Olympic and Women’s Worlds stars set to dazzle in six-team league
 
The teams have nicknames. Many have new home rinks. The season is now 30 games long. Expansion talk is in the air as the so-called “Takeover Tour” will see games played in nine non-PWHL cities. It’s a great time for professional women’s hockey in North America!
 
Yes, the PWHL is back for its second season, which will include a break for the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship (9 to 20 April in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia). Let’s preview the league’s six teams.

Boston Fleet

Led by captain Hilary Knight, the all-time Women’s Worlds points leader, Boston made it to the inaugural Walter Cup finals before losing to Minnesota. To the good, their deep playoff run is something to build on. To the bad, they scored the fewest goals in the league last season despite a supporting cast that included Switzerland’s Alina Muller, Finland’s Susanna Tapani, and the U.S.’s Megan Keller.
 
The big name to come to Boston this off-season is 23-year-old Hannah Bilka, a proven goal-scorer who was part of the U.S.’s gold medal win at the 2023 Women’s Worlds in Brampton, Ontario. The Fleet also boasts perhaps the PWHL’s best one-two goaltending tandem in the U.S.’s Aerin Frankel and Sweden’s Emma Soderberg, both of whom are top goalies on their national teams.

Minnesota Frost

Last year’s Walter Cup champions looked anything but champion-like for much of the season, and they were the fourth seed once the playoffs began. But they peaked at the right time and defeated Boston 3-0 in the last game of the best-of-five finals to claim the first-ever PWHL championship. The team looks like a mini-version of Team USA. Led by puckhandling wizard Taylor Heise, the first overall pick in 2023, and longtime U.S. captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, the core remains impressive.
 
A star-studded blue line includes the U.S.’s Lee Stecklein and Natalie Buchbinder and Canada’s Sophie Jaques, the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award winner with Ohio State. Minnesota’s key off-season addition is defender Claire Thompson. The Canadian set an Olympic record in 2022 with 13 points, and she brings a dynamic presence. She can skate, move the puck, and join the offence. Loaded with talent, the Frost could go a long way again in 2025.

Montreal Victoire

Informal polls suggest Montreal won the summer lottery with the best team nickname and logo design. But more importantly, they still have captain and future Hall of Famer Marie-Philip Poulin leading the way.
 
Their first goal is to put last season in perspective. They finished second overall in the regular season behind Toronto and looked poised for a deep playoff run, only to be swept in three games by Boston. No one saw that coming, especially Victoire coach Kori Cheverie.
 
The Victoire also have a new home, moving to the 10,000-seat Place Bell, and their best incoming player is Sweden’s Lina Ljungblom. Last year’s SDHL MVP, the 23-year-old has been a fixture on the national team since 2017, first at the U18 level, then the Women’s Worlds and Olympics. She was on the 2023 team when Sweden forced Canada to overtime in the quarter-finals, nearly pulling off one of the greatest upsets in WW history.
 
Other non-Canadians to watch out for include American defender Cayla Barnes and Czech Dominika Laskova, both of whom should have an impact with the Victoire this year. However, both are injured to start the season, meaning Cheverie will have to look for different solutions.

New York Sirens

New York finished last in the league last year and were the only team to change head coaches during the off-season. Out is Howie Draper, and in is Greg Fargo, Colgate University’s longtime coach. The team’s biggest on-ice loss is Emma Woods, who signed a two-year deal with Toronto. However, the Sirens get the most anticipated player of the year, Sarah Fillier, the first overall draft selection back in June.
 
Fillier is 24 and has played internationally with Canada since 2017, winning seven medals in seven events, including Olympic gold in 2022 and Women’s Worlds gold in 2021, 2022, and 2024. She was named tournament MVP in 2023. A new Princeton graduate, Fillier signed a one-year contract and will add important skill to a team that includes a blend of Americans and Canadians, from Alex Carpenter and Abby Roque to Jill Saulnier and Micah Zandee-Hart.
 
The Sirens will play most of their home games at the Prudential Centre, home of the New Jersey Devils and the venue where they had their two biggest crowds last season.

Ottawa Charge

Under the guidance of Czechia’s national team coach, Canadian Carla MacLeod, Ottawa was bitterly disappointed to have missed the playoffs last year. The team was embraced by the city from Day One and produced the league’s most impressive crowds all year. They expect the same this year, too.
 
In net, the team has Emerance Maschmeyer, who has many years of experience with Canada’s national team and looked strong during camp. And on the blue line, the anchor is the U.S.’s Savannah Harmon. But the player everyone is talking about is 2024 second overall pick Danielle Serdachny, who just graduated after five years at Colgate University. The 23-year-old put up 61 points in 40 games last year. More significantly, she scored the golden goal for Canada in their wild 6-5 win over the U.S. at the 2024 Women’s Worlds in Utica, New York. MacLeod will cherish the offense Serdachny can bring.
 
Three other names stand out on this Ottawa roster—Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark, two Canadians who can also create much-needed offence, and Czech sensation Katerina Mrazova.

Toronto Sceptres

Now playing out of the 8,000-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum, and already fully sold out, the Sceptres will start the season without Natalie Spooner, the inaugural IIHF Player of the Year and the PWHL’s MVP and leading scorer. The Canadian power forward suffered a bad knee injury during the 2024 playoffs, and although her recovery is progressing, it is going slowly. With that in mind, the Sceptres scooped up Daryl Watts, a 25-year-old from Toronto who scored 10 goals with Ottawa last year after an outstanding NCAA career with Boston and Wisconsin.
 
The Sceptres will again ride starter and top 2024 PWHL goalie Kristen Campbell, with Carly Jackson and newcomer Raygan Kirk as her backups. Coached by Team Canada’s Troy Ryan, Toronto also boasts the PWHL’s most Canadian national team members, including 2022 Olympic scoring leader Sarah Nurse, Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque, Blayre Turnbull, and Emma Maltais.