The PWHL's Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes didn't dominate out of the gate like many anticipated, but they're starting to head in that direction. The Hockey News' Cee Benwell and Ian Kennedy discuss the slow starts and recent turnarounds for both.
The PWHL's two newest teams, the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent both had slow starts. With the talent the incurred through the PWHL's expansion process, both were predicted to not only be playoff teams, but Walter Cup contenders. At the midway point of the season however, both found themselves on the outside of the PWHL's playoff picture looking in.
Recently, both teams have taken strides toward becoming the teams many thought they'd be from puck drop.
Cee Benwell and Ian Kennedy discuss their early season struggles, and what has contributed to Seattle and Vancouver turning the corner.
Benwell: We’re starting to see the expansion teams put the puzzle pieces together after Vancouver’s big 5-0 victory over the Sceptres. One big factor is Sarah Nurse, who has now scored four goals in three games with her new team. The Sceptres were the victims of three of those goals, one coming in the Battle on Bay Street last weekend, and two in the one-sided game in Vancouver.
For the Sceptres, they didn’t get the chance to play either Seattle or Vancouver at the start of the year when both teams were struggling to find chemistry. Now that they’re both looking more comfortable, players like Julia Gosling, Izzy Daniel, and Nurse have all struck for important goals against their old team.
Kennedy: It certainly took those expansion teams time to figure things out. It was really unpredictable and could have gone the other way where those teams started hot and then people figured them out, or the injury to Sarah Nurse could have put her out later.
For me when it comes to the Sceptres, I think the writing was on the wall as soon as they acquired Ella Shelton. She’s a fantastic player so this is nothing against her, but they could have picked Casey O’Brien and Natalie Mlynkova with their first two picks, and now we’re looking at a fast and dynamic offense with a bright future. And they still could have taken Nina Jobst-Smith, Riley Brengman, or Dayle Ross in round three or four to add to the blueline. This is a team that has boasted about having no scouts, which is the least professional thing a professional team could say, and it is playing out.
On the other side, I think those expansion teams might still get better. We just saw Tereza Vanisova get her first of the season, and there’s a few in Vancouver like Hannah Miller, who looks ready to break out, but just hasn’t hit her stride in a new system.
Benwell: I don’t know if the six-player trade is going to be the key to Vancouver’s turnaround, even though Mannon McMahon is a great addition up front. It looks like the chemistry wasn’t there and they needed a shake-up. I think Abby Boreen looks more comfortable now, but the biggest factor might be the return of Nurse after all.
The Sceptres might be feeling the Olympics and the ties to Team Canada too much this season. There was a lot of tension around the team, and Americans Jesse Compher and Savannah Harmon were among those feeling it the most; they both ended up not making the USA roster.
Seattle and Team USA might both reap the benefits of a strong Bilka-Carpenter-Knight line. Coach Steve O’Rourke replaced Gosling on that line with Hannah Bilka, and they look as threatening as any line in the PWHL right now.
Kennedy: Boreen has been effective everywhere she’s been, whether it was the brief stint in Minnesota, secondary scoring in Montreal, and now in Vancouver. She might never be a top 10 scorer, but I can’t think of many who have been as consistent as she has been for each of her teams. You know the effort she’s going to give, and you know she’s going to reliably contribute.
And certainly, Seattle’s stacked top line is central to that team, although to build on what you said, Julia Gosling is playing as one of the best in the league, and she’s a prototypical power forward not every team has up front. Where I think Seattle is falling short is in depth scoring, and offense from their blueline. But it’s all starting to come together for both of the expansion teams.
Perhaps as important for both Seattle and Vancouver, is that the number of players they locked in beyond this season, and the number of stars they left as unrestricted free agents following this season, protects both rosters well through the next wave of expansion, and both could be really well positioned for years to come. If the league expands by four teams and then holds there for a few seasons, the teams that exit this expansion will be the best-positioned clubs for the next three to four seasons, and both the Torrent and Goldeneyes have the potential to be in that pool.