Way-too-early PWHL predictions — Headlines from the women’s hockey world

PWHL Ottawa wins a playoff series

PWHL Ottawa was the last team out in the 2023-24 season, just narrowly missing the playoffs after an end-of-season Boston win knocked them out. Since that unceremonious end to Year 1, the team from Canada’s capital city made some moves to hopefully set them up in a better position. They brought in talent through the draft like Danielle Serdachny, Ronja Savolainen and Gwyneth Philips, added Rebecca Leslie in free agency, and re-signed contributors including Shiann Darkangelo, Aneta Tejralová and Natalie Snodgrass. If Ottawa can continue to strengthen their roster in the offseason and turn that into momentum on the ice, I can see them being Year 2’s disruptors, enough to pull off a playoff series win. 

PWHL Minnesota misses the postseason

The defending champions missing the playoffs? Weirder things have happened… Things have been tumultuous, to say the least, for PWHL Minnesota since they hoisted the Walter Cup at the end of last season. Natalie Darwitz, the general manager, parted ways with the team shortly after their victory, leaving head coach Ken Klee to man the draft table as acting GM. Then they selected the draft’s most controversial player. While they’ve made some good signings, including locking down their forward core with players like Michela Cava, Liz Schepers, and third-round draft pick Klára Hymlárová, PWHL Minnesota feels like an organization that’s a little lost. We’ll see if they can pull it together on the ice, but I’m unsure of this team’s ability to perform and I think it’ll cost them a playoff berth. 

A big officiating controversy

Is there anything more unifying in sports than complaining about the refs? Almost every league and sport has its fair share of officiating controversies, where a quibble about the rules or debate about a referee’s decision shapes the course of a series or a season. I predict the PWHL is due for one of its own. I think it’s likely the big to-do will involve a ruling on hitting or body checking. As discussed by my colleague Michelle Jay for TIG, the PWHL’s rules allowing body checking in certain situations has led to some issues, like disciplinary action and player injuries. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bad hit create a pivotal penalty, or a key player getting suspended for a crucial game because of an illegal check. Or who knows, maybe we just get a classic debatable goalie interference.

The league announces expansion

This may be more wishful thinking than a prediction, but perhaps the PWHL brass will come through! With the current state of women’s professional hockey in North America, expansion seems like less of an “if” than a “when.” There’s an immense talent pool — including collegiate players and professionals from other leagues and countries — yet only 156 roster spots to go around, including reserve players. If the PWHL wants to keep being the best against the best while bringing in the brightest new stars, the league needs space for those players. After two strong years of operation, expansion could be feasible, especially if a market that the PWHL has already visited like Detroit or Pittsburgh is the target. The league executives are notoriously tight-lipped about plans for the future, so it remains to be seen when and where the PWHL could see new teams added. 

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