The Edmonton WAM! is a ringette team in the National Ringette League's (NRL) Western Conference. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, they are one of 3 NRL teams in the province, alongside the Edmonton Black Gold Rush, the Calgary RATH and Rocky Mountain Rage.
| Edmonton WAM! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | Wambits |
| City |  Edmonton, Alberta |
| League | National Ringette League |
| Conference | Western |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Colours | |
| Head coach | Jennifer Krochak |
| Website | wamringette |
| Championships | |
| NRL Titles | 5 (2007, 2010, 2011, 2023, 2024) |
Team history
editThe WAM! were founded in 2004, around the time the NRL — established in 2002 — was preparing for its inaugural season. It wasn’t until the 2007–08 season that a formal National Ringette League division was included in the annual Canadian Ringette Championships. However, the WAM! found early success, winning a national title while representing Alberta in the Open Division at the 2007 championships.[1] The coach of the winning 2007 team was Lisa Brown, a member of the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame inducted in 2008 in the Athlete category. Brown was also a former player for the Canada National Ringette Team.
The team captured its first official NRL title at the 2010 Canadian Ringette Championships, held in Saskatoon. The WAM! avenged their 2009 gold medal loss by defeating the Cambridge Turbos 2–0 in the final, with goaltender Keely Brown earning a shutout.[2] The two teams faced off in the final for a third consecutive year at the 2011 Championships, where Edmonton claimed its second straight national title with a 4–2 victory, highlighted by Brown’s 50-save performance.[3]
The team remained competitive, including winning back-to-back bronze medals in 2014 and 2015.[4] Jenna Debaji, Dailyn Bell and Jamie Bell were named to Team Canada for the 2016 World Ringette Championships, where the team won silver.[5]
After the 2022 season, veteran Emily Lubbers retired from the team and became the head coach of the WAM!. Lubbers was an athlete on the team since 2011, winning two silver and two bronze medals at the Canadian Ringette Championships.[6] In her first season as coach, Lubbers led the WAM! to a 22–4 record to finish atop the Western Conference. The team was a favourite ahead of the 2023 Canadian Championships in Regina, SK. There, the WAM! went undefeated to win their first national title since 2011. Gillian Dreger, Melissa Misutka, and Annie Debaji were all named to the tournament all-star team, while Misutka won Defence of the Year as well.[7]
After the 2023-2024 regular season placed them third in the west the WAM! had a 5-2 record at the 2024 Canadian Ringette Championships in Dieppe, NB where they defeated the Calgary Rath 10-3 for a second consecutive national championship. Gillian Dreger, Annie Debaji, and Melissa Misutka were all named in the tournament all-star team.[8] Dreger and Mistuka were nominated and selected as Center of the Year and Defence of the Year respectively.[9]
Season-by-season
editThis section needs to be updated. (July 2023) |
| Season[10][11][12] | League | Conference | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
| 2021–22 | NRL | Western | 20 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 117 | 85 |
| 2022–23 | NRL | Western | 26 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 170 | 100 |
| 2023-24 | NRL | Western | 25 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 131 | 107 |
| 2024-25 | NRL | Western | 27 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 70 | 180 | 101 |
| 2025-26 | NRL | Western | 24 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 170 | 78 |
Rosters
editCurrent roster
edit| 2025–26 Edmonton WAM![13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Position |
| 1 | Kaeli Woodliffe | G |
| 2 | Gillian Dreger | C |
| 3 | Annie Debaji | D |
| 6 | Dailyn Bell | D |
| 7 | Torrie Shennan | C |
| 8 | Olivia Hwang | D |
| 9 | Nina Tajbaksh | F |
| 10 | Lauren Henderson | F |
| 11 | Tayte Arlinghaus | F |
| 12 | Kirsten Krochak | F |
| 13 | Sydney Fevin | F |
| 14 | Kate Henderson | D |
| 15 | Jamie Ferri | D |
| 16 | Kaleigh Ryan-York | D |
| 17 | Vail Ketsa | F |
| 18 | Melissa Misutka | D |
| 19 | Erica Lee | D |
| 95 | Anjuman Grewal | G |
Team Canada players
editWAM! players have competed for the Canada national ringette team at the World Ringette Championships (WRC) and are listed in the table below.
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2016 |  2016 Team Canada Senior |
Dailyn Bell |
| 2016 | 2016 Team Canada Senior |
Jamie Bell |
| 2016 | 2016 Team Canada Senior |
Jenna Debaji |
| 2016 | 2016 Team Canada Junior |
Kelsie Caine |
| 2016 | 2016 Team Canada Junior |
Annie Debaji |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Senior |
Dailyn Bell |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Senior |
Jamie Bell |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Senior |
Lindsay Brown |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Junior |
Gillian Dreger |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Junior |
Torrie Shennan |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior |
Dailyn Bell |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior |
Jamie Bell |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior |
Annie Debaji |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior |
Gillian Dreer |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior |
Melissa Misutka |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Junior |
Torrie Shennan |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior |
Gillian Dreger |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior |
Melissa Misutka |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior |
Nina Tajbaksh |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior |
Torrie Shennan |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Junior |
Vail Ketsa |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2023 | 2023 Team Canada Junior |
Jazmyn Fevin |
| 2023 | 2023 Team Canada Junior |
Kaleigh Ryan-York |
| Year | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025 Team Canada Senior |
Dailyn Bell |
| 2025 | 2025 Team Canada Senior |
Gillian Dreger |
| 2025 | 2025 Team Canada Senior |
Annie Debaji |
| 2025 | 2025 Team Canada Senior |
Lauren Henderson |
| 2025 | 2025 Team Canada Senior |
Vail Ketsa |
| 2025 | 2025 Team Canada Senior |
Melissa Misutka |
References
edit- ↑ "Saskatchewan, Quebec and Alberta win gold at Canadian ringette championships". Winnipeg Free Press. 2007-04-15. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ "Alberta teams dominate ringette championships". CBC News. 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ "Brown leads Edmonton to second straight gold, St. Clements falls in U19 final". Waterloo Region Record. 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ Moddejonge, Gerry (2016-04-01). "Edmonton ringette coach finds way to travel to nationals despite brain cancer battle". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ Gazzola, Paul (2015-12-23). "Looking for gold". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-19 – via pressreader.
- ↑ "Coaching Staff". Edmonton WAM! Ringette. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ "2023 Canadian Ringette Championships - Results". Ringette Canada. 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ "CRC Day 6 - April 13, 2024". Ringette Canada. 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ↑ "2024 NRL Award Winners & Finalists". Ringette Canada. 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ↑ "NRL/LNR Standings". National Ringette League. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
- ↑ "NRL/LNR - National Ringette League : Website by RAMP InterActive". www.nationalringetteleague.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ↑ "Edmonton WAM 2025/26 Regular Season Statistics". National Ringette League. 2026-03-25.
- ↑ "Edmonton WAM! - National Ringette League : Website by RAMP InterActive". www.nationalringetteleague.ca. Retrieved 2025-10-03.