Nothing will replace the special moments and many firsts 鈥� first game, first road trip, first win 鈥� Hilary Knight enjoyed during the PWHL鈥檚 inaugural season.
At 35, one of USA Hockey鈥檚 most accomplished female players remains awed by the leap the league made in being established in late June 2023, launching six months later and catching the wave of women鈥檚 sports growth in North America.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just the perfect timing to be able to be a woman in pro sports and be a part of the piece that continues to move the sport forward,鈥� Knight said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e part of the conversation now.鈥�
Even being on the ice with her Boston teammates following a decisive Game 5 loss in the finals in May and watching Minnesota players raise the Walter Cup didn鈥檛 blemish Knight鈥檚 experience.
鈥淐elebrating the first year for every team is critical because it was the inaugural season,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd now it really does feel like, 鈥極K, let鈥檚 go.鈥欌��
Welcome to PWHL Season 2, which opens Saturday and features all six teams in action this weekend. There will be more games 鈥� 30 per team, up from 24 last year. There will be more talent, with an influx of both college graduates and European veterans.
Each team has a logo and nickname after going without last year. And there鈥檚 already talk of expansion, with the privately financed and centrally controlled PWHL looking to add up to two franchises by next year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to put into words, to be honest. Obviously, the first season exceeded all of our expectations,鈥� vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said. 鈥淲e always believed. We had a vision for it. But to see it happen as quickly as it did was something that was pretty special.鈥�
It鈥檚 Game On again for a league that has Toronto moving into a larger home, New York finally settling on a home after splitting games at three sites, and the PWHL expanding its reach with nine neutral-site games ranging from North Carolina to the Pacific Northwest.
In Minnesota, the Frost are coming off the highs of winning the title while attempting to get past a tumultuous offseason. General manager Natalie Darwitz was dismissed following a league-launched internal and external review that, in part, revealed an irreconcilable rift between her and coach Ken Klee.
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 just about getting our group back together,鈥� Klee said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e focusing on the future. Pro hockey, things happen, some unfortunate things and some things out of our control, and we鈥檙e just really looking forward and excited to get the season going.鈥�
The Frost seek to draw on how they persevered by sneaking into the playoffs after losing their final five regular-season games. Minnesota then overcame a 2-0 deficit in its best-of-five semifinal series against Toronto.
It鈥檚 a collapse that still stings in Toronto, where the regular-season champion Sceptres failed to overcome losing league MVP Natalie Spooner to a knee injury that will keep her sidelined for the start of this year.
鈥淪he was a huge part of our success last season, but I think the biggest thing for us as we approach this season without her in the lineup is that everyone is aware that they鈥檙e not going to replace Natalie Spooner,鈥� captain Blayre Turnbull said. 鈥淓veryone has an opportunity to step up and be the best player that they can be. And I think it鈥檒l be a good test for our team.鈥�
The Victoire are motivated after being beset by injuries that contributed to Montreal being swept by Boston in a semifinal series that had all three games decided in overtime, including a 2-1, three-OT loss in Game 2.
General manager Dani猫le Sauvageau placed an emphasis on adding speed and offense to a lineup led by Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
Among the newcomers are playmaking U.S. national team defenseman Cayla Barnes. Meantime, late-round 2023 draft pick Lina Ljungblom made the jump to North America after the 23-year-old finished third with 46 points (23 goals) in Sweden鈥檚 pro women鈥檚 league last season.
There鈥檚 increased expectations among the two non-playoff teams, Ottawa and New York.
New York had what鈥檚 considered the best draft class in June, starting with the No. 1 selection of Canadian star and Princeton grad Sarah Fillier. The Sirens also drafted Swedish defenseman Maja Persson and Finnish forward Noora Tulus in the second and third rounds, and Canadian university player Emmy Fecteau in the sixth.
The newcomers join a last-place team featuring a new coach in Colgate鈥檚 Greg Fargo, who is highly regarded for his up-tempo approach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been a completely different vibe and environment,鈥� forward Abby Roque said. 鈥淎s bad as last year was for us as a team, I think there鈥檚 a lot of stuff we can build on.鈥�
The same goes in Ottawa, where the Charge were eliminated on the final day of a season in which they went 1-6 in games ending past regulation. The PWHL awards three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime/shootout victory, and one to OT/shootout losers.
The Charge added size by drafting Canadian national team forward Danielle Serdachny and Finnish defenseman Ronja Savolainen. Ottawa also drafted Northeastern goalie Gwyneth Philips to back up starter Emerance Maschmeyer, who appeared in all but one game last season.
鈥淚 think we learned sort of the hard way just how tight this league is,鈥� captain Brianne Jenner said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, earning a couple of extra of those points would have served us well. So we鈥檒l make sure we鈥檙e well-prepared this year for it.鈥�
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
