The 2026 WNBA season tips off on Friday after a critical off-season where a new collective bargaining agreement was hammered out and two expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, joined the fray.
Two Canadians – Kia Nurse and Bridget Carleton – will suit up for the Tempo and Fire respectively this season as both players look to help the WNBA’s newest teams get off on the right foot.
Here are the five Canadians who made rosters to start the season.
Bridget Carleton – Forward – Portland Fire
Carleton narrowly missed out on becoming the first Canadian to be a part of the Toronto Tempo as Portland snapped her up with the top pick in the expansion draft.
Instead, Carleton will be a foundational piece for the Fire as they look to replicate the success of their expansion cousin Golden State Valkyries, who made the playoffs in inaugural season.
Carleton spent the past seven years with the Minnesota Lynx, where she helped the team win the Commissioner’s Cup in 2024 and reach the WNBA Finals that same year.
In 2025, the Chatham, Ont., native started all 44 games for Minnesota, averaging 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Kia Nurse – Guard – Toronto Tempo
Nurse has become a journeywoman in the WNBA as she is set to suit up for her sixth team in six seasons, but this time she gets to come home.
The Hamilton, Ont., product will be the first Canadian to play for the Tempo after inking a free-agent deal with Toronto.
With the Chicago Sky last season, Nurse averaged 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 44 games.
Since being drafted 10th overall by the Liberty in 2018, Nurse played three seasons in New York before going on to play for the Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks and Sky.
Laeticia Amihere – Forward – Golden State Valkyries
The 2025 season started on a low note for Amihere but by the end, it resulted in a career-best campaign for the Mississauga, Ont., native.
Drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Dream in 2023 after a strong career at the University of South Carolina where she won a national championship in 2022, Amihere struggled to find much playing time in her first two years with the Dream.
In February of 2025, she was waived by Atlanta and was claimed by Golden State.
She was waived again by the Valkyries prior to the 2025 season but was signed by the club on June 8 when a roster spot opened up.
Amihere would remain with the Valkyries for the remainder of 2025, where she netted career highs in points (5.4), rebounds (4.3 rebounds) and minutes (13.2) in 29 games.
Aaliyah Edwards – Forward – Connecticut Sun
Edwards is coming off a sophomore WNBA season that had its ups and downs.
The sixth-overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2024, Edwards had a promising rookie season where she averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 34 games, which included 17 starts.
But last season was a struggle for her, as she started the season on the shelf with a back injury. When she returned to the lineup, she fell out of favour in Washington’s rotation.
She was eventually dealt to the Sun in August in exchange for Jacy Sheldon and the right to swap 2026 first-round picks.
In her 15 games with Connecticut to end off the season, the Kingston, Ont., native averaged 17 minutes with 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds.
This will be the Sun’s final season in Connecticut before the team moves to Houston in 2027.
Cassandre Prosper – Guard – Washington Mystics
Prosper has gone from second-round pick to making the Mystics’ final roster in just a few short weeks.
One of the youngest players in the WNBA this season at just 20, Prosper is coming off a four-year career at Notre Dame in the NCAA.
As a senior last season, the Ottawa, native averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36 games.
Prosper is one of eight rookies to crack the rebuilding Mystics, who also took centre Lauren Betts (No. 4) as well as forwards Angela Dugalic (No. 9) and Cotie McMahon (No. 11) in the first round in April’s draft.
