With Natalie Spooner and Megan Carter on long term injured reserve lists, the Toronto Sceptres will already be looking for players to step up and fill roles in camp.
As players hit the ice in camp this week, all PWHL teams will have some interesting roster battles to watch. The Toronto Sceptres, with excellent depth at forward, have more capable players in camp than there are spots to fill. However, there is one open forward spot that can’t be occupied easily: the one belonging to the league’s leading scorer, Natalie Spooner.
That role will need to be filled by a committee of players, with more of them chipping in goals here and there, and by an increased awareness of offense for some who didn’t post the numbers that might have been expected last season.
Key free agent acquisition Daryl Watts will be relied upon to score goals, plain and simple, and to at least partially replace some of Spooner’s offense.
“We'll miss Spooner so much and we all can't wait for her to get back, but I’ll do whatever I can to help this team and put the puck in the net,” Watts explained.
Is she feeling pressure to fill that scoring role?
“I don't really think it's pressure. From the first time I stepped on the ice, my role has been to score goals so it's just kind of in my blood and it's what I expect from myself. So, you know, Gina and Troy expecting it from me is no different than any other team I've ever played on.”
Captain Blayre Turnbull played with Watts in the recent Rivalry Series and said, “She brings a ton of skill. She's someone that I've learned is willing and eager to learn. So I think that's a huge, huge positive attribute to have as someone who's already got as much skill and talent as she has, the fact that she still wants to learn more about the game is really important.”
Turnbull also spoke about her desire for more offense in her own game this season.
“I think there are areas in my game that I have really strong contributions but they're not necessarily always on the scoresheet, so for me to step up my game in that area, I think it will have a huge impact on our team overall.
“Without changing the foundation of my game, just working on improving certain offensive areas, I expect myself to have more of an impact on the scoresheet.”
“I worked on my shot, but I also spent more time working on making sure that I was playing with my head up and scanning and seeing the ice a bit more, which I feel like is going to be important for me to feel like I have more time to make better plays.”
Turnbull added that first-rounder Julia Gosling will bring some extra offense to the lineup.
“I think she's got one of the best shots in the game. She'll help us for sure with her shot but I think her size is something that will be really helpful too with the physicality in the league. She's a really big power forward with a similar body type to Natalie Spooner, big and strong and skates well. The way that she plays is going to translate really well to the pro game.”
Second-round draft pick defender Megan Carter was also placed on long-term injured reserve it was announced, creating an absence on the blue line. Carter was expected to play important minutes, probably in a second pairing. Now some of that responsibility will fall to the duo of Kali Flanagan and Allie Munroe. Newcomers Lauren Bernard and Rylind MacKinnon will also get bigger opportunities and will likely receive contracts.
Flanagan has an opportunity to show that she has more in her toolbox and to expand her role.
“I think I grew a lot as a player last year. And so I'm really excited this year to bring that more forward,” she said.
“I feel like I'm in my prime; I feel really confident. I think we had a really strong off-season, so I'm really excited to prove to people that that’s who I am. I think offensively especially, pushing that ceiling on where can I take this and push my skill set even further this year. Because I think last year I was still feeling it out. And now I think I have the foundation laid and I feel really confident.”
There will be room for someone to step up in the defense corps until Carter returns from an undisclosed lower-body injury. In the forward ranks, Toronto looks to have the depth to stay competitive during Spooner’s absence.