The 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) regular season kicks off this Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2 pm, with the Toronto Sceptres facing off against the Boston Fleet at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum. This game is particularly important for the Sceptres to assert themselves as strong contenders in the league this season after suffering a disappointing first-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Frost back in May.
Although the PWHL was just launched earlier this year, the first season received a lot of attention, and the league’s second season is expected to attract even more buzz now that the teams officially have names and logos, and — as with the first season — there’ll be a ton of talent to look out for. In addition to the Toronto Sceptres and the Boston Fleet, the league consists of the Minnesota Frost, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, and Ottawa Charge. This season, each team will play a total of 30 games (about six more games compared to the first season).
Torontonians seem pumped for the Sceptres gearing up for season 2. Here’s what to expect this upcoming season:
Roster updates
As of publication, the PWHL hasn’t published the Toronto Sceptres roster for the 2024-25 regular season, but we know that returning forward Natalie Spooner, who was named the Billie Jean King MVP and Forward of the Year at the PWHL Awards in season 1, remains on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). She was originally placed on LTIR in mid-May after sustaining a knee injury during the third period of Game 3 in Toronto’s semi-final PWHL playoffs series against Minnesota. So far, there’s no timeline for her return. Last season, she scored the most points (27) and goals (20) compared to any other player on the team, so this could potentially negatively affect the team or be an opportunity for other forwards to step up.
Rookie defender Megan Carter, who signed a two-year Standard Player Agreement in June, after being drafted in the second round, 12th overall, in the 2024 PWHL Draft, has also been placed on the LTIR with a lower-body injury.
The Toronto Sceptres announce roster updates at the opening of the 2024-25 Training Camp
– Natalie Spooner is remaining on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)
– Megan Carter has been placed on LTIR📰 https://t.co/TWFuxqFCGv pic.twitter.com/gQBPqLbnWZ
— Toronto Sceptres (@PWHL_Toronto) November 13, 2024
Following last year’s roster, the Sceptres so far have four signed defenders — Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque, Allie Munroe, and Kali Flanagan. Last season, forward Sarah Nurse (23 points, 11 goals), forward Emma Maltais (19 points, 4 goals), forward Hannah Miller (14 points, 7 goals), and defenseman Renata Fast (14 points, 3 goals) were the top scorers on the team, highlighting the team’s strong offensive play. They’re listed in the pre-season roster, so will likely play a major role heading into the new regular season.
Also expect to see Daryl Watts, previously with the Ottawa Charge, who signed a two-year contract with the Sceptres over the summer, as well as forward Emma Woods from New York.
2024-25 Pre-Season
The Sceptres recorded a few losses in their mini-camp scrimmages, losing 5-2 to the New York Sirens and 3-1 to the Minnesota Frost last week. After their loss to the Sirens, the Sceptres’ head coach Troy Ryan commented on the team’s performance and where they need to focus their efforts on before the season begins:
“A big part of it is decision-making. Some of the decisions we made were probably a little bit out of character – it could come with nerves too, just feeling the pressure of this situation and trying to do a little bit more than you’re capable of doing at this point in the season. Just settling in and making simple little plays probably gives you a benefit, like not trying to force plays in a 1-on-5 situation. It’s uncharacteristic of the group as I know it, so they’ll be better for sure,” Ryan stated.
During the Minnesota game, eight Sceptres’ players got their first taste of PWHL action, including signed rookies Izzy Daniel, Julia Gosling, and Raygan Kirk, draft picks Lauren Bernard, Noemi Neubauerová, and Anneke Rankila, and camp invites Laura Kluge and Rylind MacKinnon.
Upcoming home games to look out for
Apart from Saturday’s game, before the end of the year, fans can look out for home games against Minnesota (Dec 7), Montreal (Dec 21), Boston (Dec 27), and a special New Year’s Eve game against the Ottawa Charge on Dec 31!
Click here for the Septres’ full season schedule.
