Saroya Tinker

Saroya Tinker (born February 17, 1998) is a Canadian ice hockey defenseman, currently playing for the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). She was a member of the Six roster that won the 2023 Isobel Cup championship.

Saroya Tinker
Tinker in 2022
Born (1998-02-17) February 17, 1998
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 154 lb (70 kg; 11 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
PHF team
Former teams		 Toronto Six
Metropolitan Riveters
Yale Bulldogs
National team  Canada
Playing career 2016–present
Medal record
Women's ball hockey
World Championship
Bronze medal – third place2017 Czech Republic
Women's ice hockey
World U18 Championship
Silver medal – second place2016 Canada

Playing career

Tinker attended Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in Oshawa, Ontario, where she was an eight-sport high school athlete, playing on Dwyer’s ice hockey, badminton, basketball, curling, field lacrosse, soccer, track and field, and ultimate frisbee teams. A skilled athlete in multiple disciplines, she was recognized as the Junior Female Athlete of the Year in 2012–13 and 2013–14, and the Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 2015–16, in addition to being named ice hockey team MVP in 2013–14 and 2014–15, badminton team MVP in 2013–14 and 2014–15, basketball team MVP in 2013–14, and soccer team MVP in 2013–14. She served as captain of the ice hockey team from grades 10 through 12, captained the basketball and ultimate frisbee teams, and was assistant captain for the soccer team.[1]

Tinker’s minor league career was played with the Clarington Flames Midget AA of the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) during the 2013–14 season and with the Durham West Jr. Lightning of the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL) during the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons. She helped the Jr. Lightning advance to the PWHL Final Four Weekend, registering four goals and fourteen assists (18 points) during the regular season, and seven assists in ten playoff games.

Tinker played the entirety of her collegiate eligibility with the Yale Bulldogs of the ECAC Hockey, scoring 32 points in 122 games played. During her time at Yale, she was recognised for her physical, shutdown style of play.[2]

She was drafted fourth overall by the Metropolitan Riveters in the 2020 NWHL Draft. She signed her first professional contract with the Riveters ahead of the 2020–21 NWHL Season.[3][4]

After announcing she would be leaving the Riveters after one season, Tinker signed with the Toronto Six in June of 2021.[5]

International play

Tinker represented Canada at the 2017 Ball Hockey World Championship in Pardubice, winning gold.

Tinker played with Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, winning a silver medal.[6]

Personal life

Tinker’s father, Harvel, is Jamaican and her mother, Mandy, is Canadian-Ukrainian.[7] She grew up in Oshawa, the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area, with her three brothers. She has been outspoken against racism in hockey and has been willing to share her experiences as a multiethnic player in the predominantly white sport by sitting for a number of interviews and penning several essays regarding race and inclusion in hockey culture.[8][9][10][11][12]

In September 2022, Tinker signed a partnership deal with hockey equipment company Sherwood.[13] It is the first deal of its kind with a player from the PHF.

Career Statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2014–15 Durham West Jr. Lightning PWHL 38 6 8 14 18 8 0 3 3 4
2015–16 Durham West Jr. Lightning PWHL 33 4 14 18 40 10 0 7 7 9
2016–17 Yale University NCAA 30 1 4 5 18 — — — — —
2017–18 Yale University NCAA 31 0 4 4 46 — — — — —
2018–19 Yale University NCAA 29 3 8 11 30 — — — — —
2019–20 Yale University NCAA 32 1 11 12 69 — — — — —
2020–21 Metropolitan Riveters NWHL 3 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Toronto Six PHF 20 1 5 6 14 1 0 0 0 0
NCAA totals 12252732163 -----

Awards and honors
  • 2021 NWHL Denna Laing Award[14]
  • 2021 NWHL Foundation Award (Metropolitan Riveters representative)[15]

References
  1. "2019-20 Women's Ice Hockey Roster: Saroya Tinker". Yale University Athletics. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  2. Agarwal, Akshar; Kim-Panero, Alessa (April 16, 2020). "Bulldogs set program record for wins". Yale Daily News. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  3. Murphy, Mike (May 26, 2020). "Riveters' Saroya Tinker is ready for pro hockey". The Ice Garden. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  4. Cohen, Russ (July 13, 2020). "Saroya Tinker Instantly Upgrades the Riveters Blueline". Sportsology. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  5. Morrison, Holly (June 24, 2021). "Saroya Tinker signs with Six for Season 7". The Ice Garden. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  6. "Canada - 2016 Tournament - Roster - #7 - Saroya Tinker - D". stats.hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  7. Nelson, Joshua (March 6, 2017). "Skating from Oshawa to Yale". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  8. Gibbs, Lindsay (June 1, 2020). "Are you listening?". powerplays.news. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  9. O'Brien, James (June 8, 2020). "Aliu, Kane form Hockey Diversity Alliance 'to eradicate racism and intolerance'". MSN. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  10. Witt, Gordon (June 30, 2020). "Hockey and Racism: A Conversation with Saroya Tinker". Hockey Embassy. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  11. Tinker, Saroya (June 29, 2020). "Creating Space". The Park Journal. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  12. Douglas, William (January 11, 2021). "Color of Hockey: NWHL rookie Tinker raising awareness". NHL.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  13. Ayala, Erica L. "Sherwood Announces Sponsorship With Toronto Six Defender Saroya Tinker". Forbes. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  14. "Toronto's Mikyla Grant-Mentis named MVP at 2021 NWHL Awards". sportsnet.ca. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  15. Mike Murphy (April 28, 2021). "NWHL announces 2021 Award Winners". theicegarden.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
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