PWHL Power Rankings: New York Sirens, Minnesota Frost start off strong

It has been an entertaining opening week and change of the 2024-25 PWHL season. Some teams have performed well in the early going, while others leave fans wanting more.

Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl give their thoughts on how the teams look after the opening nine games of the season.

1. Minnesota Frost

Record: 2-0-1-0, +3
Last Week: N/A
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: They raised a Walter Cup banner and lost a heartbreaker to the Sirens, but the Frost has been the better team in all three of their games. Michaela Cava and 2024 fifth-round pick Dominique Petrie each lead the club with three goals, while the likes of Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise and Sophie Jaques – who was one of Daily Faceoff’s Players of the Week – quietly have three points each. 

Expectations are high in the State of Hockey, but with depth on the blue line and loads of talent up front, expectations should be this high.

Tyler: You had to think the Frost was going to take a step back after what was a whirlwind offseason following an improbable run to the Walter Cup. However, so far, they have looked pretty good. Outside of dropping its home opener to New York, Minnesota has played well, especially Dominique Petrie. The fifth-round pick staked her claim as a scoring threat on a team filled with talent, potting three goals in three games.

I was a little concerned about Nicole Hensley’s first game against the Sirens, but I think she’ll be able to figure things out as the season wears on.

2. New York Sirens

Record: 1-1-0-1, +4
Last Week: N/A
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 1st

Tyler: Did their loss to the Fleet on Sunday bring a glimmer of doubt? Sure. Did this team have an impressive start last season and fall flat on its face? Correct.

That said, there is something different about the Sirens this year. No longer does this team have to rely on Corinne Schroeder to stand on her head every game (though it wouldn’t hurt). They have an exciting top line of star rookie Sarah Fillier and international veterans Alex Carpenter and Jesse Eldridge. The way New York beat the Minnesota Frost on their banner night and really made the Montreal Victoire look mediocre last Wednesday shows these Sirens have more confidence.

Hunter: Despite being heavily outshot in the opener, and when I say that, I mean they were nearly doubled in shots, they still beat the defending champs in overtime and Carpenter played the hero. The 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award winner has three goals and two assists through five games and looks like she’ll only improve off her team-leading 23 points from last season. 

Meanwhile, Fillier looks like one of the best players in the league, with a pair of goals and four assists through three games. Her six points lead the PWHL, and her arrival in New York has rejuvenated a club that finished as the league’s first-ever last-place team. 

3. Montreal Victoire

Record: 1-1-0-1, +1
Last Week: N/A
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: I’ll be honest, I feel like the shootout has lost its luster in the 20-plus years it’s been part of the NHL, but seeing Marie-Philip Poulin score the winning goal for the Victoire on Opening Day was a treat. 

Poulin scored her first actual goal of the season in last Friday’s win over the Charge. The offense has trickled out of the dam instead of burst, but we’re only a few games in, so we’re in no rush. You forget how spoiled Montreal is, having Elaine Chuli has a backup when they also have one of the best in the world in Ann-Renee Desbiens.

Tyler: My only change from the current standings to this ranking. I’m sitting here wondering what the Victoire has to do in order to impress me. Yes, they beat the Charge twice, but how the Sirens humbled them shows this team is, in a way, still reeling from last year’s playoffs.

Granted, it isn’t like they played badly over their first three games, but with Montreal’s stacked roster, I feel like they should’ve won all three of its games convincingly. It is early, and they have a week off due to the Six Nations to fine-tune some things, so I expect a much more inspired group when play resumes next week.

4. Ottawa Charge

Record: 1-0-1-1, -1
Last Week: N/A
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd

Tyler: Once again, we entered the season doubting the Charge, but then they play a couple of good games to give us hope that they can be a strong playoff contender. The effort in their two games against the Victoire impressed me, even though they lost on “home” ice last Friday. However, the way they took the game to the Sceptres (again) shows they have that fighting spirit Carla MacLeod and this core have instilled to make them a tough team to beat.

I will pound this into the ground, though–if Emerance Maschmeyer gets put through the wood chipper like last year, it will do more harm than good. Ottawa needs to get Gwyneth Philips some game action in order to ensure two reliable goaltenders.

Hunter: The team was a Savannah Harmon shot off the post away from sending last Friday’s game to overtime, and perhaps they’d have two wins instead of one. Still, though, I’ve really liked the Charge’s effort through the first trio of games in 2024-25. 

Tereza Vanisova struggled after being traded to Ottawa last season, unable to score in the final six games of the season. However, the Czech forward has two goals and an assist so far and looks like a threat to score on nearly every shift. Keep an eye on Jincy Roese, who only had five assists last season but scored her first-career PWHL goal against the Sceptres on the power play. If Ottawa can get some offense from their blue line, look out.

5. Boston Fleet

Record: 1-0-0-2, -1
Last Week: N/A
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th

Hunter: Much was made about Hilary Knight’s lack of production at the start of her PWHL career, scoring just one goal in her first 10 games. The Boston captain would finish with a respectable six goals and five assists but would be pointless in all eight of the team’s Walter Cup Playoff games. 

Fans and pundits weren’t sure what to expect in 2024-25, but three games in, Knight’s game has looked fantastic, scoring twice with an assist and leading the team in ice time, averaging more than 22 minutes a game. Combine that with Megan Keller picking up where she left off, and the Fleet just might have some juice.

Tyler: Yes, I know they beat the Sirens to finally get into the win column. However, the first two games for New England’s squad showed more of the same as what we experienced during the inaugural season. Solid goaltending, but a real problem in putting the puck in the back of the net. It’s funny how the team puts up four goals with Alina Muller out of the lineup, and it is good to see Knight and Keller finding their footing early.

However, if Sunday’s victory was just a flash in the pan, it is going to be a lot tougher for the Fleet to get back to the playoffs.

6. Toronto Sceptres

Record: 1-0-0-2, -2
Last Week: N/A
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th

Tyler: Here we go again.

Just like last season, the Sceptres come out of the gate limping despite having substantial expectations heading into the year. However, outside of beating the also-struggling Fleet in its first game of the season, Toronto was outclassed by the Charge and the Sirens, two teams that, on paper, the Sceptres should have little problem defeating.

I do believe this team will turn things around at some point, just as they did in 2024. Yet, the way they have started this season exemplifies the notable absence of Natalie Spooner.

Hunter: Not the kind of start the club was hoping to get off to, but when you’re without the reigning Billie Jean King MVP Award winner in Natalie Spooner, you need to be perfect in her absence. Sarah Nurse has two goals and three points so far, and free agent signing Daryl Watts was able to score in Saturday’s loss to Ottawa, but a league-worst 10 goals given up this early isn’t helping. 

One bright spot for the Sceptres is undrafted defender Rylind MacKinnon, who was one of two players to go straight from Canada’s USports system to the PWHL. After signing a one-year contract the day before the regular-season opener, the 24-year-old has two assists and four hits through three games with Toronto. 

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