NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season continued with seven games last week and heads into the international break with the Boston Fleet atop the standings with a perfect 4-0-0-0 record. The regular season schedule resumes on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
UNDEFLEETED
The Fleet are the first team in PWHL history to open a season with four straight wins, earning all four of their victories in regulation. Boston won both of their games this past week at Agganis Arena, including a 2-0 victory over Vancouver on Wednesday and a 4-1 triumph over Minnesota on Sunday, after losing their first two appearances at the Boston University venue last season. Their record surpasses the previous best 3-0-0-0 mark to open a season established by Minnesota to launch the league’s inaugural campaign and one shy of the longest regulation win streak in league history. During the inaugural season, Toronto recorded four regulation wins from Jan. 26 to Feb. 16, then capped their record 11-game winning streak with five victories in regulation from Mar. 2-20, 2024. The Fleet’s 12 points in the standings are six points ahead of Montréal, Toronto, Minnesota and New York, who each have two regulation wins. Vancouver (5 points), Seattle (4 points) and Ottawa (3 points) all have one regulation win to date. See full PWHL standings here.
SEATTLE AND VANCOUVER EARN FIRST REGULATION WINS AT HOME
The Torrent scored the fastest two power play goals in PWHL history, courtesy of Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight, in a span of 22 seconds late in the third period to defeat the Sirens 2-1 on Wednesday. The goals were Seattle’s first-ever scored at home and led to the team’s first-ever win at Climate Pledge Arena. Three days later in Vancouver, Surrey, BC, native Jenn Gardiner scored the first shorthanded ‘jailbreak’ goal in Goldeneyes history and Emerance Maschmeyer stopped all 28 shots to record the team’s first-ever shutout as part of a 4-0 victory over the Sirens on Saturday at Pacific Coliseum. It also marked Vancouver’s first-ever regulation win and extends their home winning streak to two (1-1-0-0). Only Minnesota (2-0-0-0) won their first two inaugural games on home ice in 2024. See all PWHL results here.
PWHL SEASON ATTENDANCE SURPASSES 125,000
Through 16 games of the 2025-26 PWHL season, total attendance is 126,320 for a per game average of 7,895. Last season, it took 20 games to surpass 125,000.
COYNE SCHOFIELD SCORES FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK
Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield has been named the PWHL Player of the Week presented by SharkNinja after scoring three goals on eight shots in two games, highlighted by her first career hat trick on Tuesday in a 5-1 win over the Charge. The 33-year-old from Palos Heights, IL, is the second player to record a hat trick this season and just the second Minnesota player to achieve the feat since Grace Zumwinkle back on Jan. 6, 2024. Coyne Schofield leads the PWHL in goals this season and is tied for first with five points (4G, 1A) alongside teammates Kelly Pannek (2G, 3A) and Britta Curl-Salemme (5A) and Charge captain Brianne Jenner (2G, 3A). See this season’s PWHL leaders here.
FRANKEL FIRST TO TWO SHUTOUTS
Boston’s Aerin Frankel is the first goaltender to record two shutouts this season following a 21-save performance against Vancouver on Wednesday. She has allowed just two goals on 98 shots in her league-leading four wins and carries a 0.50 goals-against-average and .980 save percentage into the break. Last season, three goaltenders recorded multiple shutouts, led by Corinne Schroeder with four for New York, plus Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips and Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney each with two. Maschmeyer’s shutout on Saturday brings the season’s total to six through 16 games. Minnesota’s Nicole Hensley has allowed just one goal on 66 shots in her two wins this season and also has a 0.50 GAA and leads the league with a .985 SV%. See this season’s PWHL goaltending leaders here.
FIRST CAREER GOALS FOR GUILDAY, KADIROVA, GENTRY
Rory Guilday, Ottawa’s fifth overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft, was the first of three players to score their first career PWHL goals last week. The rookie defender, who had previously recorded her first multi-point game with two assists, blasted a shot from the point on the power play Tuesday for her milestone marker against Minnesota. Fellow Charge draft pick, Fanuza Kadirova, became the first player from Russia to score a PWHL goal when the sixth-round selection sniped on Thursday in Toronto. Sceptres second-round pick, Emma Gentry, found the back of the net on just her second career shot on goal Sunday against Montréal. So far this season, seven rookies have scored their first goals and 14 have at least one point. See all PWHL rookie scoring leaders here.
FIRST CAREER WIN FOR MURPHY
Hannah Murphy, Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft, became the first rookie goaltender to earn a win this season, stopping 23 of 24 shots on Wednesday in the Torrent’s 2-1 comeback win over the Sirens. The Colgate graduate is just the second rookie goaltender in PWHL history to win their first game following Boston’s Emma Söderberg back on Jan. 17, 2024.
NEWHOOK EXTENDS GOAL STREAK
Fleet rookie forward Abby Newhook has goals in three straight games and is the only PWHL player with an active three-game point streak heading into the break. The 22-year-old from St. John’s, NL, was selected by Boston in the fifth round of June’s draft after playing four seasons at Boston College. New York’s Sarah Fillier, last season’s Rookie of the Year and co-scoring leader, holds the league’s longest goal scoring streak at five games. Three other players have produced four-game goal scoring streaks in the regular season: Montréal’s Laura Stacey in 2024-25, and Jessie Eldridge and Jenner in the inaugural season.
WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FOR MACLEOD
Charge Head Coach Carla MacLeod returned behind the bench on Thursday in Toronto for her first game after bravely sharing news of her recent breast cancer diagnosis. It was the Sceptres’ Stick it to Cancer game and cancer survivor and former Toronto goaltender Erica Howe performed the ceremonial puck drop wearing a MacLeod jersey. Two days earlier, Charge fans showed their support at TD Place as their coach began her treatments, and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators invited the team to Saturday’s game where MacLeod was recognized. Throughout the week, many PWHL players and staff wore pink ribbons to games in support of MacLeod as the league continues to send her love and strength.
CAMPBELL-PASCALL AND SCHELLING CALLED TO IIHF HALL OF FAME
Cassie Campbell-Pascall, PWHL Special Advisor, and Florence Schelling, co-host of the new Jocks Next Gen podcast, are among the seven members to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2026, representing their remarkable span of international achievements. Campbell-Pascall captained Canada for two Olympics and two Women’s Worlds and won ten medals in IIHF women’s competitions, including eight gold. Schelling backstopped Switzerland to bronze at the 2014 Olympics and in her 15-year international career had played in more games at the Women’s World Championship (44) and won more games (21) than any other netminder in history. The induction ceremony will take place on the final day of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland. Click here to read more.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
On Monday morning, Sports Business Journal released Influence 125, a list recognizing 125 trailblazers who have set the pace for change in sports business over the past 25 years. Honorees include Mark Walter, whose support alongside wife, Kimbra Walter, has made the PWHL possible, as well as Advisory Board members Billie Jean King and Stan Kasten. The latest issue of Ice Warriors features Fillier on the cover and a story about her big season between the PWHL and the Olympics. And a recent story in GO Magazine highlighted an unexpected proposal at a Charge game that won over the Ottawa Crowd during the team’s home opener. Additionally, Sportico featured the hiring of Sandy Cross as the PWHL’s Vice President of People & Culture.
RIVALRY SERIES
Canada and the United States will play the final two games of the Rivalry Series on Wednesday and Saturday in Edmonton, AB, in their final international competition ahead of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Here’s a look at the 44 PWHL players named to both rosters:
Canada (23):
Forwards: Emily Clark (OTT), Sarah Fillier (NY), Jenn Gardiner (VAN), Julia Gosling (SEA), Brianne Jenner (OTT), Emma Maltais (TOR), Kristin O’Neill (NY), Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL), Danielle Serdachny (SEA), Natalie Spooner (TOR), Laura Stacey (MTL), Blayre Turnbull (TOR), Daryl Watts (TOR)
Defenders: Erin Ambrose (MTL), Renata Fast (TOR), Nicole Gosling (MTL), Sophie Jaques (VAN), Jocelyne Larocque (OTT), Ella Shelton (TOR), Claire Thompson (VAN)
Goaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL), Emerance Maschmeyer (VAN), Kayle Osborne (NY)
United States (21):
Forwards: Hannah Bilka (SEA), Alex Carpenter (SEA), Jesse Compher (TOR), Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN), Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN), Taylor Heise (MIN), Gabbie Hughes (OTT), Hilary Knight (SEA), Casey O’Brien (NY), Kelly Pannek (MIN), Hayley Scamurra (MTL), Grace Zumwinkle (MIN)
Defenders: Cayla Barnes (SEA), Rory Guilday (OTT), Savannah Harmon (TOR), Megan Keller (BOS), Lee Stecklein (MIN), Anna Wilgren (SEA), Haley Winn (BOS)
Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel (BOS), Gwyneth Philips (OTT)
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
The final leg of the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour will be played Dec. 10-12 with games between host Finland, Czechia, Sweden and Switzerland in their final tune up ahead of naming their Olympic rosters. Germany will also play a pair of games against Austria Dec. 13-14 and Italy, the host nation for the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, will continue its training. Here are the PWHL players who are with their national teams this week:
Czechia (8): Klára Hymlárová (MIN), Kristýna Kaltounková (NY), Denisa Křížová (MIN), Natálie Mlýnková (MTL), Kateřina Mrázová (OTT), Daniela Pejšová (BOS), Aneta Tejralová (SEA), Tereza Vanišová (VAN)
Germany (2): Sandra Abstreiter (MTL), Laura Kluge (BOS)
Italy (1): Kristin Della Rovere (TOR)
Sweden (2): Sara Hjalmarsson (TOR), Anna Kjellbin (TOR)
Switzerland (2): Alina Müller (BOS), Nicole Vallario (NY)
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