Hannah Bilka knows the city of Boston well, and she's excited to return to the city and to play with the stars on PWHL Boston. Boston came within one win of the Walter Cup this season. The entered the playoffs red hot, fighting from the outside looking in, and rode the veteran contributions of depth in the finals. But it wasn't all roses for Boston, as they struggled to score, and dealt with injuries at times. That said, Boston was one of the most stable organizations on and off the ice in the PWHL's inaugural season. Here's a look at PWHL Boston from top to bottom. OFFENSE Coming into the season, few expected PWHL Boston to struggle scoring, but that's exactly what they did. Alina Muller was the team's top scorer but she was tied four other players for 13th in league scoring. Boston was also the only team in the PWHL to not have a player hit double digits in goals scored, and the fact is, they didn't even have a player come close. Hilary Knight led Boston in goals with six, one ahead of Hannah Brandt and Muller. Boston did miss Loren Gabel for nearly a third of the season, and got a boost with the acquisition of Susana Tapani, but the team needs every player mentioned here, and Jamie Lee Rattray to step up their production. The insertion of Hannah Bilka will go a long way for this group, as it not only infuses youth, creativity, and speed, it could also allow Boston to move Muller back to centre, her natural position. Ilona Markova is a question mark, a wildcard, and a name to watch. DEFENSE Boston is going to send out one of the deepest and most experienced groups in the league on the blueline, headlined by Megan Keller, and draft acquisition Daniela Pejsova. Beyond their top two, Emily Brown is quietly one of the best defensive defenders in the league, and Boston also got important minutes out of Jessica DiGirolamo and Sidney Morin last year. They brought over another physical, shutdown styled defender in Emma Greco, who was signed from Minnesota [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/emma-greco-leaves-pwhl-champs-signs-in-boston]. Some teams might look like they have a better second pairing, but Boston's group has a more diverse skill set, including players who can take care of their own zone. GOALTENDING Aerin Frankel was one of the best in the league last season, which wasn't a surprise, and when it came time for playoffs, Frankel was likely Boston's MVP. There were times when better shooters starting to pick on Frankel's size, but she evolved and adapted using her quickness, tracking, and pristine angles to close the door. Behind Frankel, most likely expected more of a push from Emma Soderberg, who has struggled at times over the last year. Soderberg will look to give that push this season, but if she doesn't, there's a chance Klara Peslarova, who is attending camp as a free agent, will be waiting to pounce on her chance. SPECIAL TEAMS Boston struggled to score. They struggled at even strength, and they struggled mightily on the power play. Boston scored on only 7.5% of their chances, a truly abysmal stat. No team in the NHL or AHL found themselves in single digits last season. It's a dubious record Boston held alongside Minnesota who connected only 8.2% of the time. Similarly, their penalty kill wasn't on par. While they did kill 80% of chances, that stat was second worst in the league. This will certainly be a point Courtney Kessel and her staff come in intent to address. INTANGIBLES There are a lot of veteran faces on this roster, and this team managed to pull it all together when it mattered most last season, winning their way into the playoffs with an incredible streak, upsetting their way to the finals, and then taking those finals to five games. Boston still doesn't have the fan base many expected due to the fact they're playing in Lowell, but there was certainly building excitement as their playoff run went on. It will be interesting to see how Boston reacts if the depth veteran presences who helped them in that run like Taylor Wenczkowski, who is coaching in the NCAA this year, Amanda Pelkey, and Kaleigh Fratkin don't return. ROOKIESR Hannah Bilka and Daniela Pejsova are to immediate impact makers. They'll combine speed, skill, and physicality, helping to push Boston's pace, which at times last year, Boston looked a step behind. Sydney Bard is the only other 2024 Draft pick currently signed, although Shay Maloney, Hadley Hartmetz, and Ilona Markova will all look to grab roster spots. X-FACTOR To call Hilary Knight an X-Factor seems wrong. But in a way, she is. Knight hasn't scored at the pro level, whether it was PWHL or PWHPA in the same way she's scored internationally. Perhaps the introduction of Hannah Bilka to her line could make that happen. Similarly, Loren Gabel didn't score at a rate pundits thought she would. These two need to find their space and score for Boston to take the next step. The X-Factor here is if two of the best shooters in the league can score consistently at this level. THE BRASS Danielle Marmer has followed her own path to roster building, and she came within a win of the Walter Cup last season. Getting more squeezed out of the veterans on their roster will be a focus this year, putting a little more pressure on head coach Courtney Kessel. Boston seemingly stayed out of the Amanda Kessel dealings, passing on her at the draft, but it was at no fault to Marmer. Marmer's biggest gamble came at the draft giving up an extra pick to move up for Daniela Pejsova. She's proven willing to make moves, and in a league where flexibility is at a premium, Marmer has found that balance.
