The PWHL season has officially passed the midway mark, and in the Nation’s Capital, emotions are mixed as the Ottawa Charge sits in fifth place. While recent roster additions and steady progress have shown promise, there’s still work to be done. With the Trade Deadline approaching, let’s evaluate where this team stands and what moves might be needed to secure a historic first-ever playoff berth.
Goaltending: A
One of the priorities for GM Mike Hirshfeld this past offseason was to improve upon the goaltending position. The team couldn’t continue leaning on Emerance Maschmeyer as they did last season, so they added both Northeastern University star goaltender Gwyneth Philips through the draft and Quinnipiac University goaltender Logan Angers as a free agent. While Maschmeyer is still getting the bulk of the workload to this point in the season, Philips has come in and given her team every opportunity to win games. Angers provides a more than capable insurance policy should injuries occur.
Defence: B
A defence corp led by returnees Jincy Roese, Ashton Bell, Aneta Tejralová, as well as depth defender Zoe Boyd was supplemented by a strong draft which included Ronja Savolainen and Stephanie Markowski. Factor in the December 30th trade with Toronto to bring in Jocelyne Larocque and the back end has the leadership and offensive upside to make a run at the playoffs, and make some noise once they arrive, despite the loss of Savannah Harmon. It is of concern that the team is giving up an average of 25.4 shots per game through the first 19 games of the season and while that doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of the defence, each one of those shots could be a difference maker in a game.
Forwards: C+
On paper, the forward group looks impressive. Returning players Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, Gabbie Hughes, Kateřina Mrázová, Tereza Vanišová, Shiann Darkangelo and Natalie Snodgrass, were bolstered by drafting Danielle Serdachny, Mannon McMahon, and Anna Meixner, as well as the acquisition of Victoria Bach from Toronto, along with the depth moves of adding Alexa Vasko and Rebecca Leslie. While the likes of Vanišová and Clark have seen success this season, many have either cooled off or not found their scoring touch. The inability to score more than two goals per game is concerning as they have only done so on six occasions this season, five of which were three goal affairs. If they want to make a run at the playoffs, finding chemistry and confidence with the puck needs to be a priority.
Coaching: C
Carla MacLeod is one of the best communicators in the league and brings a wealth of experience, both from her own time in the game, as well as coaching internationally. Ultimately though, it’s about success and that’s been difficult for the team to come by with any consistency. Beyond the well-documented scoring struggles, special teams remain a major concern. The power play, once a strength at 25.0% last season, has plummeted to a league-worst 15.6%, while the penalty kill sits second to last at 75.8%. Additionally, closing out games, especially in overtime, continues to be a challenge, an issue that has plagued this team since last season. Ultimately, the coaching staff must find a way to build chemistry and drive results and part of that involves consistent line combinations. If the team falls short of the playoffs once again, a coaching change could be on the horizon which would be difficult to digest for the players and fans alike.
Trade Deadline
Hirshfeld has shown that he’s unafraid to take a big swing, as he completed the first blockbuster trade in PWHL history with Toronto earlier this season, so it’s difficult to predict what he’ll do come March 13th. Adding a middle six forward with speed and ability to play centre ice makes a lot of sense and would compliment the pieces already in place.