these people from the community who showed up. Many of the people who were there knew me since I was a kid, and having these young girls know who I am was very special. I felt so grateful because I grew up in a small town where I was the only girl in the organization, and in all that time, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I was in the wrong place or I was doing the wrong thing. The whole community and my teammates were amazing…those young boys I played with could have told me I didn’t belong there because it was boys’ hockey, but they embraced me,” Woods reflected. “Without all that love and support…I don’t think I would be playing hockey. I still feel it to this day, [and] getting to the arena…everyone was coming up to me, and I was reconnecting with people I knew and others I hadn’t met before was a special moment for me. And of course, it was also a celebration in honoring all these young girls who have played for the Coyotes through the years. There were probably around 30 girls being recognized before they called my name. And it was an incredible experience… because you get to see just how far a program like this has come, especially when it didn’t exist when I was playing. It was a special day.”
