It’s hard to have a bad offseason less than a year into the existence of the league with an abundance of talent still coming in through the draft, but some PWHL teams certainly had more to do, and more to fix than others.
There were big signings from Toronto, coaching changes in New York, controversy in Minnesota, defecting draft picks in Montreal, and much more. Here’s a ranking of how PWHL teams did this offseason. These rankings are projecting 2024-2025 on-ice success, but rather, are looking at what each team was able to do this offseason.
1. Toronto
All Toronto did was go from strong to stronger. Added depth on the blueline where they needed it most, brought in the biggest free agents on the market in Daryl Watts and Emma Woods, got another power forward through the draft with Julia Gosling…what else could you ask for? Natalie Spooner’s status is the only question mark heading into the season, but no matter when they get her back, it will be the rich getting richer.
Related: Watts: “It’s A Dream” To Return Home To Toronto
2. New York
New York made big changes to their coaching staff bringing in Greg Fargo as their new head coach, a significant hire given Fargo’s NCAA success at Colgate. Next it was Josh Sciba, Union College’s head coach and USA national team assistant being added as an assistant with New York. They rounded that out with Mount Royal assistant Lauren Williams. Their roster also got patched with scoring coming in from Sarah Fillier and Noora Tulus, and defensive punch with Maja Nylen Persson and Allyson Simpson. If Fargo can teach his team to play defense, the on ice product in New York will take a big step from last year.
3. Ottawa
Some might say losing Daryl Watts makes this a losing season for PWHL Ottawa, Ottawa got better almost everywhere, and they addressed their biggest need for defensive depth. Ronja Savolainen, Danielle Serdachny, and Anna Meixner automatically make Ottawa better. They also added depth through free agency in Rebecca Leslie and Alexa Vasko. Ottawa also showed something else: stability. Their staff remains the same, their venue remains the same, and their fanbase remains strong. It’s a good asset to have.
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4. Boston
Boston took a quality over quantity approach to the draft and on paper, it paid off as they got two elite additions in Hannah Bilka and Daniela Pejsova. Getting back Taylor Girard and Loren Gabel to 100% health should be enough to add the scoring depth they need up front, but GM Danielle Marmer also took a swing for the fences with Ilona Markova, a young Russian forward who could turn out to be the steal of the draft, or at worst, skilled depth who needs time to develop and could be a big boost next year. Perhaps Boston’s biggest offseason question is if they’re returning to Lowell, or heading into Boston. They have a good mix of veterans and youth that should keep them in the mix this season.
5. Montreal
Montreal had some positives, like locking in Swedish forward Lina Ljungblom to a three year deal. They also added top defender Cayla Barnes to their blueline and signed her for three seasons as well. The real question marks for Montreal involve solving their scoring depth and whether or not they can find solutions for draft picks Abby Boreen and Amanda Kessel. After Kessel took a promotion with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, that one looks like a lost cause, but they still need to settle the Abby Boreen situation, something that might not be possible until Minnesota gets a GM. Montreal doesn’t deserve any negatives for either of those picks. Daniele Sauvageau took the players she believed were best available. Montreal got let down by the system here.
Related: Kessel To Stay With Pittsburgh Penguins Taking On AHL Assistant General Manager Job
6. Minnesota
PWHL Minnesota wasted no time following their Walter Cup title descending into controversy when the league parted ways with soon to be Hall of Famer Natalie Darwitz. That continued with the release of three more coaches, a divisive draft, and allegations surrounding coach Ken Klee and captain Kendall Coyne Schofield’s involvement in Darwitz’s dismissal. Minnesota has gone the entire free agency period without a general manager, and while they got better through the draft, they still had arguably the worst draft class of the league’s six teams.
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