With exit meetings, medicals and media day now complete, the Ottawa Charge have officially closed the book on an exciting 2024-25 season that saw them push through adversity, come together down the stretch, and capture the heart of a city. And while expansion looms large over the offseason, players were clear about the significant strides the team made this season.
“There’s a lot to be proud of with this group and this year,” said Gabbie Hughes. “Highs and lows, injuries to top players, there’s a lot that happened this year and to be where we ended up was pretty special. It speaks volumes to the group that we have. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
Captain Brianne Jenner echoed that pride. “I think (the sadness) is balanced out by a heck of a lot of pride in our group,” she said. “The way that we came together over the season and the quality of hockey we started playing for our playoff push and throughout the playoffs…to me, that’s one of the special storylines of this last month.”
With the season now officially in the rearview mirror, expansion became a central topic during Wednesday’s press conference.
General Manager Mike Hirshfeld confirmed that the team has already selected the three players it plans to protect in the upcoming expansion draft and said those players will be notified tomorrow. But he acknowledged that the process comes with heavy emotions.
“If there are emotions tomorrow, I think that’s a great sign of how passionate these players are about playing in Ottawa and want to stay here,” he said.
“I’m not looking forward to some of the conversations…obviously tomorrow will be a difficult day and I completely understand that players are losing friends and teammates.”
Still, he emphasized the bigger picture, noting what expansion represents for the league as a whole.
“I also understand that this is a great moment for this league,” Hirshfeld said. “The fact that we have two new franchises, the fans in Seattle and Vancouver get to see the sport that we all love and enjoy the product the same way we do.”
For the players, though, that progress is paired with the knowledge that change is coming. “It’s exciting for the league, but as players, there’s a lot of emotions that go with it,” said Emily Clark.
“After (losing in the Finals), you look around the room and you know that the reality is that this exact group won’t be together. I think that’s what makes it harder is that we have a special group that became a family.”
Change is inevitable in sports. But for the 2024-25 Ottawa Charge, what won’t change is what they built together. Through adversity, they found their identity. Through doubt, they proved their worth. And as expansion reshapes their roster, that sense of pride and resilience will remain part of the fabric of this team.