TORONTO — As the page turns on another off-season for the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's hockey team, there's a sense of curiosity surrounding what the next chapter entails. 

While the journey this team will embark on has yet to be written, the key to navigating the murky waters ahead may already be scribed and within the possession of each player. 

Before the start of a season, Bold head coach Lisa Haley provides the players with The Teammate's Accountability Manual by Jeff Janssen. Its contents detail mantras to guide her team through the trials and tribulations of an OUA season. 

One belief preached in the book stresses the importance of players finding their role and fulfilling it to the best of their capabilities. 

There may not be a player more suited to embody that motto than forward Cailey Davis. The lone fifth-year player on the roster was recently named the ninth captain in program history. Davis feels the weight of what it means to wear the 'C' on her sweater this season. But for those meeting Davis for the first time, it doesn't take long to realize she's built for this. 

"A lot of that responsibility falls on me now," said Davis. "It's not something that I take lightly." 

There's a simmering confidence that oozes from Davis, but the self-aware leader has earned that belief in herself. It's a byproduct of countless hours of training. Davis labels herself as a playmaker who values the small things that lead to success, a conclusion she arrived at after some trial-and-error.

"Learning more about who I am and accepting the different parts of me," explained Davis. "I've learned what makes me effective and ineffective." 

Davis finished with 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) last season, which was the third-highest total on the team. Since joining TMU in 2020, Davis has set career-highs in points and assists in each of her seasons. For Davis, success begins with identifying what the team needs most. 

"I've learned that I needed to figure out the role I needed to play each year and what I needed to be successful at while in my role," said Davis. 

Davis' new leadership role is the result of former captain Emily Baxter and five other seniors departing in the off-season. The graduating group included the Bold's three highest goal scorers and three of the team's four leading point-getters. 

TMU now finds itself in a peculiar spot after losing a considerable amount of firepower and experience. Still, they have a well-equipped staff in place to handle the situation, and it begins with their head coach. The player handbook may contain the message, but Haley serves as the perfect messenger. 

Haley enters her 14th season as head coach of the Bold. Combined with the 14 years she spent as coach for St. Mary's University, Haley has navigated through every precarious position a hockey program can find itself in.  

"What I take from past experiences is just being able to recognize that every year is different and every group is different," said Haley. 

While there may be a revolving door of players and needs, success has consistently found a home at TMU. Haley led the program to the OUA playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, including two semifinal appearances, and a division semifinal berth during a shortened campaign in 2021-22. 

Even with the roster needing an overhaul, the Bold is expected to build on the progress made in 2024-25. Last season, TMU improved its win total by four wins and finished with a winning record at home for the first time since 2018-19. The teams may be different, but the goal remains the same. For Haley, achieving that goal means facing yearly challenges and tackling them head-on. 

"The chemistry, the dynamic, and the makeup of your team from one season to the next is always different," said Haley. "Embracing that diversity gives you the potential to be stronger." 

Regardless of who is wearing the jersey or who hits the ice, there is a standard of play that the team's leaders deem as non-negotiable.

"We should be the team that outworks every single person on the ice," said Davis. "We're going to out-battle every other team in the league. That's how we're going to find success." 

The lunch-pail type of grit and attitude the Bold hope to have this season is a key component of Haley-led teams. In the player manual, there's a call for the need of ''lug nuts' to go with the motor. It harps on the idea that every type of player is needed to push the team forward. 

One player that uniquely personifies both of those titles is Ahalya Julien-Medeiros, who is the only skater on the roster to be listed as both a forward and a defender. Julien-Medeiros' four goals last season tied her for the highest mark out of all returning players. 

"I've always been a very offensively minded defender because I want to create scoring opportunities," said Julien-Medeiros. "So the key for me is doing some more fine-tuning on the defensive end." 

Julien-Medeiros is an apt starting point when analyzing what identity this year's team may ultimately be. While Julien-Medeiros' positional flexibility makes her the connective tissue between both sides of the ice, her instinct to lean towards the offence reflects last year's strengths. 

The Bold finished ninth in the league for goals in 2024-25, but they were also top five in power-play goals and power-play percentage. Meanwhile, TMU struggled in the defensive zone and gave up 2.97 goals per game. 

The search for offensive production to fill the obvious vacancy in front of them is certainly at the top of mind, but this year's defence will need to be the lug nuts the team requires. Entering her third year of eligibility, Sports Media student Jayden Fox is ready to answer the call now that she's one of the team's tenured defenders. 

"The more years you play, the more you care about it and the more you want it," said Fox. "It's really an opportunity for the rest of the players to hone in on the skills that they have and to step up."

On the opposite side of the spectrum are the rookies. The Bold responded this past summer with a recruiting class of eight players to help counter the exodus of veterans. This marked the largest group of recruits for TMU since the 2022-23 season, which featured Julien-Medeiros and four other players set to return this year. 

"We need people who will jump in and play their role", said Julien-Medeiros of this year's newest additions. "But they also need to have confidence and have a little bit of an ego because that all helps." 

With TMU beginning the season playing four of its five games on the road, including the first three happening away from the confines of the Mattamy Athletic Centre, there's a sense that everyone needs to get situated on the fly—and to do so as soon as possible. 

"They were recruited for a reason," said Fox. "I know it's hard coming in as a freshman and finding your footing. But hitting that ice with confidence is what will really take you to the end."

Despite a strong recruiting class, the Bold have unfortunately been hit by the injury bug. Several of the rookies are out with something ranging from ailments that require multiple weeks of rehab to injuries that require surgery. 

"Those who are healthy, they've been contributing right away," said Haley. 

One of those players has been rookie goaltender Sydney Pyburn. Even though the Bold are carrying four goalies on the roster, veteran Lauren Griffin and rookie Katie Frost are out with injuries. This leaves Pyburn and returning third-year Shannon Harris left to hold the fort. 

Like with any goaltending group or tandem, an internal competition is bound to occur. And in the midst of pushing each other towards greatness, the TMU players continue to look towards their handbook for guidance. In many ways, it's more than pages of advice. It's a compass that reveals the way to their North Star. 

"One of the parts of the book is that you have to play so well that your coach can't not play you," said Pyburn. "That's the kind of mentality I've had going into it."

A committee approach could be in play this season as the Bold look to replace Alexia Stratos. The former TMU goalie played in 24 of 27 games last year. For newcomer Pyburn, it's important to maintain a laser focus so that she's ready when her number is called. 

"I can't take a second off, whether that's practicing or in the weight room," said Pyburn. "I have to be on the top of my game every second."

The Bold as a whole aren't quite at the top of their game yet if the pre-season is any indication of what's to come. TMU finished 1-7 in exhibition play but the team isn't concerned. 

"Some destinations take a little longer to get to depending on the team and the person," said Fox.

It's a belief that is echoed by the team from top to bottom, which is vital for a coaching staff preaching the merit in buying into the process. The Bold haven't had a winning pre-season record in each of the last six years they've made the playoffs, highlighting Haley's understanding that this time of the season is more about the process rather than the result. 

"It's about finding that balance between challenging them to higher levels and recognizing when we need a little support," said Haley.  

Armed with the support of the coaching staff and the guidance of their team manual, it will be the players who ultimately decide how this season goes. Despite the questions that surround the team, there's a confident desire among the players to author a chapter to remember. And depending on how the puck bounces, it could be a chapter that future players end up referring to.

"Step by step, it'll come," said Julien-Medeiros. "If we keep doing what we're doing and focus on our roles, that will translate into winning games."  

The Bold officially begin the regular season with a matchup against the Queen's Gaels in Kingston, Ont., on Oct. 10. The puck drops at 3 p.m. live on oua.tv.