The PWHL's eight teams have vastly different forward groups heading into the 2025-26 season. Most were able to recoup enough bodies to field a team for next year, but there are still gaps in talent. There are teams who have an electric top six like PWHL Seattle, and then there are teams like PWHL Vancouver with unprecedented depth, and the Montreal Victoire who were able to compile a surprisingly deep forward group. Others like the New York Sirens feature predominantly youth, while the Boston Fleet have potential, but not as much proven scoring.
Here's a look at each of the PWHL's forward groups looking at their top six, bottom six, intangibles, and overall impact. We rank them from first to worst, and break down their groups.
1. PWHL Vancouver
Jennifer Gardiner - Sarah Nurse - Michela Cava
Michelle Karvinen - Hannah Miller - Tereza Vanisova
Denisa Krizova - Maddy Samoskevich - Izzy Daniel
Brooke McQuigge- Gabby Rosenthal - Abby Boreen
Brianna Brooks - Chanreet Bassi
There's just no team in the PWHL with the depth of PWHL Vancouver. They won't just be running 1-2 lines capable of scoring, Vancouver will field four capable lines. Their fourth line will feature players who spent their year on second lines last year. They've got a mix of veterans, rising stars, and rookies, and diverse skill sets. their top six is as good as any in the PWHL featuring Nurse, Miller, Karvinen, Vanisova, Cava, and Gardiner. When you look at their next group, Vancouver adds to their attack with two way acumen and physicality in forwards like McQuigge, Krizova, Boreen, and Daniel. This team will not lack leadership, and in the event of injury, they have the depth to bring players up and down their lineup in differing roles. There truly are no observable weaknesses in this group.
2. Montreal Victoire
Natalie Mlynkova - Marie-Philip Poulin - Laura Stacey
Lina Ljungblom - Shiann Darkangelo - Maureen Murphy
Hayley Scamurra - Abby Roque - Catherine Dubois
Skylar Irving - Jade Downie-Landry - Maya Labad
Dara Greig - Kaitlin Willoughby
When Montreal signed Darkangelo, Scamurra, and Downie-Landry, and added Roque through trade, it marked depth that Montreal didn't have last season. They added to this by drafting Mlynkova, Irving, and Labad. Daniele Sauvageau showed her veteran savvy as a builder by not just filling holes with experience, but managing to upgrade her forward group. The real question for Montreal is how they'll deploy this roster. Will Abby Roque play down the middle, or will they shift her to the wing to reduce the defensive responsibilities. Montreal has enough players of each hand, they have size, they have veteran experience, and a speckling of youth. If they can get the second season growth from Lina Ljungblom, and find a rookie like Mlynkova or Irving to find similar chemistry with Poulin and Stacey to what Gardiner had last season, this team will be dangerous. Where they look most improved is the fact that this forward group looks build for a long playoff run.
3. PWHL Seattle
Hannah Bilka - Danielle Serdachny - Hilary Knight
Julia Gosling - Alex Carpenter - Jessie Eldridge
Mikyla Grant-Mentis - Lexie Adzija - Jenna Buglioni
Lily Delianedis - Natalie Snodgrass - Olivia Wallin
Jada Habisch
It's hard to imagine Seattle's top six not scoring in bunches. No matter how you combine the six forwards they grabbed in the expansion process, this is a top group that will have opponents racking their brains for how to shut this unit down. Seattle has size as well, that will make them formidable net front and along the walls. The biggest question mark up front for Seattle is how this group will gel, and if the personalities they've brought in will find a way to work as a unit, rather than a group of individuals. This extends into their depth as well. There will be no lack of confidence in this group, and they made some excellent picks in players like Buglioni and Delianedis who are possession players. Hilary Knight will be the leader, and she'll need to find ways to get this group moving in the same direction. If she can, this is a dangerous forward group.
4. Toronto Sceptres
Daryl Watts - Blayre Turnbull - Jesse Compher
Emma Maltais - Emma Gentry - Natalie Spooner
Kiara Zanon - Clara Van Wieren - Emma Woods
Maggie Connors- Sara Hjalmarsson - Claire Dalton
Clair DeGeorge
Tentatively, Toronto falls third. Truly, there's almost no separation between Toronto, Ottawa, and Minnesota in their forward groups as they stand right now. It will largely come down to the chemistry these groups find. Toronto forfeited their first round pick to acquire Ella Shelton, and their defensive group can be counted on to contribute a sizeable chunk of offense this year. With Natalie Spooner having a full year of recovery behind her, Toronto will cross their fingers and hope for even a partial return to her MVP form from year one. Daryl Watts was an electrifying addition last offseason, and Jesse Compher had a stellar sophomore season. Where Toronto needs more is from Maltais, Turnbull, and Spooner. This trio needs to find the net more often than they did in year two. Toronto added size in the draft bringing in Gentry, Van Wieren, and Hjalmarsson, and signing Dalton and DeGeorge. They also got an analytics steal in Kiara Zanon whose numbers could bubble over in the PWHL. Toronto has four deep lines, and they could find more at camp.
5. Minnesota Frost
Kendall Coyne Schofield - Taylor Heise - Dominique Petrie
Britta Curl-Salemme - Kelly Pannek - Grace Zumwinkle
Vanessa Upson- Abby Hustler - Anna Segedi
Klara Hymlarova - Katy Knoll - Claire Butroac
While other forward groups have the potential to climb, this one has the potential to fall. What Minnesota does have is a group of sure-fire performers in Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Britta Curl-Salemme. They desperately need Pannek and Zumwinkle to play more like they did late in the year, and not like they did earlier. Both struggled to produce last season. Dominique Petrie is another player they'll hope can rebound after she started red hot but had that momentum stifled by injury. If Minnesota can squeeze the built in chemistry out of Abby Hustler and Anna Segedi, they could have two of the drafts biggest steals. Their depth will be a work in progress, but they are returning an effective fourth line. There's no guarantee this unit can be effective, especially without the contributions of Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson. The forward group will need to do more in their own end to jumpstart the attack than they did last year.
6. Ottawa Charge
Emily Clark - Gabbie Hughes - Elizabeth Giguere
Anna Shokhina- Katerina Mrazova - Fanuza Kadirova
Anna Meixner - Mannon McMahon - Brianne Jenner
Taylor House - Sarah Wozniewicz - Rebecca Leslie
Peyton Hemp
There potential for this group to climb multiple spots, quickly, on this list. The reason they're at fifth right now is because a large portion of their offensive depth will depend on how quickly Shokhina and Kadirova can adapt to the North American game. They have the skill and chemistry, and with luck, they'll form two thirds of one of Ottawa's scoring lines. It seems like a safe bet they'll hit rather than miss. Ottawa also has Rebecca Leslie and Anna Meixner who both showed in playoffs that they can have a bigger role. If Ottawa can spark former Patty Kazmaier winner Elizabeth Giguere, and also find a way to get Brianne Jenner back on track, their forward group could turn out to be surprisingly deep and potent. There are a lot of "ifs" but there's also a lot of potential.
7. New York Sirens
Sarah Fillier - Kristin O'Neill - Kristyna Kaltounkova
Elle Hartje - Casey O'Brien - Makenna Webster
Taylor Girard - Anne Cherkowski - Noora Tulus
Anna Bargman - Savannah Norcross - Paeytn Levis
Maddi Wheeler - Emmy Fecteau - Kayla Vespa
This is an exciting top six. The potential to see Fillier, Kaltounkova, and O'Brien as a power play unit, and getting the responsibility of leading a team is fun, but it also might come with some difficult growing pains. New York will do everything in their power to get Kristin O'Neill firing again, and to help Elle Hartje realize her potential. Anne Cherkowski is another key piece up front, and they've got good depth contributors in Anna Bargman, Taylor Girard, Maddi Wheeler, and Savannah Norcross. The biggest question mark is if they can convince Noora Tulus to return for another shot. She could be a valuable middle six player adding veteran leadership, but Tulus wants to return to Sweden. The real question is if the kids can click and find ways to use their youth and exuberance to beat the veteran savvy of their opponents.
8. Boston Fleet
Chloe Aurard - Alina Muller - Hannah Brandt
Jamie Lee Rattray - Susanna Tapani - Shay Maloney
Jill Saulnier - Ella Huber - Olivia Mobley
Theresa Schafzahl - Liz Schepers - Laura Kluge
Abby Newhook - Sophie Shirley
Boston is set to field a team with solid depth, that's capable on both sides of the puck, and has a lot of grit and compete. What they don't have is a lot of high end scoring or talent beyond Muller and Tapani. They'll need Huber and Mobley to have big rookie seasons, and hope that Rattray can finally find her offensive game in the PWHL. This team has a ton of character, a ton of leadership, is free from attitudes, and the potential to bring four competitive lines they can confidently roll each night. The depth additions of Schepers, Kluge, and Newhook make this team more difficult to face. The biggest question mark is if Boston can help Chloe Aurard find her scoring again alongside Alina Muller. This group will need to score as a unit, but its one of the character heavy groups that could outperform based on chemistry alone. Danielle Marmer put together a strong top to bottom group bringing in quality players and people. Can they score? That's the question. Activating Megan Keller and Haley Winn from the back will be key.