The Seattle Torrent close out their inaugural season this Saturday, April 25. The top draft pick is on the line, but the team has more than just that keeping them competitive.
The Seattle Torrent may be out of the playoffs for the 2025-26 season, but they still have a lot to play for as they finish out the final game. Since their elimination from playoff contention, the team has started to accrue “draft order” points as part of the Gold Plan. With their win over the Minnesota Frost, they secured one of the top two draft picks with just one game to go for both Seattle and Vancouver, the other team vying for top pick.
The Torrent currently have four Gold Plan Points with Vancouver close behind with three. If Vancouver is unable to secure at least one point in their final game, they will be out of the running for that top spot. A regulation win in Seattle’s final game on April 25 against Montréal would secure that top draft pick for the Torrent.
This year’s draft class is brimming with talent and with PWHL expansion imminent, purposeful draft selection is extremely vital. For the team, though, it’s more than just draft order that propels them to keep fighting even while sitting at the bottom of the standings.
The team is well aware what is important right now with players even citing coach "quizzing" them between periods to keep it top of mind.
“It’s really important because that’s something that is a big deal for Seattle’s future as well,” said Lily Delianedis. “It’s really important, not just for the Gold Plan and the future of Seattle, but our pride too. As a team, that’s a big piece too going into wanting to win not just for that but the people on the team and Seattle as a community too. There’s a lot on the line with the last couple games. There’s a lot to play for.”
Performing Well in the Final Stretch
The Torrent have scored five goals in three of their last four games. That is almost a quarter of the 62 goals they scored all season up to this point. The team is producing and performing well at the right time for the draft
Could part of the performance boost be due to the fact that the pressure is off for the playoffs? There’s always an undercurrent of pressure when it comes to competing in the offseason, but the two expansion teams had more than most this season. With the rosters being stacked with talent, the teams were expected to rise to the top. However, bringing talent together and having it translate on ice takes time.
Which may be another reason the team is doing well now. The players are familiar with the systems the coaching staff has put into place. They’ve had 29 games to come together and work through completely new-to-them systems compared to the start of the year which was a whirlwind with minimal practice prior to the first game.
“At the beginning figuring out the pace of the P-Dub (PWHL). It was just so fast right away, and the physicality too,” said Delianedis. “Now that it’s later on in the season, that part’s been a bit more comfortable. I’ve been able to focus on a bit more of the systems and just work with my linemates and gain the confidence.”
The Seattle Torrent close out their inaugural season against the Montréal Victoire on Saturday, April 25 at 7pm PST at Climate Pledge Arena. This final game is also the Torrent Pride Celebration Unity Game.