When the Ottawa Charge, then PWHL Ottawa, made their first big trade on March 18, 2024, there was excitement in the fan base. It was a trade sending defender Amanda Boulier to the Montreal Victoire in exchange for Tereza Vanisova. There was less excitement from Ottawa's fan base, and outright anger directed at general manager Mike Hirshfeld later in the day as the Ottawa Charge sent Lexie Azijda to the Boston Fleet in exchange for Shiann Darkangelo. Adzija was a fan favorite who got off to a hot start in Ottawa, while Darkangelo had struggled offensively in Boston.
They were both bold moves, and following an injury depleting their blueline resulting in Ottawa missing the playoffs, the payoff of the trades were questioned. This season, more questions arose when Hirshfeld made a blockbuster trade sending two national team players, Savannah Harmon and Hayley Scamurra, to the Toronto Sceptres for Jocelyne Larocque and Victoria Bach. Today, all of those questions are gone. As they say, fortune favors the bold, and with the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL Walter Cup finals, they've found the fortune following Mike Hirshfeld's bold moves.
Bold Moves All Paying Off For Ottawa
Hindsight is 20/20 for any trade, and for Hirshfeld and the Ottawa Charge, each of the organization's trades have paid significant dividends.
Tereza Vanisova finished tied for second in the PWHL this season with 15 goals. She tied Hilary Knight and trailed only Marie-Philip Poulin. Considering Boulier was fifth this season in ice time among Montreal Victoire blueliners, and the Charge eliminated Montreal from the playoffs, this trade turned into a lopsided win for Ottawa.
Perhaps no deal from season one worked out better than the move swapping Lexie Adzija with Shiann Darkangelo. Darkangelo climbed into the PWHL's top 20 in scoring this season recording 17 points in 29 games, but more importantly, used her sized and two-way presence to make Ottawa a more difficult team to play against night in and night out. Conversely, as a member of the Boston Fleet, Adzija fell to only six points in 29 games this season.
Finally, the move to bring in Jocelyne Larocque to change the landscape of Ottawa's blueline this season has resulted in a stark shift. Ottawa has been harder to play against, kept their own zone cleaner, and the presence of Larocque's veteran experience and leadership are providing not only an on-ice boost, but the intangibles are impacting Ottawa in unmeasurable yet obvious ways.
Each of Mike Hirshfeld's deals came with risk, and each has made a mark on the Ottawa Charge's on-ice success.
Underrated Free Agent Signings Also Provide A Boost
Watching Hirshfeld's offseason signings, that may have appeared less significant at the time, have major impacts in the postseason, it shows the importance of adding veteran depth in this league. Rebecca Leslie scored a huge goal for the Ottawa Charge in game one of the PWHL finals, and watching Alexa Vasko battle in the corners, and repeatedly sacrifice her body as she blocks shots, it was obvious these moves are helping the Charge.
In the NHL, the league has handed out the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award since 2010. If the PWHL had a similar award, Hirshfeld would be the runaway winner this season with the moves he's made to reshape his roster.
Entering the inaugural PWHL season, no one could have predicted which players would be successful, and which would struggle. Two years in, the style of player and on-ice attributes that lead to success are becoming more clear. Luckily for the Ottawa Charge, the bold moves of Hirshfeld made shifted Ottawa toward these players, while other teams have fallen away.
Will a Walter Cup follow? That's still to be seen, but with the uncertainty of expansion ahead, seeing the Ottawa Charge's ability to adapt, and not bend to past reputations or public opinion has them positioned well to find a way to succeed in the PWHL's eight team future, as well as the six team present.