It’s the final week of the WNBA regular season, and all but one playoff spot has been secured. The Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks are in a race for the eighth and final spot, while specific playoff placement, seeding, and matchups will also be determined this week. Despite a few unknowns for this season, one thing is already clear — a set of Canadians will be significant factors in their respective teams’ playoff success.
This season, there are four Canadians on WNBA rosters: Kia Nurse in Chicago,
Aaliyah Edwards in Connecticut, Laeticia Amihere in Golden State and Bridget Carleton in Minnesota. Edwards was a little closer to a playoff spot at the start of the season with the Washington Mystics, who hung around for the first half of the season before selling at the trade deadline and falling out of the playoff picture. Edwards was a part of the selling process, being dealt to the Connecticut Sun in a trade. The Sun were never expected to be in the playoff race this season, but show promise of exciting days ahead.
Kia Nurse is on a Chicago Sky team that may have had playoff hopes in May, but was mathematically eliminated weeks ago. After their PG-1, Courtney Vandersloot, tore her ACL and exited the lineup, it’s been a little rough in Chicago. There is a lack of cohesiveness on the roster that is showing on the court, but also in the drama going on off the court.
That leaves Carleton’s Minnesota Lynx and Amihere’s Golden State Valkyries.
Golden State sets the bar for expansion teams
After being waived by the Atlanta Dream team that drafted her No. 8 overall, Laeticia Amihere signed a training camp contract with the brand-new Golden State Valkyries. Despite a great showing at camp, Amihere was waived before the WNBA season, but the team circled back and re-signed her about a month later due to some roster shakeups.
Amihere has now played a career-high 28 games in a singles WNBA season, coming off the bench for Golden State to average 5.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. Despite it being their first season in the league, Golden State shocked the women’s basketball community by playing a fierce brand of basketball and achieving what seemed impossible: making the playoffs in year one. They didn’t just scrape in either; they were the sixth team in the league to clinch their berth in the postseason, a spot they seem to be holding onto.
When it comes to their playoff hopes, Golden State is a team that could end up delivering an upset to a higher-seeded team. Everything they do is so enjoyable because there have been no expectations for this team in year one, but they aren’t going to go down without a fight. Unfortunately, their one allotted home game of the first round will not be played at their usual home arena in Chase Center due to scheduling conflicts. Yet, fans should have no problem travelling to support this team.
Amihere will provide solid backup bench minutes for Natalie Nakase’s Valkyries. As a lengthy forward with the ability to draw fouls, she could play an essential role in close games. The Valkyries have had an underdog mentality this whole season, and their winning some playoff games could be super exciting.
Destiny is the name of Minnesota’s game
After making it all the way to the WNBA Finals in 2024, the Minnesota Lynx lost the 5-game series in a tightly contested game against the New York Liberty. The Lynx came back this year more confident and immediately surged to the top of the WNBA standings, where they have stayed ever since. They were the first team to clinch a playoff spot, eventually locking in the No. 1 spot for the season. They will face either Seattle or Los Angeles in round one. After tying the season series 2-2 with Seattle, the Lynx probably want the Sparks in that first-round series.
They’ve been championship favourites all year, and it’s finally time to prove why. It won’t be easy, though. Despite giving themselves a nice cushion to finish the season on top of the standings, the Lynx will have tough competition throughout the playoffs. The New York Liberty have been struggling, but they are pretty intact from last season and will be fighting to redeem their reputation as well as win back-to-back championships. The Las Vegas Aces have been on a tear to end the season, having won their last 14 games in a row, and are also out looking for revenge after dropping last season’s WNBA semifinals. Phoenix and Atlanta are also in the championship conversation and have levelled up significantly this season.
As for Bridget Carleton, the Canadian has successfully transformed herself from fringe bench player to important starting role player over the past few seasons. Her tough defence makes Coach Cheryl Reeve trust her, and she’s improved her shot enough to be a big factor in the Lynx’s offence. Minnesota will look to her to make big shots in big moments like she did in 2024, but will also be a big part in locking down perimeter players like Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray, and Jackie Young. Carleton is a big part of the Lynx’s hopes to return to the WNBA Finals, but finish the story by ending the season with a championship.
