Soroya Tinker is a former professional hockey player who sparks change, pushes limits, breaks barriers, and creates a more equitable future in hockey. 

Tinker was a Yale University Women’s Hockey Team member before graduating with a degree in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. She was drafted fourth overall to the Metropolitan Riveters in 2020 before joining the Toronto Six in 2021. In the 2022-23 PHF season, Saroya was named a PHF All-Star and the Toronto Six won the 2023 Isobel Cup. 

Tinker runs Saroya Strong, a mentorship program for young Black women in sports. She is also the Executive Director of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Black Women in ice hockey. 

In 2022, Saroya was part of Front Office Sports’ Rising 25 Class, named one of Sportsnet’s Top-25 Women in Hockey, and won the PHF’s Denna Laing Award, awarded to “the player most actively applying the core values of hockey to her community as well as growing and improving hockey culture.” She also won the TIFF People’s Choice Award for Uninterrupted Canada’s Black Ice. 

Saroya is one of the faces of diversity and inclusion in hockey – she is continuously pushing the boundaries of the sport and improving it for the next generation of players. In the fall, Breaking Down Barriers, a docuseries showcasing stories of diversity in hockey, premiered on TSN. Saroya is the host, writer, and executive producer. 

Saroya is also a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s broadcasting team both on panel and color commentary and the leagues Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.