There are only 20 games left in the 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League season. And the trade deadline has come and gone, albeit quietly.
That means the PWHL stretch run is officially here.
The Montreal Victoire have long been in the top spot in our rankings — and the standings — but the race at the top is getting tighter than it has been all season with Boston and Toronto surging out of the February international break.
We’ve kept things classic this season, but this time, we are asking the big question facing each team ahead of their final stretch of the regular season.
Note: Team records are reflected as: regulation win, overtime win, overtime loss, regulation loss.
1. Montreal Victoire (10-6-2-5)
Previous Rank: 1
Previous Record: 8-3-1-2
Big question: Can Montreal find middle-six scoring relief?
The Montreal Victoire lead the league in points and have the best odds (55 percent) of winning the Walter Cup this season. That made them an easy pick to lead this month’s power rankings.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have concerns about Montreal down the stretch. And once again, we’re concerned about Montreal’s depth.
There is nothing wrong with Marie-Philip Poulin being Montreal’s best player — she tends to be wherever she plays. Poulin is an offensive force, with a league-high 14 goals this season. But this team is developing an over-reliance on her production at the top of the lineup.
Since returning from international break, Poulin has been held off the scoresheet only three times — and her team has lost in two of those outings.
Laura Stacey has been performing well on that top line with nine points in nine games. And rookie Jennifer Gardiner has fit in well beside Poulin. But players down the lineup — such as Maureen Murphy, Clair DeGeorge, Lina Ljungblom, Abby Boreen, Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Dara Greig — each only have one point in their last eight outings. Kristin O’Neill hasn’t mustered a point since Jan. 5, against Boston.
Things have gotten a little better with goals from Cayla Barnes, Catherine Dubois and Kati Tabin over the last two games. So maybe it’s just been a midseason rut. But we know — thanks to last year’s first-round loss to Boston — that when it matters, if Montreal can’t get offense from more than its top-line stars, the team won’t get very far.
2. Boston Fleet (8-5-4-6)
Previous Rank: 5
Previous Record: 3-3-2-5
Big question: Are the Fleet the scariest team in the PWHL right now?
Last time we did power rankings (Feb. 3), the Fleet were one of the most baffling teams in the PWHL, with elite talent and depth but only a modest record. Now, it looks like they’re starting to put things together.
Since returning from the February international break, Boston has only lost one game in regulation and is currently riding an eight-game point streak. The Fleet have outscored opponents 34-19 during that stretch with a balanced attack — 12 different players have scored at least one goal — and elite goaltending. Aerin Frankel has a .935 save percentage in her last nine starts.
Hilary Knight has been incredible with seven goals and 13 points in her last 10 games, mostly played alongside Alina Müller, who is just as hot with five goals and 11 points in that stretch. Their frequent center, Shay Maloney, has been a pleasant surprise as a 1C after being drafted in the last round of the 2024 PWHL Draft.
The January trade for Jill Saulnier has paid off for Boston. Beyond her historic fight last month, she’s added energy and given coach Courtney Kessel a strong two-way forward who can move up and down the lineup, though Saulnier has looked solid in the top six with Susanna Tapani. Boston’s bottom six have been productive, too, with goals from Theresa Schafzahl, Amanda Pelkey and Jamie Lee Rattray.
Not to mention, Boston is bound to get first-round pick Hannah Bilka back before the end of the season, which should add even more offense to the mix.
The only reason Boston isn’t No. 1 on our rankings right now is because the team is losing the season series to Montreal this season. But with a 7-1-2 record since the break, there’s no denying that the Fleet are the hottest team in the PWHL.
3. Toronto Sceptres (9-2-5-7)
Previous Rank: 4
Previous Record: 5-0-4-6
Big question: Is Kristen Campbell truly back?
After another slow start to the season, Campbell has turned her game around for the Sceptres since the international break. She has a .943 save percentage and has only lost one game in regulation in her last six starts. That’s compared to a .887 save percentage through her first nine starts of the season.
Are these numbers sustainable?
Toronto gives up among the fewest shots against in the league and we know that when Campbell is on her game, she’s difficult to beat. After a tough start last season, she rebounded and won the PWHL’s inaugural Goalie of the Year award.
At the very least Campbell’s recent performance is a promising trend for the Sceptres, who have gotten MVP Natalie Spooner back and Sarah Nurse potentially nearing a return from LTIR.
If she can keep this up — and Spooner and Nurse find their offensive games — Toronto might be one of the more dangerous teams down the stretch and into the postseason.
If Campbell’s game returns to her early-season levels, Toronto will again be relying on rookie Raygan Kirk who — to her credit — did well to keep Toronto competitive while Campbell sorted things out.
4. Minnesota Frost (7-5-4-9)
Previous Rank: 2
Previous Record: 5-4-2-4
Big question: What is Minnesota’s true identity?
There were lofty expectations for the reigning Walter Cup champions coming into this season after keeping most of the core together and adding a Canadian Olympic record holder in Claire Thompson.
Minnesota picked up where it left off, going several weeks before finally losing a game in regulation. The team was resilient in the face of several key injuries and a flu bug that affected a chunk of the roster. But they’ve struggled with consistency in recent weeks, losing three games in a row out of the international break — including a shocking 8-2 loss against Ottawa — and only winning twice in regulation.
Minnesota started hot last year before slowing down before the postseason, so it’s fair to wonder if they’re just in another rut. Beyond that, maybe Minnesota just got complacent against opponents such as the Charge and Sirens, and can raise the bar next week against Montreal and Toronto.
At this point, though, it’s worth asking who this team really is. Are they the elite team from the first half of the season, who reminded the PWHL why they won the first Walter Cup? Or is this a team that could fade from the playoff picture after taking their foot off the gas over the last month-plus of action?
We’ll go with the former if only because some key players have been slumping as of late. Last year’s rookie of the year, Grace Zumwinkle, just went on a 12-game scoreless streak. Playoff MVP Taylor Heise has five points in her last 10 games. Thompson only has three.
Those stats just don’t seem to be sustainable for three elite players — nor does this rough patch seem like it can last much longer for the reigning champs.
5. Ottawa (8-1-4-10)
Previous Rank: 6
Previous Record: 5-0-2-8
Big question: How will the team look without Emerance Maschmeyer?
The Charge have remained in the mix in the PWHL standings, but just took a massive hit with their No. 1 goalie, Emerance Maschmeyer, being placed on long-term injured reserve last week.
Maschmeyer was arguably Ottawa’s most valuable player at the start of the season, only losing two games in regulation over her first seven starts. She was also excellent for Team Canada at the Rivalry Series. Maschmeyer’s game started to falter after the February international break, allowing three or more goals in all five starts she made.
Maschmeyer is not entirely blameless for Ottawa’s spot outside of the playoff picture, but goaltending has also not really been Ottawa’s biggest issue. The offense has had moments — such as an eight-goal burst against Minnesota on Feb. 13 — but is still the worst in the league with only 2.2 goals per game. The team also gives up a ton of high-danger chances right on the doorstep or from the inner slot.
Maschmeyer has done well enough with that kind of workload, even becoming the first PWHL goalie to make 1,000 career saves last week before sustaining her lower-body injury against Minnesota.
Now, Gwyneth Philips — a third-round pick in last year’s draft — will assume the No. 1 role in Maschmeyer’s absence. She’s had an OK rookie season with a 3-3-1-1 record, and has shown flashes of excellence with the U.S. National team, even nabbing the No. 2 spot on the goalie depth chart for the 2025 women’s world championships.
“This is where we’re thrilled to have Gwyneth,” GM Mike Hirshfeld told The Ottawa Citizen. “It’s exactly why we drafted her, to have to cover in this situation. We feel that she’s capable of stepping in and playing at a very high level.”
It shouldn’t be a huge task for Philips to step in and perform for the Charge. There’s also a chance she might post better results than Maschmeyer had over the last few weeks – especially if the Charge lock in defensively in front of their rookie goalie.
With no offensive reinforcements coming in, the most likely chance Ottawa has at making the playoffs is Philips leading the way.
6. New York (5-4-4-10)
Previous Rank: 3
Previous Record: 4-3-2-5
Big question: Can New York turn things around?
The bar is pretty low for the Sirens after a nine-game losing streak. No other team in PWHL history has lost seven straight games, but New York has now done it twice over the last two seasons.
The Sirens finally got back in the win column, with a 3-2 win over the No. 1 Victoire last week and an impressive 4-1 victory over the Frost in front of a packed Little Caesars Arena crowd on Sunday night. Could this be the start of a positive stretch for New York?
With a string of three-point regulation wins they could make things interesting. New York does have the league’s points leader in Sarah Fillier, Alex Carpenter back in the lineup, and an elite goalie in Corinne Schroeder who has been better in recent weeks.
None of that means a run to the playoffs is realistic. The Sirens’ playoff odds currently sit at 3 percent after struggling through the last two months. But simply climbing out of the basement of the standings would be a solid start. And there is a legit opportunity for the Sirens to climb up to fifth place with two of their next three games against Ottawa, who will be without Maschmeyer.
All that being said, after a nine-game losing streak, it is going to take more than just two wins to be anywhere but last in the rankings.
(Photo of Marie-Philip Poulin: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
