Ashton Bell was named the inaugural captain for the PWHL's Vancouver Goldeneyes ahead of the teams home opener.

Also on Thursday, Montreal Canadiens forward Lane Hutson donned the jersey of one of the greatest female players ever, Montreal Victorie captain Marie-Philip Poulin. The Victorie open up their season on Sunday against the Boston Fleet. Un autre bon 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 de Lane Hutson Common Lane Hutson W #GoHabsGo | @pou29 pic.twitter.com/lKGPPdowhB

The crowd for the Vancouver Goldeneyes’ first game tonight at the Pacific Coliseum will be the eighth largest in the history of the PWHL. The Goldeneyes announced Thursday that their debut this evening versus their Seattle Torrent expansion cousins is sold out. Capacity at the Pacific Coliseum is now listed at 15,041.

The PWHL enters its expansion era with new teams in Seattle and Vancouver, while one thing remains constant for a league preparing to open its third season on Friday.

The Frost open the PWHL season Friday night, and on Wednesday they reacquired a key member of their back-to-back league championship teams. Forward Denisa Křížová is returning to Minnesota after being lost to Vancouver in the expansion draft.

The PWHL's two newest teams, the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent, both look to be contenders for the Walter Cup in their first season.