PWHL Power Rankings: Montreal and Toronto flexing their muscle in return from break

In the past seven days since the league returned from its latest international break, there has been a lot of shuffling in the standings, as some teams stayed hot while others did not.

Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl give their thoughts on how the teams have improved–or depreciated–in the past week in the latest PWHL Power Rankings.

1. Montreal Victoire

Record: 9-3-1-2, +14
Last Week: 1st
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st

Hunter: The Victoire had one game this week, and they made it count, defeating the Sirens 6-2 at home. Montreal showed no signs of rust, scoring four goals in the first period and chasing Corinne Schroeder out of the net for the first time in her PWHL career. 

One standout performance from Saturday’s game was from Lina Ljungblom, who scored twice and now has three on the season. Taken by Montreal with the last pick of the 2024 PWHL Draft, the Swedish National Team member has been a reliable two-way depth piece in the Victoire lineup and might have more offense in her tool belt than they thought.

Tyler: Who needs to play multiple games when you can just fill the net in one?

The Victoire might’ve had a rough second period against the Sirens on Saturday, but they went out and jumped on a team that had been one of the better defensive teams in the league. Seeing Ljungblom have a great game was exciting to see. I’ve been hoping to see more of that from her this season.

I will say, the second half of the season will really test this Montreal team, as they have two games in hand on everyone in the league, but if they can continue to generate offense and get the necessary saves, they won’t be moving from this spot in the league standings or our rankings.

The Victoire will be in action on Tuesday night, hosting the Minnesota Frost.

2. Toronto Sceptres

Record: 6-2-4-6, -2
Last Week: 3rd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: She’s baaaaaaaaack! Natalie Spooner made her return to the Sceptres lineup after suffering a major lower-body injury during the PWHL Playoffs last spring. With an assist and four shots through two games, the league’s first MVP is still finding her game with Toronto. She took a maintenance day Sunday against the Charge, but should return to the lineup Wednesday vs. the Sirens. 

As for the rest of the team, the Sceptres won all three of their games this week, with Darryl Watts scoring three times, including two against Ottawa in Edmonton. Meanwhile, Hannah Miller, who celebrated her 29th birthday on Sunday, with the team each dressing as the Toronto forward, recorded three assists against the Charge. She now leads the league with 18 points. 

Tyler: It’s literally 2024 all over again. After a sluggish start, the Sceptres are going streaking at the right time of the season, pushing them up near the top of the league. The difference is that it hasn’t just been someone like Natalie Spooner carrying the load. While Miller has been having a great season, players like Daryl Watts, Jesse Compher and Emma Maltais have all contributed admirably.

Also, how about Raygan Kirk? The rookie continues to play well when called upon, erasing the starter-backup system Toronto had last season for more of a 1A-1B scenario with Kristen Campbell, which is a definite strength compared to other teams.

The Sceptres are back at it on Wednesday night when they visit the Sirens.

3. Minnesota Frost

Record: 5-4-3-6, -3
Last Week: 3rd
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: It wasn’t a good week in the State of Hockey, as the Frost lost all three of its games this week, earning just one of a possible nine points. The worst loss came Thursday when the Ottawa Charge ran up the score in an 8-3 win, breaking the league record for the most goals in a game. 

Minnesota has now lost six of their last eight games. The team is scoring lots of offense, but it’s the lack of defense that’s caused frustrations. Maddie Rooney’s goals-against average climbed to 2.38, and her save percentage dropped to .899. If you told me Rooney’s save percentage would be below .900 past the midway mark of the season, I’d have called you a fool. 

Tyler: I want to say it’s just a blip on the radar, but how the Frost lost last week didn’t sit well with me. They blew a pair of two-goal leads to the Sceptres and Fleet…losing both times. That loss to the Charge? I’ll chalk that up to having a no-good, very bad day. Yet, the fact that Minnesota was unable to hold leads with the team they have, fully staffed these days, is concerning.

Also, if I’m Ken Klee, I’m not playing Nicole Hensley unless I absolutely have to. She has been unable to find any consistency this season, and her performance against the Charge exhibits the woes Hensley’s had this season. So much so that I think she’s close to playing herself off the U.S. National Team roster (Hello, Ava McNaughton).

The Frost faces a big test on Tuesday night when they visit the Victoire.

4. Boston Fleet

Record: 6-3-2-6, +4
Last Week: 5th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: The Fleet has played four times since returning from the International break, and to their credit, they’ve looked fantastic, winning three of those games. Aerin Frankel, one of this week’s Daily Faceoff Players of the Week, stopped 85 of 89 shots they faced in three games, and continues to be one of the game’s best netminders.

Lots of players stood out this week, including Hilary Knight and her three goals and two assists. Jamie Lee Rattray, a 2022 Olympian for Canada, has struggled offensively this season and had two goals and two assists this week. Perhaps this recent offensive surge could be the start of something for the second half of the season. 

Tyler: I know they’ve been fortunate to be playing the Sirens lately, but the Fleet showed some grit by winning three of the four games they played in a six-day span and are all of a sudden right behind the first-place Victoire. Things have just been bouncing Boston’s way lately. Whether it be Hilary Knight playing at an MVP level, or Alina Müller finding her stride, the Fleet looks really dangerous.

A lot of that, of course, comes from the confidence in their goaltending. While “The Green Monster” Aerin Frankel is superb, seeing someone like Klára Peslarová come in relief and pick up her first PWHL win shows this team can play in front of anyone right now.

Boston has a couple of days before visiting the Ottawa Charge on Thursday night before taking on the Sirens in Buffalo as part of the Takeover Tour.

5. Ottawa Charge

Record: 6-0-3-8, -8
Last Week: 6th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 5th

Hunter: The Charge earned four of a possible six points this week, all while scoring the most goals in a single game in PWHL history with an 8-3 over the Frost on Thursday. Tereza Vanisova recorded a hat trick – and was also one of DFO’s Players of the Week – and Gabbie Hughes had a three-point effort of her own. 

Ottawa followed that with a hard-fought effort against the Sceptres, losing in overtime. The team now plays three straight home games starting Thursday when they host the Fleet, a good test against a team they’ll be fighting with for a playoff spot. 

Tyler: It wasn’t all that long ago that we were harping on the Charge for not being able to score goals, sitting as one of the worst offenses in the league. Well…that all changed when they lit the Frost up for eight goals. They proved it wasn’t a total flash in the pan, playing hard against the Sceptres in an overtime loss in Edmonton. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself on a team that picked up points in back-to-back games for the first time in over a month.

Losing Katerina Mrazova for the next couple of weeks will certainly test this team’s mettle, but if they can get enough scoring with some solid goaltending, Ottawa can find itself it a playoff spot.

The Charge starts a three-game homestand on Thursday night against the Fleet.

6. New York Sirens

Record: 4-3-2-8, -5
Last Week: 3rd (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 6th

Tyler: Aye, aye, aye. Where do we start?

Similar to what the Sceptres are doing, going on another streak to move up the standings, the Sirens are stumbling when they’ve entered the dog days of the season…just like the inaugural campaign. The team only scored three goals in three games last week, including being shut out by the Fleet in their first game back from the break last Tuesday.

I know Alex Carpenter has missed three straight games, but with names like Sarah Fillier, Abby Roque and Noora Tulus, this team has no excuse for being this inefficient offensively. I’m experiencing déjà vu because this was my criticism of the Sceptres when they were without Spooner early on this season. Let’s see if New York can figure things out like Toronto did.

Hunter: Not sure how to frame a positive on what was a difficult return to action for the Sirens. Losing all three of their games, including a combined 10-2 against the Fleet and Victoire. New York has now lost five straight and six of their last seven. 

As mentioned earlier, Schroeder was pulled from a game for the first time in her career after giving up four goals on seven shots in the first period against Montreal. The vibes are not good in the Big Apple right now. 

Tyler: They play in New Jersey…

Hunter: Whatever.

The Sirens have a chance to put an end to their losing ways against the Sceptres on Wednesday night.

Read more PWHL stories on DFO

---

Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!