Toronto Sceptres place Natalie Spooner, Megan Carter on long-term injured reserve
Before the team officially took the ice to begin training camp on Wednesday, the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL announced that forward Natalie Spooner and defender Megan Carter have been placed on long-term injured reserve with lower-body injuries.
The Toronto Sceptres announce roster updates at the opening of the 2024-25 Training Camp
– Natalie Spooner is remaining on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)
– Megan Carter has been placed on LTIR
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Spooner is more or less remaining on LTIR, as she was placed on the list during last year’s playoffs when she suffered a torn ACL during Game 3 of the PWHL Semifinals against Minnesota, requiring immediate surgery. The Team Canada mainstay’s absence was noticeable, as Toronto blew a 2-0 series lead to the eventual Walter Cup champions.
General manager Gina Kingsbury told the media on Tuesday that Spooner wasn’t going to start the season on time.
“There is no timeline for her,” Kingsbury said. “We will work with her here deliberately throughout this recovery process on getting her healthy and back on the ice.”
Spooner has been skating recently and is in good spirits. Still, with the reigning IIHF Female Player of the Year out of the lineup, the Sceptres are going to miss that necessary scoring touch for the foreseeable future. With 20 goals and 27 points in the league’s inaugural season, Spooner earned the first-ever Billie Jean King MVP Award.
What has led to Carter’s absence is unknown. The native of Milton, Ontario was taken by the Sceptres in the second round of the 2024 PWHL Draft, signing a two-year standard player agreement a couple of weeks later.
Like Spooner, there is no timeline for Carter’s return. She comes into the pro ranks after an exceptional five years on the blue line at Northeastern University, where she was one of the top defenders in Hockey East. From 2019 to 2024, the 23-year-old scored 18 goals and 86 points in 165 games, captaining the Huskies last year.
Carter also won gold with Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF Women’s Under-18 World Championship.
The Sceptres begin their 2024-25 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 30, against the Boston Fleet.