PWHL New York looked great out of the gate, but other teams have caught up, and passed the team. If the team doesn't make a rapid course change, they could be headed for the basement of the standings.
PWHL New York looked great out of the gate, but other teams have caught up, and passed the team. If the team doesn't make a rapid course change, they could be headed for the basement of the standings.
If there wasn't concern in New York, there should be. The PWHL team jumped out to a strong start to their inaugural season, but has not progressed as other teams have. Here's a look at how PWHL New York's season has gone so far.
What's gone right for New York?
There's no doubt that New York's MVP this season has been Corinne Schroeder. Without the netminder, things could be dark for New York. New York has faced 235 shots against this season, an average of 33.5 per game, a total which is by far the most in the league. Toronto has the lowest average against at 24.8 shots per game, followed by Ottawa (26.2), Boston (27.8), and Minnesota (28.6). The only other team over 30 shots per game is Montreal at 31.4. Schroeder, has been stellar, and Abbey Levy has not been the cause of any struggle for New York either. The other point that is going well for New York is their power play, which sits second in the PWHL at 21.1%. Facing Toronto in their most recent loss however, New York went 0-for-4 and had few scoring chances, and even less movement on their power play. Alex Carpenter has been a consistent player up front, but she can't do it alone.
If It's Broken, Fix It
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The problem in New York is, there are things that look broke, but changes aren't being made. Line combinations this season have remained largely unchanged this season. Heading out of the preseason, New York's third line, which at the time consisted of Emma Woods, Jade Downie-Landry, and Jill Saulnier. Since Saulnier went down with an injury, that line hasn't been the same, despite a Downie-Landry hat trick against Boston. Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge have been New York's most consistent threats playing on New York's top line, but the overall attack looks disjointed. Against Toronto, New York's forward group was consistently getting beat to pucks, and through the neutral zone, Toronto's back pressure caused numerous turnovers. Too often New York found themselves without support on the puck, or viable outlets. In the offensive zone, pucks were coming from the periphery without a midline drive, and New York struggled to get a cycle going down low. The system looks ineffective against the competition. The problem is, on paper, New York has the tools, but how they're being deployed raises concern.
Where could New York find more consistency?
There are a few answers here. The most notable absences from New York's scoresheet are Elizabeth Giguere and Madison Packer, two of professional hockey's most consistent scorers last season. Giguere hasn't clicked with a line combination yet, keeping the former Patty Kazmaier winner without a point. The elite producer looks dejected, and hasn't been put in positions to score, and there doesn't seem to be urgency from the coaching staff to find a catalyst for Giguere. The use, or lack thereof of Madison Packer is even more perplexing. It must be a personal preference of coach Howie Draper, because keeping one of pro hockey's most consistent scorers over the last five years pinned to your bench, without even the slightest opportunity to contribute, seems odd. Packer plays with smarts, and is equally adept at scoring as she is playmaking. Perhaps the aspect of her game that New York is missing the most however, is her willingness to take the puck to the middle of the ice and go to the dirty areas. Packer is not a periphery player who can win 50/50 pucks, needed items for a New York team that is playing on the periphery. Seven shifts a game for a player of Packer's stature is a misuse of an asset, particularly when New York's left wing has totalled only one goal this season. Youngster Chloe Aurard is playing well down the left side, but Draper needs to find more on the wing.
Too Much And Not Enough
Sometimes you can have too much of something and not enough at the same time. For New York, they're relying on their star players quite a bit, but without success. Carpenter has played well, as has Eldridge, but they can't carry the load alone. Speaking of too much, Abby Roque needs to find a balance in her game. She leads New York in penalty minutes, and has a team worst -5 plus/minus rating. There's a fine line between being an agitator, and losing sight of the game at hand. At times she's taking bad routes to pucks and missing assignments, while taking the assignment of getting in the face of opponents to heart. Her leadership may not be the type that's helping New York build a positive culture on the ice.
New York's blueline also needs to do more, and less all at the same time. Entering the season, most viewed New York's top four of Ella Shelton, Jaime Bourbonnais, Micah Zandee-Hart, and Brooke Hobson as one of the best units in the league. Aside from Shelton, production hasn't come from the group, although the return of Zandee-Hart could change that trajectory. At times the group looks to be trying to do too much with the puck themselves, and jumping into the play at moments there is not sufficient support, leaving themselves prone to attacks off quick transitions. From a deployment standpoint, New York has shuffled pairings, but has primarily avoided putting together a true top pairing. Instead they've more often chosen to pair their best defenders with depth sending out three more balanced pairs. It seems like a move that coaches could benefit from at a lower level, but not in the PWHL.
Where do they go from here?
Toronto and Montreal looked off to open the season, but have shown game by game improvement as they settle into their systems, and as line shuffling has found more consistent combinations. New York hasn't made adjustments, and if there is a system, which often looks absent, it's not being executed, and the players who aren't playing on both sides of the puck, are still being rewarded with extra time. New York is still going to win games with their speed and skill, but the balance and consistency, and game over game improvement is falling behind the rest of the league.
Luckily for New York, the season remains young and the standings are tight, but the current path could send New York spiralling without adjustments.