Looking At PWHL Ottawa's Offseason Positional Upgrades

The PWHL offseason has expectedly slowed to a crawl after an initial signing period which saw many teams re-signing their own players, with others finding new homes.

From Ottawa’s perspective, they went into this offseason with clear goals: become bigger, stronger and more difficult to play against in all three zones. They’ve signed a few of their own players, including Shiann Darkangelo, Aneta Tejralová, and sixth round draft pick Anna Meixner, along with newcomers Rebecca Leslie, who played last season with Toronto, Alexa Vasko, who also played with Toronto last season and goaltender Logan Angers, who played last season with Quinnipiac.

Let’s evaluate the team, position by position, and contrast it to their inaugural season. Also included will be projected totals for next season based off last year’s totals.

Goaltending

Last season: 8-1-6-9, 2.51 GAA, .909 SV%

Emerance Maschmeyer will now have 2024 draft pick Gwyneth Philips as her backup, with recent addition Logan Angers also being signed.

Maschmeyer played all but one game (and part of one period) this past season and while she performed admirably, amassing a 2.30 GAA and a .915 SV%, she did show signs of fatigue by the end of the season. That wasn’t entirely on her, as the defense showed many holes and their depth was tested. Adding the likes of Philips, drafted 14th overall, who finished last season with Northeastern University with a 1.17 GAA and a .955 SV%, the backup role is elevated significantly over Sandra Abstreiter, who finished with a 3.08 GAA and a .913 SV%. The six-foot Angers finished with a 1.88 GAA and a .934 SV%.

Player to watch: Gwyneth Philips

Defence

Last season: 41 points (including Boulier)

The most glaring hole for Ottawa was on defence and depth was tested after Zoe Boyd went down with an injury and Amanda Boulier was traded to Montreal. Heading into this year’s draft, a clear focus was put on defence and becoming more difficult to play against. They accomplished both of those things, selecting Ronja Savolainen (8th overall), Stephanie Markowski (20th overall) and Madeline Wethington (38th overall). Those three combine for an average height of 5-foot-8, helping to bring Ottawa’s backend up from an average of 5-foot-5 last season (including Boulier) to an average of 5-foot-6 this season. That inch in difference may not sound like much, but when you combine it with more grit, speed and physicality, Ottawa will be a much better team defensively, but also creating offence from the blueline, as their three newest additions combined for 80 points last season. Lastly, their approach to the draft allows now for better slotting; meaning that a player like Jincy Roese can slot into a much more effective bottom pairing role and creates a very strong top four of Savannah Harmon, Tejralová, Savolainen and Ashton Bell.

Player to watch: Savolainen is an easy choice here but keep an eye on Stephanie Markowski.

Forwards

Last season: 129 points (including Adzija, Grant-Mentis)

Let’s not bury the lead: losing the offensive talent that is Daryl Watts isn’t an easy pill to swallow, but what they’ll miss from Watts, they’ll make up for in a more well balanced forward group. Returning players include Brianne Jenner, Katerina Mrázová, Emily Clark, Gabbie Hughes, Tereza Vanišová, Hayley Scamurra, and Natalie Snodgrass, along with 2024 sixth round draft pick Anna Meixner. One issue the forward group had last season was finding consistency in driving to the net, creating the majority of their shots from the outside with few second chance opportunities. With the addition of Danielle Serdachny, along with Hughes and Scamurra, the forward group is now much more physical and difficult to play against. Layer in the likes of Mannon McMahon, drafted 26th overall who has produced very well over the years and never missed a game during her collegiate career, along with the aforementioned Meixner, the forward group is more well balanced, better at protecting the puck in the offensive zone, as well as stronger defensively. Their centre depth is also now significantly upgraded, with the likes of Serdachny, Mrázová, Hughes and Snodgrass down the middle, setting them up to start with the puck more often and leading to stronger offensive chances.

Player to watch: Serdachny is the obvious pick, but keep an eye on McMahon.

Ottawa’s approach to this offseason showcased just how much they learned about the league in season one, with the added physicality, and took note of what made teams successful in the playoffs. They addressed their needs and will be a very different team heading into season two of the PWHL.