One Question For Each PWHL Team As Play Resumes Following The 2026 Olympics

PWHL players across the league are returning with gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 2026 Olympics in Italy. There are no more interruptions to the PWHL schedule from here on out, but there are questions that each team will need to answer.

Here's a look at one question facing each PWHL team down the stretch.

Boston sits in first overall in the PWHL standings with just over half their season remaining. No one expected them to be there, but at the 2026 Olympics, it was clear why the Fleet are surpassing all expectations as their Olympians were some of the tournament's biggest stars. Fleet captain Megan Keller tied for the Olympic scoring lead with nine points in seven games, including the overtime golden goal for Team USA as they defeated Canada 2-1. Alina Muller was named an Olympic All-Star and was a worthy MVP candidate leading Switzerland to bronze, including scoring the overtime winning goal for bronze against Sweden. Aerin Frankel was spectacular in net for USA, and defender Haley Winn finished second in the tournament with a +11 rating en route to gold. Germany's Laura Kluge led her nation in scoring and was the only Olympian to play less than seven games finish in the top 20 in tournament scoring. She tied for fifth with seven points in five games. Boston's Olympians are bringing home a lot of hardware and confidence. Can the Fleet ride the wave?

The Minnesota Frost are looking for their third straight Walter Cup, and at the midway point of the season, they're only two points out of first. This season, the team's 'fantastic four' up front have driven that success with Kendall Coyne Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme, Taylor Heise, and Kelly Pannek sitting 1-2-3-4 in league scoring. Last season a significant portion of Minnesota's offense came from blueliners Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson. This season the Frost are taking a different approach to their attack, but with even greater success. The last two years Minnesota has snuck into the playoffs before winning it all. This season, if their fantastic four forwards can keep it up, the Frost aren't likely to feel the same stretch stress.

The impact of a Poulin-less Canada was evident. With the Montreal Victoire, any absence from Poulin, or even an inability to perform at 100% would be catastrophic. She is the driver of their offense, and the heart and soul of the team...and league. There's a reason she's the reigning MVP, and a reason the majority of players in the league identify her as a circuit's top player. Montreal is firmly in a playoff spot at the moment, but if Poulin has lingering issues from the injury she suffered at the 2026 Olympics, that could all change. 

The New York Sirens are returning from the Olympic break with something to prove. They're the only original six team yet to make the postseason, something the Sirens' youth are focused on changing. They'll also get to showcase their success for the first time in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden. While veterans like Kristin O'Neill, Micah Zandee-Hart, and Jaime Bourbonnais maintain crucial roles, it's their youth, players like Kristyna Kaltounkova, Sarah Fillier, Casey O'Brien, Maddi Wheeler, Kayle Osborne, and Anne Cherkowski who will either push this team into the post season for the first time in franchise history, or learn another tough lesson by watching from the outside looking in.

Ottawa has never been shy to make a trade. They flipped Anna Shokhina, Anna Meixner, and Mannon McMahon for Michela Cava, Emma Greco, and Brooke McQuigge prior to the Olympic break in the biggest trade in PWHL history. All three are former Walter Cup champions, and Cava is riding a magical five season title streak including two in the PWHL, and one in the PHF, SDHL, and ZhHL. The trio bring a physical edge to Ottawa's lineup, and Cava and McQuigge were two of the league's top scorers last season. If they can find that game again in Ottawa after struggling early in Vancouver, this could be a huge win for the Charge, and could help get Ottawa back to the playoffs, and back into Walter Cup contention.

Before the Seattle Torrent hit the ice for the second half of the PWHL season, the last place Torrent need to answer a crisis of identity. As many feared given the group Seattle brought in, this roster has at times played more like 23 individuals, and less like a team. They have an abundance of top end talent, but there still does not seem to be a collective voice. In some ways, Seattle looks like the New York Sirens of the past two seasons. They're a team with talent, but not a team that's finding a way to get the best out of almost anyone. They look like a team divided. In particular, Seattle has almost no secondary scoring to speak of. They have the fewest players of any PWHL roster to hit the scoresheet this season with nine. The next lowest in the league is 11. This is a team that brought in a lot of individual talent, but head coach Steven O'Rourke has yet to find a way to get that talent thinking team first.

Toronto's Olympians all found silver linings. For their Canadians - Daryl Watts, Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais, Ella Shelton, Renata Fast, and Natalie Spooner - it came in the form of literal silver medals. For Anna Kjellbin and Sara Hjalmarsson, it was a historic rise for Sweden that fell just short of bronze in overtime. Ever player coming back will be sharp, and may have a sharp chip on their shoulder. Daryl Watts was Canada's top scorer, Blayre Turnbull had an impact tournament, and Renata Fast was Canada's best defender. Sara Hjalmarsson was a standout for Sweden all tournament, and showed she's capable of taking on a significantly larger role with Toronto. The tournament however, was also mired by critique for Toronto's staff, and the struggles of some of their players internationally. With the Sceptres facing a battle with Seattle to climb out of the PWHL basement, the Sceptres will hope the silver linings bring a feeling of motivation, not morose to their stretch run.

When the puck dropped on the 2025-26 PWHL season, everyone, from coaches to players and general managers expected the Vancouver Goldeneyes to run away with the season. It's taken Vancouver time to click, with key acquisitions like Tereza Vanisova and Hannah Miller struggling mightily offensively, and others like Michela Cava being sent out of town via trade. Strangely enough, when you speak to those same coaches and GMs, the expectation for Vancouver to become one of, if not the best team in the league remain. It's a matter of when, not if. The real question is if Vancouver can get there in time to make the PWHL playoffs.