Cara Gardner Morey is eager to start building the expansion roster in PWHL Vancouver, and now the Princeton coach has already set a priority list of potential players she aims for before landing on the general manager.

"I started thinking about it on the first call," Gardner Morey said on Friday during a Zoom meeting introducing her and PWHL Seattle expansion team GM Meghan Turner.

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“Looking at all the games, you’re like, ‘Oh, who would be great in this place?’” Gardner Morey added. “That’s what’s exciting about this position is building your own team and the fantasy of almost anyone you can choose.”

Recognizing the inherently built-in limits, including the league’s salary cap, Gardner Morey and Turner start next week.

It begins with a four-day player signing period that began Wednesday, when two yet-to-be-named expansion teams could add up to five players. The June 9 draft extension will be followed, with Vancouver and Seattle going to have the top 12 players, with the rest of the roster filling out in the PWHL draft on June 24, followed by free agents.

Each of the six teams in the PWHL was initially allowed to protect three players and once they lost two players in the two-step expansion process, a fourth place could be added to the list.

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When limiting the number of protected players, the PWHL focuses on ensuring that expansion teams can be competitive from the start of the league’s third season expected in November. This will lead to some well-known and high-profile players moving to the Pacific Northwest.

"I'm so happy to build a team that can really compete in grade 1 and win championships," said Turner, who has served as assistant general manager of the Boston Fleet for the past two seasons.

"I think it's going to be a huge help," she added. "I feel like I have a good understanding of what the alliance needs to succeed. … Then, on the organization, I have a background that helps Danielle builds the organization from scratch."

Another reward stems from her former job as a risk assessment consultant at Pricewaterhousecoopers.

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“I think I can achieve from some of the transitions to consulting and entering the sports industry,” she said. “Just know how to learn instantly, build a team and build each project as your own small organization.”

Despite being a newbie to the PWHL, Gardner Morey has been following the league in the first two seasons, noting that she has been familiar with numerous players in coaching or facing them during her 14 years at Princeton, including past eight head coaches.

Two former Tigers are New York forward Sarah Fillier, the No. 1 pick in the draft last year, and Minnesota guard Claire Thompson enjoyed a rookie season success this year.

Both expansions have been taking root since they were hired last week. In addition to building a roster, both are in the process of conducting a coaching search and establishing support staff for their respective teams.

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The two have previously played experience in college and former women's professionals, and Gardner Morey, 46, is former teammate Jayna Hefford, executive vice president of PWHL Hockey Operations, the first iteration of the National Women's Hockey League.

Both emphasize building a strong leadership culture and building a team of speed and strength in a league that checks for women’s hockey.

Gardner Morey is also looking forward to building on a natural geographical competition between the two expansion teams, driving for two hours and joining the league a week apart in April.

"Maybe there will be some fights here and there, I don't know, to make sure we get that competition," said Gardner Morey, who married former NFL Steelers receiver Sean Morey, a member of Pittsburgh in 2005, who beat Seattle in the Super Bowl. “The more you are excited, the better it is for everyone.”

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