On The Hot Seat: One Player From Each PWHL Team Who Might Be Feeling The Summer Heat

With the summer heat here, several players in the PWHL are also sitting on the hot seat as they prepare for next season with something to prove or a place to earn.

We're still months away from the 2024-2025 PWHL season, but as rosters begin to take shape, it becomes more clear what players will be fighting for roster spots, and who will enter next year on the hot seat, with something to prove. The summer heat is here, and several players may be feeling the heat as they train in preparation for next year.

Here's a look at one player from each of the PWHL's six teams who sit on the hot seat this offseason.

When Boston signed Aerin Frankel and drafted Emma Soderberg, few thought there’d be any nights when PWHL Boston allowed an easy goal. Soderberg had limited starts, and looked shaky when she entered the crease. The same could be said for her World Championship performance, which was a stark contrast to her spectacular international play in 2023. With Klara Peslarova coming to camp in Boston, the organization is looking at realistic challengers for starts from top to bottom and the competition will benefit everyone, including Boston. Right now it’s Soderberg’s spot to lose, and she’ll be watched closely as Peslarova is unquestionably one of the best on the planet.

Following an off-season that can be described as nothing less than a public relations nightmare for PWHL Minnesota, Kendall Coyne Schofield is at the center of the controversy, and her silence this summer did nothing to silence rumors of a mutiny against now former general manager Natalie Darwitz. Fans will be scrutinizing Coyne Schofield’s every move not only on the ice, but off the ice as well. What’s clear is women’s hockey fans care about more than simply winning, and no amount of winning or scoring from Coyne Schofield will earn back the good graces she lost this summer. It’s going to take much more in terms of community building from the Minnesota captain. Her every word, which at times were short with media, will be judged by fans, and her every move will be magnified.

PWHL Montreal still lacks forward depth compared to most teams in the league despite bringing in Lina Ljungblom and Jennifer Gardiner up front. One of the biggest issues last year was the lack of scoring for the first 2/3 of the season from Team Canada’s Kristin O’Neill. Her performance completely turned following Worlds, and now it’s time for the forward to show she can produce over a full season in this league at the pace she did post-Worlds. She cannot repeat her unproductive start from last year.

There could be any number of players from New York deemed on the hot seat after last season’s lacklustre performance whether it’s Jill Saulnier, Micah Zandee-Hart, Chloe Aurard, or Abby Roque. No one underperformed more however, than former Patty Kazmaier winner Elizabeth Giguere. The speed of the league looked like a bit of a challenge for Giguere, but primarily, it was the lack of structure and misuse of players like Giguere in New York that hurt. This year with more talent surrounding the big forward, it’s time to show what she can do, or it could be her last season in the league. She's an abundantly talented player who could have a breakout if things go her way.

Ottawa got better everywhere, including in net bringing in Gwyneth Philips through the draft and Logan Angers in free agency. Maschmeyer was good last year, but not good enough to steal games when Ottawa needed it. Part of that was the fact she didn’t have a realistic push from Sandra Abstreiter who was injured, and when she wasn’t, Ottawa needed every point meaning they continued to ride Maschmeyer. With Philips coming in, the challenge for Maschmeyer will be real, because when Philips gets a chance in the crease, she won’t intend to give it up. What was overlooked in year one won’t be in year two.

Making the decision to leave a fan base that loved her and a line where she had incredible chemistry could be a choice that haunts Watts, but she stated she was thrilled to come back to her hometown. She’ll line up alongside equally talented players in Toronto no matter what line she faces off with, but the expectation will be that she’ll produce, often. The real hot seat spot for Watts is if she can parlay a job on a scoring line in Toronto into a job on a scoring line with Canada. There’s no guarantee she clicks with Toronto, but a player of her talent will have every opportunity to fill the net this season.