Over Ottawa's three years of existence, the team's strongest position has arguably been goaltending. The team's inaugural starter, veteran Emerance Maschmeyer, played in 41 regular-season games over two seasons, recording a combined 2.44 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.

In the 2024 PWHL Draft, the team drafted Gwyneth Philips out of Northeastern University with the 14th overall selection, and to say that she has taken the torch from Maschmeyer and run with it would be an understatement. Over her two seasons with the team, Philips posted a combined 2.12 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage, backstopped the team to back-to-back Walter Cup Finals appearances, was recognized with a slew of award nominations, as well as becoming the first goaltender to win the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award in her rookie season.

While the goaltending has been impressive for the organization over its tenure in the league, another position will very well become a focal point beginning in the 2026-27 season: centre depth.

Ottawa's two remaining inaugural members, Kateřina Mrázová and Gabbie Hughes, will once again be counted on in the face-off dot. Last season, Hughes finished the regular season winning 192 of her 393 face-offs (48.9%), and Mrázová was right behind, winning 153 of her 354 (43.2%). Impressive numbers, but hardly where that story ends.

In the second round of the 2026 PWHL Draft, the Ottawa Charge selected forward Jordan Ray out of Yale University. Ray played in 36 games for the Bulldogs, winning 327 face-offs and losing 297, giving her a winning percentage of 52.4%. Ottawa also selected Tereza Pištěková, who can play centre and the wing, with the organization's third-round pick. While her minutes will be closely monitored as she adjusts to the North American game, that lineup flexibility could become a real asset.

Combine those draft picks with the acquisition of forward Jenna Buglioni from Seattle, who won 25 of her 61 face-offs (41.0%) in a limited role in her first season with the Torrent. Since Buglioni was limited in her role with the team last season, her final season with Ohio State helps gain finer perspective on her strength at the position. There, she won 444 of her draws, lost 410, for a winning percentage of 51.9%.

It's important to consider that not all of those results will translate from the NCAA and SDHL levels to the PWHL. With that caveat, the average from last season for Mrázová, Hughes, Ray, and Buglioni still holds strong at 46.37%. Pištěková's numbers were omitted from this result since that information is unavailable.

Centre depth, and its subsequent strength, is important to highlight for this group because Ottawa has stated that it wants to become a faster, more physical team to play against heading into the 2026-27 season. Fans saw glimpses of this and the success it can generate, particularly during the four-game winning streak to close out the regular season, when the team outscored its opponents 12-2. Starting each play with possession was key then, and will be again this upcoming season. Winning face-offs at nearly a 50% rate certainly helps to ensure the team spends less time in its own end, which was the case for long stretches during both the 2025-26 regular season and postseason.

This will also mean that the Charge will then transfer the puck to defenders, led by Ronja Savolainen and Vivian Jungels, to generate breakouts with their tremendous foot speed and puck control, which will help to create more high-danger scoring opportunities for players such as Sarah Wozniewicz, Rebecca Leslie and Fanuza Kadirova.

Goaltending has been an asset to the Ottawa Charge over its first three seasons in the PWHL, and for good reasons considering the strength of the individuals who have backstopped the team. The 2026-27 season will present the league, the city, and the fans with a new strength for this squad at the centre-ice position, one that will be counted on to help the team over that final hill and finally bring a Walter Cup back to the nation's capital.