NEW YORK AND TORONTO – A closer look at what’s in store for the second half of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season.
TAKEOVER TOUR CONTINUES IN EDMONTON
The PWHL Takeover Tour™ continues with the fifth of nine games this Sunday, Feb. 16 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB, where the Ottawa Charge will take on the Toronto Sceptres. Additional stops over the next seven weeks include: Buffalo’s KeyBank Center (Feb. 23), Raleigh’s Lenovo Center (Mar. 7), Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena (Mar. 16), and St. Louis’ Enterprise Center (Mar. 29). The first four games of the Takeover Tour™ in Seattle, Vancouver, Denver and Québec City had a total attendance of 63,923 and provided new fans with the opportunity to experience the PWHL. Click here for more.
PLAYOFF RACE HEATS UP
Only the top four teams in the regular-season standings will qualify for the PWHL Playoffs, which begin the week of May 5. As introduced during the inaugural season, the first-place team will earn the opportunity to select its semifinal opponent – choosing between the third- or fourth-place teams. Montréal (8-3-1-2) has won five straight games and currently leads the league with 31 points in 14 games, followed by Minnesota (5-4-2-4) with 25 points through 15 games. New York (4-3-2-5) is in third place with 20 points, Toronto (5-0-4-6) is in fourth place with 19 points, and Boston (3-3-2-5) and Ottawa (5-0-2-8) are tied in fifth place with 17 points each. The “Gold Plan” will once again determine the first pick in the PWHL Draft to the non-playoff team that accrues the most points following its elimination from playoff contention – assuring that the teams’ remaining games will be competitively meaningful. Last season, the final playoff spot came down to the last game on the schedule, which further emphasizes the importance of every point available in all remaining games. Click here to see the current PWHL standings.
FILLIER LEADS SCORING RACE
Sarah Fillier has more than lived up to expectations that came with New York selecting her with the first overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She is currently riding a six-game point streak and leads the league with 15 points (5G, 10A) in 14 games. The Princeton graduate is quickly closing in on the league’s rookie points record of 19 set by Grace Zumwinkle (MIN) and Emma Maltais (TOR) in 24 games last season and is on pace to surpass the 27 points amassed by 2024 top scorer Natalie Spooner (TOR). Last season, New York finished the lowest in scoring among rookies with just 17 total points. Click here for PWHL skater stats.
MINNESOTA’S TOP TRIO AND DYNAMIC DUOS
No trio in the PWHL this season has been as prolific as Minnesota’s Kendall Coyne Schofield (6G, 8A), Taylor Heise (4G, 10A), and Claire Thompson (3G, 11A) who are tied for second in league scoring with 14 points. The Frost’s top three offensive players have combined for 42 points, with the Sirens’ Fillier (15), Alex Carpenter (12) and Jessie Eldridge (12) next up with 39 points collectively, followed by the Sceptres’ Renata Fast (13), Hannah Miller (13) and Sarah Nurse (12) with 38 points between them. The most dynamic duos are Heise and Thompson, Carpenter and Fillier, and Nurse and Daryl Watts, who have connected on seven goals for their respective teams so far this season.
TOP FIVE CATEGORIES FOR FAST
There might not be any player in the PWHL more versatile than Toronto’s Fast. The Sceptres’ defender ranks in the top five in an array of categories so far this season, including points, with 13 (tied-5th), assists with 10 (tied-2nd), power play points with nine (1st), penalty minutes with 16 (4th), hits with 32 (tied-1st), shots blocked with 29 (4th), and average time on ice at 24:07 (1st). Fast has 12 games this season with both a blocked shot and a hit, where no other player in the PWHL has double-digit such games this season.
COMPHER MAKES CASE FOR MOST IMPROVED
Toronto’s Jesse Compher has started the season with a surge in offensive production, and based solely on scoring stats, is the league’s most improved player at this stage of the 2024-25 campaign. The Sceptres’ forward has 10 points (5G, 5A) through 15 games after registering five points (1G, 4A) in 24 games last season–– this counts as the largest points-per-game improvement (+0.46) among all players. The next two largest Pt/G improvements thus far can be attributed to Fleet captain Hilary Knight (+0.39) and Frost defender Sophie Jaques (+0.35).
DESBIENS SHUTTING THE DOOR
Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens leads the league with eight wins in 10 games and is the leading candidate to challenge the 16 wins Kristen Campbell recorded with Toronto last season in 22 appearances. Among netminders with four full games played, Desbiens is also the statistical frontrunner between the pipes in goals-against-average at 1.77 and save percentage at .935. Click here to see PWHL goaltending stats.
MIDDLE FRAME MAGIC FOR MONTRÉAL
No PWHL team has dominated a period like Montréal has in second periods this season. The Victoire have scored 22 goals in the middle frame and have a differential of plus-11 in that period. The league’s next-best single period differential is New York’s plus-6 in the third period. Montréal has scored more second period goals than their first and third period combined at nine and seven goals respectively, for a total of 16. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin has scored eight of her league-leading 10 goals in the second period, while no other PWHL player has scored more than four goals in any period so far this season.
PRODUCTIVE POWER PLAYS
With the introduction of the new ‘No Escape Rule’, designed to increase power play scoring opportunities, four of the league’s six teams have improved their success rate with the player advantage over their inaugural season figures. Toronto (+13.2%), Minnesota (+12.7%), Boston (+10.9%) and Montréal (+2.1%) have all shown power play improvement, while Ottawa (-15.3%) and New York (-4.0%) have suffered a decrease in production after ranking first (25.0%) and second (24.4%) in power play efficiency, respectively, last season. The Charge have relied heavily on even strength productivity where they have scored 88.9% of their goals––the highest in the league. In contrast, the Sceptres have the lowest rate, with 64.1% of their goals scored at even strength. Ottawa’s three power play goals this season are four fewer than Boston, who has the next fewest with seven, while Toronto’s 13 power play goals are three more than New York, who has scored the next most with 10.
ONE MILLION FANS
PWHL attendance through 43 games of the league’s 90-game schedule is 312,700 – an average of 7,272 per game and a 33% increase over last season’s average attendance of 5,448. The league’s attendance in 72 regular-season games last season was 392,259, followed by playoff attendance totaling 91,271. These figures combined provide an all-time attendance of 796,230 and the league is on pace to surpass one million fans this season.
CANADA WINS RIVALRY SERIES
The 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship is coming up in two months and the defending gold and silver medalists had another battle come down to the wire. The Rivalry Series was decided in the final game for the third straight season with Canada emerging victorious over the United States to win the 2024-25 edition of the showcase. PWHL rookies were especially impressive in both games last week, comprising 13 of the 46 players on February rosters. On Thursday in Halifax, NS, Gwyneth Philips (OTT) backstopped Team USA to a 2-1 shootout victory with a 32-save performance. Fellow rookie contributors included Hannah Bilka (BOS) with a shootout goal, while Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN) and Sarah Fillier (NY) added an assist each for USA and Canada respectively. In Saturday’s finale in Summerside, PEI, Jennifer Gardiner (MTL) scored the winning goal – her first tally with the National Women’s Team – to lead Canada to a 3-1 victory. Fellow rookies Danielle Serdachny (OTT) had two assists for Canada, while Allyson Simpson (NY) had one helper for Team USA. The series also provided U.S. National Women’s Team debuts for PWHL rookies Sydney Bard (BOS), Izzy Daniel (TOR), and Mannon McMahon (OTT).
GERMANY, JAPAN, SWEDEN QUALIFY FOR 2026 OLYMPICS
The 2026 Winter Olympics are just one year away, and three more countries have officially punched their ticket to Milano Cortina. Sandra Abstreiter (MTL) backstopped Germany to three wins, including one shutout, with a goals-against average of 0.67 and save percentage of .967, to advance in Group I over Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. Theresa Schafzahl (BOS) had five points (3G, 2A) and Anna Meixner (OTT) had four points (2G, 2A) in three games to finish second and third in scoring for Austria. Emma Söderberg (BOS) posted two shutout victories to help Sweden secure its Olympic berth in Group H over Denmark, Netherlands and Norway. Anna Kjellbin (MTL) and Maja Nylén Persson (NY) both contributed two assists and Lina Ljungblom (MTL) scored a goal to help Sweden’s offense. Japan also qualified with Group G wins over China, France and Poland. Chloé Aurard (NY) tied for third in tournament scoring with five points (2G, 3A) in three games while representing France. The women’s hockey field for the 2026 Olympics will be comprised of Canada, the United States, Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Italy, and Russia (pending IOC ruling).
CZECHIA WINS WOMEN’S EURO HOCKEY TOUR
Czechia scored a 7-2 win over Finland and a 4-2 victory over Switzerland on home ice in Liberec to win the February instalment of the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour. Finland also defeated Switzerland 3-1 in their head-to-head. Noemi Neubauerová (TOR) tied for second in event scoring for Czechia with three goals, Tereza Vanišová (OTT) had two goals and one assist, Kateřina Mrázová (OTT) had one goal and one assist, Klárá Hymlárová (MIN) scored one goal, and Denisa Křīžovā (MIN) had one assist. Klára Peslarová (BOS) won both games between the pipes. Alina Müller (BOS) scored one goal for Switzerland, and both Ronja Savolainen (OTT) and Noora Tulus (NY) had one assist each for Finland. Czechia will host the Women’s Worlds beginning April 9.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
PWHL action returns with a stretch of 11 games over 10 days, beginning tonight when Toronto hosts Minnesota for a Black History Month Unity Game at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Sceptres will also host a game on Valentine’s Day on Friday night against Boston, then travel to Edmonton for the PWHL Takeover Tour™ on Sunday afternoon against the Charge. The Frost will play another two road games this week–– at Ottawa on Thursday night for the Charge’s Mental Health Awareness game, and Boston on Sunday afternoon for the Fleet’s Black History Month celebration. New York will host the Fleet twice at Prudential Center; first, on Wednesday night, then for a Presidents’ Day matinee next Monday afternoon. The Sirens will also visit Montréal to take on the Victoire on Saturday afternoon.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Minnesota Frost at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
Prime Video (Canada), FanDuel Sports Network North
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Boston Fleet at New York Sirens (Prudential Center)
MSGSNHD/Z1/Z2, NESN, TSN 3/5
Thursday, February 13, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Minnesota Frost at Ottawa Charge (The Arena at TD Place)
TSN 5, FanDuel Sports Network North
Friday, February 14, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Boston Fleet at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
TSN 4, NESN
Saturday, February 15, 2025
2 p.m. ET – New York Sirens at Montréal Victoire (Place Bell)
CBC, ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV, MSG/MSGHD
Sunday, February 16, 2025
1 p.m. ET – Minnesota Frost at Boston Fleet (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell)
NESN, FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN 2
4 p.m. ET – PWHL Takeover Tour – Toronto Sceptres at Ottawa Charge (Rogers Place, Edmonton)
TSN 2
Monday, February 17, 2025
4 p.m. ET – Boston Fleet at New York Sirens (Prudential Center)
MSG Networks, NESN, TSN 5
