At their end-of-season media availability, the management and players of the Toronto Sceptres expressed pride in their team overall, but also admitted that next year their group will look different. With expansion upcoming, Toronto has a skilled group of players that will surely be coveted by the two new teams.
“It's hard to think ahead,” said captain Blayre Turnbull.
“Obviously, there's a lot of details that still need to be ironed out with what's going on. And I think that a lot of things could change for this group and our team here in Toronto. But for now, I think you just try to reflect on the season and think about anything that you want to change for next season based on the information we have right now.
“So it's hard to look ahead without thinking about everything that could happen. But at the same time, we just have to take it with the information that we currently have, so that's how we're approaching it.”
Newly appointed assistant captain Allie Munroe said, “The group was awesome and it's tough that expansion's happening. It’s going to be very different next year for a lot of people. So I think we're just trying to enjoy each other right now and reflect positively on the season with this group.”
The series loss to Minnesota was a difficult one, and had the Sceptres attempting to stay afloat during goalie Kristen Campbell’s struggles.
“That's a really tough decision that gets made,” said coach Troy Ryan. "I mean there's there's many factors that go into it. Soupy’s a great goaltender, a great teammate for us, maybe wasn't playing her best in those moments. I'm sure if you asked her, she would say the same. Doesn't mean she's not a quality goaltender. She is.
"So after the ending of Game Two to the results in Game Three, I just felt that if we played Soupy in Game Four and we got a similar result, I think that as a coach, it would be tough to live with. So ultimately you make the tough decision to put C.J., who's been primarily our number three all year, put C.J. in that situation.
"I think it's a tough situation to put C.J. in. I thought she responded very well, gave us an opportunity to win. I think she she did her job in that game, and ultimately we just came up short. So tough decision. That's not lost on me at all. I know it it would have been tough on Soupy, it would have been tough on C.J., it would have been probably a tough thing emotionally, mentally, for our entire group. But I loved the way they responded.”
Renata Fast said the experience of their second playoffs reinforced the lessons from last year: “I think there's still tons to learn about how tight the games are. They're tight all season, but when it comes to playoffs, it's even tighter and every single detail matters. Every small play can end up what costs you. So I think for me, just learning that when it comes to games like this, you have to make sure that your details are super sharp.”
With Seattle and Vancouver joining the PWHL, the Sceptres are sure to lose important players in the expansion draft and through free agency. Hannah Miller, a British Columbia native, was a very important player for Toronto and will surely be targeted by her hometown team.
Gina Kingsbury, the general manager, said, “We would love to see Hannah stay in our market. She's obviously been a great, great player for us in the last two seasons. And I think the work that our coaches have done with her as well, I think it's a really good fit.
"I think they're able to push and pull her in a direction that has seen her play some of the best hockey of her career and she's embraced our market. Obviously, there's going to be some high competition seeing that Vancouver is her hometown and I know it's it's a place that's very near and dear to her.
“But we will put our best foot forward on hopefully being able to keep her here in Toronto. She's definitely a B.C. person and will probably eventually be in B.C. at some point in her life. But I do think she's enjoyed her time here in Toronto. And I think if she has a decision to make, it will be a tough decision.”
The Sceptres got some experience with losing a key piece of their roster mid-season when veteran defender Jocelyne Larocque was traded to Ottawa.
“I think that's the reality of the league and we got a taste of it a little bit last year, but this year there was obviously a bigger [trade]. So I think it is just going to become a little bit normal for us and expansion's going to be really different this year, but that's just the reality of the way the league's going,” said Fast.
“And with whoever remains in your market or whatever team you have, you just find ways to build that chemistry again. Trades are difficult, but you try to onboard people as quickly as possible.”
According to Kingsbury, “We're very comfortable with our entire team. I think we'll add pieces here in the draft, we will obviously be active in the free agency period as well and try to continue to build on what we have. But we love the foundation that we've started here as a as a group with our entire team.”