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The Toronto Sceptres activated forward Natalie Spooner from long-term injured reserve, and the 2024 PWHL MVP is expected to make her season debut against Minnesota on Tuesday.

Spooner, 34, has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in Game 3 of Toronto’s playoff series against Minnesota last season that required surgery.

“I’m excited to be back with my teammates and looking forward to competing next to them again. It was obviously a long road to get to this point and doesn’t happen without a lot of amazing people in my corner,” Spooner said. “I’m very grateful for my surgical and medical team that have gotten me back to full health.”

The Scarborough, Ontario, native led the PWHL with 20 goals and 27 points during the league’s inaugural season and was selected a First-Team All-Star.

“We’ve been patiently waiting for the return of Natalie Spooner,” Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury said in a statement. “We are tremendously proud of the work she has invested in getting herself to this point.

“This has been a long journey, and she has shown throughout this process just how elite of an athlete she is. We are excited to see number 24 back in blue!”

The team also announced that defender Lauren Bernard was released from her standard contract and signed to a reserve player contract, while forward Sam Cogan was released from the team’s reserve player list.

–Field Level Media