Chris Sinclair, Cee Benwell, and Ian Kennedy discuss the impacts of expansion on the Ottawa Charge The Ottawa Charge made their first offseason additions re-signing Rebecca Leslie and Taylor House. Both were key contributors for the Charge in the postseason, and Ottawa will look for them to take a similar step next year as well. Leslie signed a two-year contract, while House agreed to a one-year deal. “Since joining our team last season, Rebecca has been an instrumental part of our team on and off the ice,” said Charge General Manager Mike Hirshfeld. “She’s been heavily involved in the community, and she was one of our best forwards during our run to the PWHL Finals. She’s an experienced leader in the locker room. She’s got good hockey sense and she’s been great on the penalty kill. We’re thrilled to keep her home for the next two seasons.” Leslie is an Ottawa product who is staying with her hometown team. “I’m excited to be back in Ottawa and play in front of our fans for the next two seasons,” said Leslie. “It’s my first two-year deal in the PWHL. It shows that the team believes in me and that I can still grow as a player. I want to continue where I left off. Collectively, our team had a slow start, but we all finished the season on a strong note. We want to take it from there.” House began the 2024-25 season as a reserve player for Ottawa, but worked her way into the lineup and was a pleasant surprise in the playoffs using her size to play an impactful two-way game. “Taylor was a nice addition out of training camp. She always remained positive and worked hard in the practices until she could get into the lineup,” said Hirshfeld. “She has a physical presence during the games and we like her compete level. We think there’s still a lot of upside to her game in this league.” “I haven’t gone home yet. I’m still here in Ottawa because I love this city and I want to spend more time in it,” said House. “I’m super excited to be back next year. This organization has been amazing to me. I trust the coaching staff and I’m looking forward to training camp to try to solidify my spot in the lineup. It was also hard to turn down an offer that gave me a chance to play in front of 8,000 fans. I love their energy, and it will be fun to soak it all up next season.” Ottawa's lineup has been hit hard in expansion losing Ashton Bell, Emerance Maschmeyer, Danielle Serdachny, and Aneta Tejralova, followed by the loss of Tereza Vanisova [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/michela-cava-signs-with-pwhl-vancouver-vanisova-officially-announced], Shiann Darkangelo, Zoe Boyd, and Natalie Snodgrass in free agency.
