A capsule look at season three of the PWHL

Montreal Victoire's Lina Ljungblom (25) hits Ottawa Charge's Brianne Jenner (19) into the boards while attempting to play the puck during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in Ottawa, on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

Season three in the PWHL has arrived, with two new teams and an off-season full of movement.

Here’s a look at each of the eight teams entering this year:

Vancouver Goldeneyes

The star-studded expansion franchise will have plenty of eyes on it to see just how quickly it can compete. The league prioritized competitive balance in its expansion process, and the Goldeneyes boast a strong lineup on paper, including forwards Sarah Nurse and Hannah Miller, defenders Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson and goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer. But just how well head coach Brian Idalski can get them to gel and compete will be followed closely.

Montreal Victoire

The Victoire topped the league standings last season before falling to Ottawa in four games in the semifinals. Montreal hasn’t finished below second in the regular season, but hasn’t figured out a way to get into the Walter Cup final. Despite losing top rookies Jenn Gardiner and Cayla Barnes, the core led by superstar Marie-Philip Poulin remains intact and they expect to compete once again.

Ottawa Charge

The Charge went on a strong run late in the season, including winning four of their last five games to squeeze into the playoffs. After a semifinal upset of Montreal, Ottawa lost a hotly contested four-game Walter Cup final series to Minnesota. Ottawa was tied for last in regular-season scoring last season and grinded its way through the playoffs. But with the loss of Tereza Vanisova, the league’s second-leading goal-scorer last season, the question will be if the Charge can build on its momentum with the same formula and less ammo.

Toronto Sceptres

The Sceptres were one of the teams which suffered deep losses due to the expansion process, including Nurse and Miller. However, it has one of the stronger defensive cores with the addition of star Ella Shelton. Head coach Troy Ryan says there could be changes made from a staff standpoint to avoid another slow start. With a healthy Natalie Spooner back in the fold, Toronto will be searching for an answer to breakthrough after back-to-back semifinal losses.

Seattle Torrent

Led by captain Hilary Knight, the expansion franchise also benefitted from the friendly expansion process. The 36-year-old Knight was tied for the PWHL lead in points (29) last season and will be alongside Jesse Eldridge, who was tied for fifth (24) and Alex Carpenter, who has 43 points in the past two seasons, good for third.

Minnesota Frost

The two-time defending champions took a real blow with the losses of Defender of the Year finalists Jaques and Thompson. However, Ken Klee’s team has always found a way to win. Led by Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle, as long as the Frost make the post-season, it will be on the rest of the PWHL to show there is another team better at winning when it matters most.

Boston Fleet

Losing your captain is not easy, especially when your captain is also the league’s leading scorer. And that’s exactly what is the case in Boston with losing Knight. The Fleet botched their chance at a playoff spot in the season finale with an 8-1 loss to Minnesota. This came one year after losing to the Frost in the Walter Cup final. With a new coach in Kris Sparre as well, the Fleet will have to find new ways to return to the playoffs.

New York Sirens

This isn’t necessarily a team that is expected to compete following the losses of Carpenter, Eldridge, Shelton and goaltender Corinne Schroeder. The Sirens have finished last in the PWHL standings each of the last two years. Armed with young star Sarah Fillier, and No. 1 pick Kristyna Kaltounkova, New York is looking to its youngsters to develop something big for the future.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2025.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press