All eight teams in the PWHL were in action on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season. The Vancouver Goldeneyes won their inaugural game against fellow expansion franchise the Seattle Torrent 4-3 in overtime in front of a packed crowd of 14,958 at the Pacific Coliseum in what was a highlight of the league's opening games.

The Boston Fleet, New York Sirens, and Toronto Sceptres also got their opening wins of the 2025-26 season, while dozens of rookies made their debuts across the league, including New York's Maddi Wheeler who set a league record for most points by a rookie in their first game as she recorded three assists in New York's win.

It was a weekend of memorable moments, but some teams and players also sputtered out of the gate. Here's a look at the good, bad, and other from the PWHL's opening weekend.

The Good

Standout Rookies

Maddi Wheeler assisted on a trio of goals for the New York Sirens, and while she was kept off the scoresheet, the imminent impact of first overall pick Kristyna Kaltounkova was also evident in New York. The Sirens are riding their young stars, a group that also includes Casey O'Brien and Anne Cherkowski, and they looked good. 

Although they lost their opener, the Minnesota Frost were certainly thrilled with the play of their top two picks from the 2025 PWHL Draft, Kendall Cooper and Abby Hustler. Hustler was a physical force leading all Frost players with four hits, while Cooper played alongside Lee Stecklein on Minnesota's top defensive pairing recording 24:06 in ice time. 

Blueline depth has been a point of conversation across the PWHL since the league was founded, and rookie defenders were some of the most noticeable difference makers. Haley Winn looked like a veteran for the Boston Fleet in her first game. She not only led all players in shots on goal with six, she also led all players in time on ice playing 25:58. Winn blocked shots, transitioned the puck up ice effectively, and was a threat in the offensive end. Winn looks like she'll not only be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year, but could find herself in the conversation for Defender of the Year.

Rory Guilday was another rookie defender who stepped in and showed her worth immediately with the Ottawa Charge. Guilday played 25:40 in her opening game and looked like the big, steady, shutdown defender people believed she would be in the PWHL.

Finally, Kiara Zanon popped off the page as a rookie to watch with the Toronto Sceptres showcasing her puck skills, a wicked shot that scored her first career goal, defensive acumen, and high hockey IQ. And we can't forget the league's only 35-year-old "rookie" in Michelle Karvinen, who looked built for the PWHL in a top six role with the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Goaltenders Star

We're calling this good, but for PWHL fans hoping to see high scoring games, the league's netminders dampened that promise. Kayle Osborne and Aerin Frankel each recorded shutouts in their opening games of the PWHL season with Osborne turning aside 28 shots in Ottawa, and Frankel making 25 saves against Montreal.

Gwyneth Philips was stellar for the Ottawa Charge as well stopped second, third, and at times fourth attempts as she often looked like the only player defending for the Charge. She faced 41 shots, 10 more than any other goalie on opening night. Raygan Kirk was second in that category turning aside 30 of the 31 shots she faced. 

Overall, the PWHL's goaltending pool proved why it's so difficult to score in this league.

Attendance Strong

Headlined by the Pacific Coliseum's sold out crowd of 14,958, attendance was up across the board on the opening night of the 2025-26 PWHL season compared to home openers last season. In Minnesota the Frost drew 9,138 fans, up from 8,022 in 2024-25. The Ottawa Charge climbed from 6,451 in 2024-25 to 7,371 this season.

Neither Minnesota nor Ottawa however, had the largest increase year over year at their home opener. That honor went to the Boston Fleet who drew 5,166 fans to the Tsongas Center on Sunday. It was a 1,355 increase over last season's home opener, which drew 3,811 fans.

Boston Shows They Can Compete

The Boston Fleet, on paper, are short on skill. That didn't matter in their home opener as they outworked and outplayed the Montreal Victoire, who many believe will be a contender this season. Aerin Frankel was spectacular in net for Boston, but it was the Fleet's relentless puck pursuit, physical style, and team-first approach that stole the show. Whether it was blocked shots, second efforts, board battles, or their backcheck, the Fleet didnt' give the Montreal Victoire much time or space to set up an attack. New head coach Kris Sparre got more out of the Fleet than anyone expected on opening night. It will be a monumental ask to repeat that feat night after night, but the Boston Fleet showed they will not be a pushover this season.

The Bad

Offseason Woes Spill Over In Ottawa

There was a lot of offseason noise in Ottawa with the league explicitly stating that the team will never play at Lansdowne 2.0, meaning the clock is ticking on Ottawa's time not only at TD Place Arena, but in Downtown Ottawa.

Perhaps that distraction factored into Ottawa's opening night performance, but no team in the league looked more disjointed, and less structurally sound on the ice than the Charge. Ottawa's top line of Brianne Jenner, Katerina Mrazova, and Fanuza Kadirova went -3 on opening night, and on Taylor Girard's third goal of the game, the line stood flat footed within a sticks length of the net, and puck, and watch as the Sirens took whack after whack until the inevitable happened. 

Ottawa's defensive zone coverage was not what it needed to be, and there were other moments, including New York's first goal, where the foot speed on Ottawa's blueline looked concerning. 

This team has enough pieces to be competitive, and they were for half the game against New York, but opening night was a stark warning shot for the Charge. Their margin for error is far too small, and they cannot ride another season out on platitudes, when they need more effective systems in all zones.

Will Scoring Be A Concern This Season?

Last season the PWHL average 5.13 goals per game. Opening weekend saw an average of four goals per game, a number that would have been significantly lower without the expansion teams racking up seven. It's a small sample size, and the goaltending was spectacular, but the style also continues to shift. It was a point Team USA head coach brought up at the Rivalry Series this month critiquing the pro game for moving toward men's hockey too significantly. The opening weekend of games involved less open ice and less flow than ever with an apparent greater emphasis on chippy hockey. It remains thrilling to watch, but the PWHL could find themselves in a similar rat race alongside the NHL where the constant question is 'how to increase scoring' as teams slug it out compared to a greater emphasis on puck possession and skill internationally.

Injuries And Suspensions Already A Concern

Aneta Tejralova took a hard hit that kept her to roughly 10 minutes of ice in the opening game, and several of the league's top players spent time on the ice, and were slow to get up after hits they faced. There's already a long enough injured list from the offseason which saw Renata Fast, Jade Downie-Landry, Zoe Boyd, Lina Ljungblom, Nina Jobst-Smith, and Dayle Ross start the season out of the action. With no development loop, the player pool is always a point to watch.

Micah Zandee-Hart was issued a five minute penalty and game misconduct for cross checking only 11 minutes into New York's opening game. The Sirens' captain could face supplemental discipline from the league.

The Other

Pacific Coliseum A Centrepiece

Sometimes things are good enough until we know better. The PWHL and fans across the league now know better in terms of what a venue can and should be for the professional athletes in the PWHL. If fans were concerned about the number of top players choosing Vancouver in free agency this offseason, it's not going to get any better in the future as Vancouver will be an immediate top destination for players, and the Pacific Coliseum will be a key to that. 

The arena was branded head to toe in Goldeneyes colors and branding, and it looked immaculate. It is the first truly professional primary venue for this league, and even above and beyond the teams playing in NHL venues, there's something to be said for playing in a PWHL venue. The Coliseum was more of a cathedral to women's sport on opening night, and when the next wave of expansion comes, any market that can offer what the Goldeneyes are receiving in Vancouver should be bumped to the front of the line.

Opening Night Brings New Offerings

The PWHL has entered into their giveaway era, and some of the league's opening night offerings were a hit. It was rally towels in multiple venues, and many fans have been talking about the several bobblehead nights to come, but perhaps the best giveaway on opening night were the captain's hats in Boston. The Fleet were surrounding by more than 5,000 fans who proudly donned Fleet adorned captain's hats to bring the nautical theme together. 

The Ottawa Charge were supposed to have fridge magnets with the season schedule, but they didn't arrive on time. That will soon be forgotten by the deafening sound of 6,000 kazoos that will be handed out at their second game of the season against Vancouver this week. The Charge also had a cheer squad in the stands for the game, a first in the PWHL.