10 compelling storylines ahead of inaugural PWHL season
The Professional Women's Hockey League is finally here.
Toronto and New York face off in the league's first-ever game on Jan. 1 at the former Maple Leaf Gardens - now the Mattamy Athletic Centre - to commence a new era of women's hockey.
Get set to follow the inaugural season with these 10 compelling storylines.
Canada π€ United States
One of the most fascinating elements of the PWHL is finally seeing stars from the Canadian and American national teams on the same team once again in high-stakes competition.
Hilary Knight and Jamie Lee Rattray on the same line? Yes, please. Alex Carpenter building chemistry with Jessie Eldridge? Look out. How about Savannah Harmon and Ashton Bell forming a top pairing? And don't forget about Americans Jesse Compher and Kali Flanagan being coached by Canadian bench boss Troy Ryan.
Numerous players and personnel on opposing sides of the Canada-USA rivalry will either play together for the first time in the PWHL or rekindle past chemistry that hasn't been seen at the top level in years. That makes for must-see TV for women's hockey fans.
Amid record-setting ticket sales, how will viewership compare? πΊ
The fan response to the PWHL has been remarkable.
Tickets in Toronto seemingly sold out as soon as they were made available. Ottawa is set to break professional women's hockey attendance records on Jan. 2. Just like Toronto, Montreal supporters snapped up tickets within days.
The next area to build momentum is over the airwaves. In Canada, all of CBC, Sportsnet, and TSN will broadcast the first-ever PWHL game on Jan. 1. The playoffs will be shown on TSN, while the U.S. deal has yet to be announced.
If the viewership matches the positive reaction from ticket sales, that means more support for the PWHL from not only the broadcasters but advertisers as well.
Which PHF stars will emerge in the PWHL? π
One of the knocks against the NWHL and PHF - right or wrong - was the lack of national team players in the league.
In the PWHL, those stars from the PHF have a level playing field to showcase their talents. No more asterisks, no more questioning the quality of the competition.
Whether it's Loren Gabel in Boston, Kennedy Marchment in Montreal, Elizabeth Giguere in New York, or Brittany Howard in Toronto, how top stars from the PHF compare with the known commodities from the international ranks will be among the most intriguing season-long stories to watch.
Will Toronto regret passing on Alina Muller? π¨π
Toronto was bold with the second overall pick, as general manager Gina Kingsbury selected 35-year-old defender Jocelyne Larocque.
In doing so, Toronto landed one of the premier defensive blue-liners in women's hockey and secured a shutdown pairing with Renata Fast that's been a mainstay with Team Canada for years. But it also meant passing on 25-year-old Alina Muller, whom Boston scooped up at No. 3.
A five-time Patty Kazmaier finalist as the best player in collegiate women's hockey, Muller decimated the NCAA with Northeastern. She's starred with Switzerland's national team since she was 16 years old, having already played at three Olympics and seven Worlds.
Toronto's decision will be applauded or critiqued for years depending on how the two players' PWHL careers pan out.
Marquee moms πΌ
Kendall Coyne Schofield and Natalie Spooner have starred with the U.S. and Canadian national teams, respectively, for years, cementing their legacies as two of the best talents of their generation.
Both arrive in the PWHL as new mothers and represent an important element of any professional women's league. Spooner's son Rory was born in December 2022, and the 33-year-old has taken a deliberate, methodical approach to her training camp schedule ahead of the compact 24-game regular season.
Coyne Schofield gave birth to her son Drew in July, on the same weekend the collective bargaining agreement she helped create was ratified. She didn't play in the preseason but is expected to be available for Minnesota's opener.
The fact that both can play in a pro league as mothers is significant in its own right. How quickly they can get up to speed and return to their dominant ways will be intriguing to watch for both Toronto and Minnesota.
Who wins the crease in New York? π½
There isn't much controversy in the crease around the PWHL. Every team has a clear-cut starter who'll play the majority of games in the inaugural campaign. Well, except for New York.
Corinne Schroeder, Abbey Levy, and Lindsey Post are all signed to one-year contracts, making New York the only team that doesn't have a goaltender on a multi-year pact.
Schroeder arrives as a breakout star from the PHF's Boston Pride. Taken 33rd overall, she's the front-runner for the starting gig after posting a 19-1-0 record with a .955 save percentage last season. After winning PHF Goaltender and Rookie of the Year honors, she could easily emerge as one of the best netminders in the league.
So why isn't Schroeder the runaway favorite in the net? Say hello to Levy. The New York native makes the jump to the professional ranks with her hometown team after a stellar career at Boston College. With a .947 SV% in 30 games last season, Levy earned a nod at the World Championship as Team USA's third-stringer. The lone goaltender to earn a shutout during the PWHL preseason and the youngest at her position in the league, Levy will make a serious push for minutes.
Then there's the veteran in Post. Most likely to be the third-stringer, Post's experience in USports, the CWHL, and Sweden makes her a reliable option who could run with an opportunity if it comes.
Minnesota's last-minute coaching change π
One week before its opening game, Minnesota announced a change behind the bench.
Charlie Burggraf stepped down as head coach and was replaced by Ken Klee. The swap sees a veteran collegiate bench boss in Burggraf make way for a two-time World Championship winner with the U.S. women's team in Klee.
It's awkward timing after more than a month of training camp and three preseason games with Burggraf running the show, but Klee's arrival is far from a downgrade. His success with the national team shows his prowess behind the bench, and his familiarity with Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein is valuable in the short term while getting up to speed.
In a short 24-game regular season, a poor start amid last-minute changes could cost Minnesota come playoff time. Eyes will be on it early to see how the team fares given the unusual timing of its coaching swap.
Is Toronto's goaltending good enough? π₯
Toronto was the only team to come out of the draft process with just one goaltender. General manager Kingsbury selected Kristen Campbell in the third round but waited to fill the rest of the options in net via undrafted free agency with Erica Howe and Carly Jackson.
Campbell has been Canada's No. 3 for three years after an impressive career at Wisconsin, but a shaky preseason and a lackluster Rivalry Series start in November have raised questions about Toronto's crease.
It could simply be a blip on the radar - Campbell's results in the PWHPA last season were in step with Emerance Maschmeyer - but a strong start from the Brandon, Manitoba, native will be necessary to quiet some of the doubters.
Who lands the top pick for the 2024 draft? π€
The prize of the inaugural PWHL draft was young American superstar Taylor Heise.
The prize of the second PWHL draft? Young Canadian superstar Sarah Fillier.
Of course, Fillier will have to declare for the draft, but there's no reason to anticipate she won't at this stage. A remarkable talent who has starred at the Olympics and Worlds with Canada already, the 23-year-old will step into the league in 2024 as a legitimate MVP threat as a rookie.
Make no mistake: Each PWHL team is aiming to win the league championship in Year 1. But the silver lining to whoever ends up at the bottom of the standings is a serious difference-maker for Year 2.
International impact in Year 1 π
The Canadian and American talent in the PWHL has naturally drawn the most attention. But don't sleep on the international representation in the league.
Players from eight other nations will compete in the first year of the PWHL, representing Austria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, and Sweden. Canadian-born players Leah Lum and Hannah Miller have both represented China as well.
While most of the stars from Finland and Sweden remain contracted to teams overseas, the likes of Muller, Chloe Aurard, Dominika Laskova, Susanna Tapani, and Akane Shiga will put talent from around the globe on display early on in the PWHL's history.