Blayre Turnbull

Biography

Blayre Turnbull is a two-time Olympic medallist, having won gold in women’s hockey at Beijing 2022 following a silver medal at PyeongChang 2018. Turnbull was an assistant captain of the Canadian women’s hockey team at Beijing 2022. She recorded four goals and three assists in the tournament. Turnbull made her Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018 where she recorded three assists, including one in the final.

Turnbull has won eight medals (three gold, four silver, one bronze) at the IIHF Women’s World Championship since making her debut in 2016.

In 2019, Turnbull scored four goals in five games at the world championship. Canada lost the semifinal to Finland and came home with a bronze medal for the first time in the history of the tournament. Turnbull was named to the roster for the 2020 World Championship that was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A year later she was named assistant captain for the 2021 World Championship, helping Canada to its first gold medal in almost a decade. Unfortunately, Turnbull broke her fibula while celebrating the overtime victory but came back to the ice on a stretcher to receive her gold medal.

Turnbull helped Canada repeat as world champions in 2022 and won another gold medal in 2024. In 2023, with a career high six points (two goals, four assists) she was named one of the Top 3 Players on Team Canada at the world championship as the team brought home silver.

Turnbull had first worn the maple leaf in 2010 as a member of the U18 national team program. In 2014, she was a member of the U22 national development team before joining the national team and winning gold at the Four Nations Cup.

Turnbull played collegiate hockey at the University of Wisconsin. As a freshman in 2011-12, she was the Rookie of the Year for a Badgers team that advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four championship game. She was named captain in her senior season and led the Badgers to the 2015 WCHA Championship while being selected to the All-WCHA first team.

After graduation, Turnbull was selected 19th overall by Calgary in the 2015 CWHL Draft and won the Clarkson Cup in her rookie season with the Inferno in 2015-16. Three years later she lifted the Cup again with Calgary. Following the collapse of the CWHL, Turnbull joined the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, training with the Calgary-based team and competing in the Dream Gap Tours. Turnbull was one of the three original pre-draft signings with Toronto upon the creation of the PWHL in 2023. She was named the first captain in Sceptres’ history.

A Little More About Blayre

Getting into the Sport: Started skating at age 2 and playing hockey at age 5… Had her Olympic dream sparked while watching Salt Lake City 2002; until then her goal had been to play in the NHL but watching Team Canada’s women win hockey gold changed everything…Outside Interests: Graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies… Pursuing a Masters in Leadership at the University of Guelph… Enjoys trying out new restaurants and spending time with her dog Archie… Spends a lot of time in the off-season fly fishing for trout… Odds and Ends: Married to Canadian Olympic bobsleigh medallist, Ryan Sommer… Wears No. 6 because her mother’s birthday is June 6… Favourite motto: “You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for”… Captained Team Nova Scotia at the 2011 Canada Winter Games…