Uphill Battle For Ottawa Charge’s Camp Invites

In the nation's capital, the Ottawa Charge hit the ice on November 18 for their first training camp at the Canadian Tire Centre, with plenty of new faces and intriguing battles.

A total of 15 forwards, nine defenders, and four goaltenders will compete for roster spots ahead of the 2026-27 season, including five camp invitees: forwards Maggy Burbidge, Madison Mashuga, Annalise Wong, defender Lyndsy Acheson and goaltender Kaitlyn Ross.

Each of these five arrives at camp with strong resumes and accolades to prove it, but will face an uphill battle as they try to break into the professional ranks. That's exactly what makes PWHL training camps so exciting.

Up front, the Charge will have a group of 15 players, including returning players, three draft picks in Taylor Otremba, Tereza Pištěková, and Jordan Ray, and offseason acquisition Jenna Buglioni. That leaves little margin for error for the team's three camp invites: Burbidge, Mashuga, and Wong.

Of the group, Burbidge is most familiar with the team after signing as a reserve last season. The team will also know what it has in Burbidge: a strong, aggressive forward who has consistently produced at every stage of her career in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Mashuga graduated from Minnesota State University as the third-all-time scorer, with 78 points in 154 career collegiate games. One aspect of Mashuga's game that may go under the radar is her discipline at both ends of the ice. She averaged 8.8 penalty minutes per season during her collegiate career, and for a Charge team that likes to play aggressive, fast-paced hockey, Mashuga could present an intriguing option.

And speaking of intriguing options, in skates Wong, the former captain of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. This is the most interesting battle to watch up front in terms of camp invites, as she brings high hockey IQ and an understanding of what it takes to maintain a winning culture. UBC is a powerhouse program in U SPORTS, and leading in that environment could prove invaluable to the Charge. Wong is also coming off her strongest collegiate campaign with the Thunderbirds, scoring 32 points in 28 regular-season games.

The team has six returning defenders from last season: Emma Greco, Brooke Hobson, Jocelyne Larocque, Vita Poniatovskaia, Kathryn Reilly, and Ronja Savolainen. Combined with 11th overall selection Vivian Jungels and fourth-rounder Tory Mariano, this presents a challenging position for Lyndsy Acheson, a graduate of the University of Waterloo.

One thing that could work in Acheson's favour is that the Charge's points from defenders have declined over the past two seasons, dropping from 56 to 43. Last season, only Savolainen reached double digits, scoring four goals and 10 points. Acheson, a native of Summerland, British Columbia, is a reliable defender coming off her two most productive offensive seasons (16 and 14 points, respectively). Over 121 career regular-season games with Waterloo, Acheson recorded 44 points, but whether those numbers can translate to the professional level remains to be seen.

While the lineup offers many interesting storylines during training camp, the one to watch closely might be goaltending. The Charge have four goaltenders heading to camp, with three under contract for the upcoming season and Ross arriving as an invite. While Gwyneth Philips remains the team's undisputed starting goaltender for good reason, and Sanni Ahola won't be unseated from the backup role, the third-string spot could come down to the final buzzer.

Kendra Woodland spent last season with the club and played admirably in relief of Philips on March 18 against Minnesota, posting a 2.66 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage. She knows the systems, has a great relationship with goalie coach Pierre Groulx, and has the accolades to prove she's more than capable of playing in the league.

Ross returns to Ottawa after a brief stint last season on a 10-day contract while Ahola was out with an injury. Her athleticism, strong positioning, pedigree and statistical success make her a goaltender that teams have to think long and hard about. While Ross may be on the outside looking in right now, the team was in a similar position last season with Logan Angers, who had signed a one-year contract but was outplayed by Woodland and released.