PWHL Power Rankings: Minny Makes The Jump

The PWHL's first week is in the books. Here's a look at what teams are on the rise and what teams stumbled to start in THN-W's PWHL Power Rankings.

Week one of the PWHL season is in the books, which means it's time for another PWHL Power Ranking. Boston lost their preseason top ranking after dropping their opening game, but they could bounce right back in week two. 

Minnesota on the other hand, is the only remaining undefeated team and the only team to date to win at home.

Here's the rankings.

The only team to remain undefeated, and the only team to win on home ice this week, Minnesota looked sharp for being a team who saw their head coach step down less than a week before their home opener. Grace Zumwinkle was a force, and Susanna Tapani, Kelly Pannek, and Taylor Heise have been all over the puck. The real difference maker early was the spectacular performances of both Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley in net. 

New York is fast, skillled, and physical with a pair of strong netminders. They looked stellar in their season opening win over Toronto, and looked on track to grab another win until a power play sequence that resulted in no offense, and eventually a shorthanded goal against. After that, the team looked a little lost. It was good to see Madison Packer back in the lineup, as she'll provide some sandpaper for the team. New York remains a dark horse contender this season. 

Sorry Boston, you outplayed Minnesota for much of the game, but that's not what people remember; they remember the outcome. Unfortunately Aerin Frankel wasn't her typical unbeatable self, and Minnesota capitalized on opportunities. Loren Gabel peppered six shots on net, and when one goes in, they'll come in buckets. There were moments when Boston looked slower and were outworked by Minnesota.

Toronto answered their season opening loss to New York with a character victory against New York only days later. They looked more in control in game two. Emma Maltais drove play in both games, scoring the shorthanded winner for her team, and Toronto got Natalie Spooner on the board. Blayre Turnbull remained a physical presence, and despite not producing yet, Sarah Nurse played her best game of the season or preseason in Toronto's first win. Perhaps most importantly, Kristen Campbell got some confidence Toronto will hope she carries over moving forward.

Despite the result, Montreal's win over Ottawa was not convincing. In fact, there were many times Montreal didn't look engaged in the game. Montreal hasn't looked like a top team through preseason and their opening games. Marie-Philip Poulin remains the best player in the world, but she needs a supporting cast to step forward. A 3-0 loss to Minnesota in game two didn't help, but they hold off Ottawa based on the head-to-head.

Ottawa could have won game one. In fact, they looked quicker, and more dangerous than Montreal for much of the contest. When things click in Ottawa, they'll be a dangerous team, and we already started to see some of their hidden gems showing hints they'll break out soon. Let's see where week two brings Ottawa before laying judgement.