2024-25 PWHL team previews: Everything you need to know about Year 2
After an exciting record-breaking inaugural season, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is ready to begin what could be a monumental 2024-25 campaign this weekend.
With a massive Takeover Tour, new rules and the league continuing to fill up with superstars, there is a chance that this season might be even better than year one.
DFO’s women’s hockey experts Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl broke down each of the original six franchises and how they expect each to fare this year:
BOSTON FLEET
LAST SEASON: 3rd (8-4-3-9), lost in PWHL Final
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Hannah Bilka, F (Draft)
Emma Greco, D (UFA)
Hadley Hartmetz, D (Draft)
Daniela Pejšová, D (Draft)
Departures
Abby Cook, D (Unsigned)
Kaleigh Fratkin, D (Unsigned)
Gigi Marvin, F (Retired)
Tyler: The best thing to happen for the Fleet is they really didn’t lose a whole lot compared to last season. They improved by drafting the uber-talented Bilka and an established blueliner in Pejšová. The big thing that plagued Boston last season was a lack of offense, especially from their big guns. However, with Bilka adding some punch, and Hilary Knight having a good start to the Rivalry Series and preseason, you have to expect more production throughout the lineup. I also believe Loren Gabel will find the back of the net a few more times, especially after an injury-riddled first season.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the Fleet were to move up the charts compared to last season, but I think they’ll finish right where they did last year in third.
Hunter: To further Tyler’s point about a lack of production, it was surprising to see that in a six-team league, the first Boston player in the 2023-24 point standings was Alina Muller, all the way down at 14th. The club still finished within a game of winning the league’s first championship, but they shouldn’t bank on that same format taking them to the top.
That being said, adding Bilka and her five point-per-game or higher seasons in the NCAA will be a boost. But the real hike in offense should come internally. Susanna Tapani, acquired alongside Abby Cook in the league’s first trade for Sophie Jaques out of Minnesota, will have a full season to find her rhythm with the Fleet. If the likes of Taylor Girard and Jamie Lee Rattray ramp up their secondary production, look out.
Oh, and having someone like Aerin Frankel, one of the best netminders in the game, doesn’t hurt, either. Just look back at Frankel’s .953 save percentage during the postseason – nearly unstoppable.
MINNESOTA FROST
LAST SEASON: 4th (8-4-3-9), won Walter Cup
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Britta Curl-Salemme, F (Draft)
Klara Hymlárová, F (Draft)
Claire Thompson, D (Draft)
Departures
Abby Boreen, F (Mtl)
Brittyn Fleming, F (Retired)
Dominique Kremer, D (SDHL)
Sophia Kunin, F (Retired)
Hunter: Typically, sports franchises are given a grace period after winning a championship, but it felt like Minnesota squandered all that good will this past offseason. Reports indicated an internal riff between head coach Ken Klee and former general manager Natalie Darwitz, leading to the latter’s departure. Minnesota ended up drafting Britta Curl out of Wisconsin, whose own off-ice controversies brought on more negative attention to the club. Klee says the team did their homework, but we’ll see if fans decide to continue cheering.
As for the team itself, there’s a lot to like. Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Taylor Heise should take another step forward in her second professional season, as will University of Minnesota legend Grace Zumwinkle. Winning a league championship and then getting to draft Claire Thompson the following spring feels like a spoil of riches for Minnesota, as the combination of her and Jaques could be the league’s next great one-two punch on the blue line.
Tyler: What’s weird about this team is that, in my estimation, they only got better. Once again, they also played well in the preseason. Outside of all the off-ice drama, all things are coming up Minnesota, right? The only thing that plagued the Frost last year was its inconsistency. That long winless drought pushed them down the standings, leading to them barely squeaking into the playoffs. Yet, with a year being together and hopefully a full season in store for Taylor Heise, the Frost will force their opponents to chill out.
They still have, arguably, one of the best tandems in the league, Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney, along with the reigning rookie of the year, Grace Zumwinkle. Once again, there is a lot to like about Minnesota.
MONTREAL VICTOIRE
LAST SEASON: 2nd (10-3-5-6), lost in semifinals
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Cayla Barnes, D (Draft)
Abby Boreen, F (Draft)
Jennifer Gardiner, F (Draft)
Lina Ljungblom, F (SDHL, 2023 Draft)
Departures
Melodie Daoust, F (Retired)
Jillian Dempsey, F (Unsigned)
Sarah Lefort, F (Unsigned)
Leah Lum, F (Unsigned)
Alexandra Poznikoff, F (Unsigned)
Hunter: After a shocking first-round exit last season at the hands of Boston, the Victoire will go into the 2024-25 season with plenty of motivation. Several Olympians like Marie Philip-Poulin, Laura Stacey, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Erin Ambrose and Kristin O’Neill guarantee a stacked lineup that can go toe-to-toe with any lineup. Two Ohio State graduates, Cayla Barnes and Jennifer Gardiner, provide depth for a top-heavy Montreal group that struggled with injuries throughout the league’s inaugural season.
If the Victoire stay healthy and play like they did for chunks of last season, I’d have a hard time betting against them come next spring.
Tyler: Montreal let me down last year. Not only did they not finish atop the regular-season standings…they couldn’t beat Aerin Frankel once in overtime! However, this team comes back even stronger in year two. They nabbed Abby Boreen away from Minnesota, locking her down for the foreseeable future, and drafted two of the top players coming out of Ohio State this season (you’re welcome, Hunter).
On top of that, they have the game’s power couple, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, who lead the Rivalry Series in points through three games. Also, they have the best 1-2 punch between the pipes in Ann-Renée Desbiens and Elaine Chuli. It is hard not to think that Victoire aren’t challenging for first place once again.
NEW YORK SIRENS
LAST SEASON: 6th (5-4-3-12)
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Sarah Fillier, F (Draft)
Maja Nylén Persson, D (Draft)
Kayle Osborne, G (Draft)
Noora Tulus, F (Draft)
Departures
Johanna Fallman, D (SDHL)
Carley Oiliver, D (Unsigned)
Lindsey Post, G (Unsigned)
Emma Woods, F (Tor)
Hunter: mean, it’s no surprise who the main character is, right? New York drafting Sarah Fillier is the type of move that can catapult a franchise into a playoff spot and potentially on a path to championships. Don’t get us wrong, there’s still aways to go for a group that finished well behind the pack in last place in 2023-24, but the addition of Fillier and new head coach Greg Fargo puts a fresh perspective on a New York team that’s hoping to climb out of the league basement. Mix in a motivated Alex Carpenter and Ella Shelton, two of the game’s most dominant players in the league’s first season, and you might have a stew going.
While I have them finishing last again, having a goalie like Corine Schroeder, who single-handedly kept New York in more games than they should have been in last season, might earn them enough wins to get them into the dance.
Tyler: You know what’s funny? New York wasn’t that bad for a team that finished last in the league. They were just unlucky. They had a Goaltender of the Year candidate in Schroeder and had one of the best power plays in the league–only finishing second behind the Ottawa Charge. While they lost a veteran presence like Emma Woods, they got a lot better. Getting Fillier will be huge for not just the team but the franchise. Having arguably two of the best European players, Nylén Persson and Tulus, fall into their lap at the draft is huge.
You have to expect Abby Roque to have a better year, and obviously, Carpenter and Shelton are going to be big-time players. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sirens are in the playoff hunt from the get-go.
OTTAWA CHARGE
LAST SEASON: 5th (8-1-6-9)
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Logan Angers, G (UFA)
Rebecca Leslie, F (UFA)
Anna Meixner, F (Draft)
Gwyneth Philips, G (Draft)
Ronja Savaolainen, D (Draft)
Danielle Serdachny, F (Draft)
Alexa Vasko, F (UFA)
Departures
Sandra Abstreiter, G (Unsigned)
Emma Buckles, D (Unsigned)
Kristin Della Rovere, F (Italy)
Sammy Davis, F (Unsigned)
Fanni Gasparics, F (SDHL)
Becca Gilmore, F (Retired)
Akane Shiga, F (SDHL)
Daryl Watts, F (Tor)
Hunter: Caught between the two biggest Canadian cities, the Charge could surprise fans around the league in 2024-25. Their first two draft picks from last June’s draft, forward Danielle Serdachny and defender Ronja Savaolainen, will make an immediate impact, with Serdachny already making an impact on the international stage for Canada and the 5-foot-10 Savaolainen dominating both ends of the ice for both Finland nationally Lulea HF in the top domestic league in Sweden.
Kateřina Mrázová signed a two-year extension and hopes to improve on her 18 points from last season. While losing Daryl Watts will hurt their offense, adding former Toronto forward Rebecca Leslie will add depth beyond the likes of Mrazova, Brianne Jenner and Gabbie Hughes, pushing Ottawa into a playoff race towards the end of the season.
Tyler: No team had a bigger changeover from year one to year two. Even though the Charge narrowly missed the playoffs last year, GM Mike Hirshfeld went out and made some moves to add some depth to compliment Jenner and Mrázová, along with drafting Serdachny, but the loss of Daryl Watts will hurt this team down the stretch. I still don’t know if they have the depth to be a championship contender.
Also, even though the team drafted Philips, how do we know that Carla MacLeod will be willing to play her? Ottawa lived and died on Emerance Maschmeyer last year, even though they had a more than capable backup in Abstreiter. The Charge feels like the one team that took a small step after last season…I hope I’m proven wrong.
TORONTO SCEPTRES
LAST SEASON: 1st (13-4-0-7), lost in semifinals
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Megan Carter, D (Draft)
Izzy Daniel, F (Draft)
Julia Gosling, F (Draft)
Raygan Kirk, G (Draft)
Daryl Watts, F (UFA)
Emma Woods, F (UFA)
Departures
Brittany Howard, F (Retired)
Erica Howe, G (Retired)
Rebecca Leslie, F (Ott)
Maude Pulin-Labelle, D (Unsigned)
Alexa Vasko, F (Ott)
Hunter: Besides having the league’s best new sweater (sorry, Victoire fans), it was an eventful offseason for the Sceptres. The team added Toronto Six alumni Daryl Watts and Emma Woods, the former being one of the top goal scorers in the league’s inaugural season. Offense may not seem like it was an issue for a Toronto team that had the league’s top-two point-getters in Natalie Spooner and Sarah Nurse, but starting 2024-25 without Spooner means players like captain Blayre Turnbull and Maggie Connors can take a step forward.
One storyline I’ll keep an eye on is when Megan Carter comes back from Long-Term Injury Reserve. The Sceptres’ second-round pick was expected to provide some depth beyond Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque and Kali Flanagan.
Tyler: This team is looking like a wagon. Yes, Spooner is going to be out for a while, but this Sceptres team has even more scoring depth than last year’s, which led the PWHL in goals (69). Watts can be a game-changer, and Julia Gosling brings size and a finishing touch that made her an instant favorite for Troy Ryan’s national team. They also took Carter in the draft, and that is going to bolster what was a pretty soft blue line when she returns after the pair of Larocque and Fast.
My favorite change from last year’s Toronto squad to this year’s is their goaltending. Sure, Kristen Campbell bounced back after a slow start, but with a national champion in Kirk backing her up, Ryan can have more faith in going with either goalie on a nightly basis.
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