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Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
Updated: March 17, 2026
Kennesha Miswaggon considers her first season of professional hockey a success.
Miswaggon, a member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, is playing defence for Rögle BK, a squad that competes in the Nationella Damhockeyligan, which translated is the National Women’s Hockey League (NDHL), the second highest women’s hockey league in Sweden.
Miswaggon, 25, joined Rögle BK in mid-January. She helped her squad finish atop the regular season standings in the league’s North Conference.
Miswaggon and her teammates then won quarter-final and semi-final series. But they lost out in the league championship final to Leksands IF in a best-of-three series that went the maximum three games.
Rögle BK, which plays its home games in the city of Ängelholm, still had a bit of hockey left to play against the two lowest-ranked clubs from the country’s top league, Svenska Damhockeyligan, the Swedish Women’s Hockey League, also known as the SDHL. It was an opportunity to get promoted to the country’s top league for next season.
The two series winners in best-of-three affairs would earn the right to play in Sweden’s top circuit for the 2026-27 campaign.
Unfortunately, Rögle BK was downed 2-0 against Linköping HC, losing the opener 5-1 on March 12 and 3-1 in Game 2 on March 14.
Miswaggon turned pro after playing five seasons with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Her original goal was to remain in North America and play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
She put her name into the PWHL draft last June but was not selected by any of the league’s eight entrants.
Despite not being drafted, Miswaggon’s hope of playing in the PWHL was still alive as she received an invite to attend the Vancouver Goldeneyes’ training camp last fall.
“They already had a bunch of signees and a bunch of their team was confirmed,” Miswaggon said. “So, there wasn't too much high hopes. But obviously I still went in trying my hardest, and I felt like I did pretty well.”
After being released from the Goldeneyes’ camp, Miswaggon turned her attention to Rögle BK, a club that had been pursuing her since shortly after her university hockey season concluded last winter.
“They got into contact with me right after my last season with UBC ended,” Miswaggon said. “They emailed me. They were trying to get me to immediately respond. But I was so busy just with school. It’s crazy in the last little bit of the school year and with university just in general.”
Miswaggon did eventually get in touch with the Rögle BK brass.
“They started reaching out on different (social media) platforms,” she said. “And I was like,’ okay, maybe I should respond soon because they just keep bugging and bugging me’.”
Miswaggon is now thrilled that she ended up in Sweden. That’s because it has given her a new outlook on her pro career.
“A big goal of mine now is obviously to still play hockey,” she said. “But I found that I really enjoy travelling. So, I don't even know if I'm going to be in Sweden next season. I might just pop around from country to country. I just want to see as much as I can and play hockey while I'm doing that. With hockey there's a lot of opportunities all around the world.”
Miswaggon, however, has not abandoned her dream of playing in the PWHL, globally the top women’s league.
“If I do get an invite again, I would definitely take the PWHL training camp offer,” she said. “It would be nice. But it's not my ultimate goal.”
Rögle BK also has a men’s hockey club, which has been around since the 1930s. But this is just the third season the organization has had a women’s team.
“We don't get as much as the men but I think I personally have it pretty good,” Miswaggon said. “I don’t have to worry about anything. They pay for rent. They pay for flights. They pay for equipment. I don’t have to worry about anything here living-wise.”
Miswaggon said she is still paying rent on her Vancouver accommodation.
“A bit of my salary goes to that rent in Vancouver,” she said. “And the rest I kind of have enough for groceries and to do a little bit of fun things on the side. It's not like a crazy amount of money, but it is decent.”
Miswaggon said Sweden has the highest calibre of women’s hockey in Europe.
“If you want to play and get recognized and, I think, if you want to get to the PWHL, Sweden is the route,” she said. “It's very competitive. They train like nowhere else. We’re on the ice and in the gym almost every day. It's a high calibre of play. If you want to play serious hockey, you come to Sweden.
“Other places you go to more for leisure, like if you want to travel, if you want to have more time off outside of the rink, than you go to Switzerland or Austria.”