The PWHL is set to resume action with four games on December 16 and 17, including the league’s first Takeover Tour stop of the season.
With no further international stoppages until the 2026 Olympic break in February, the league is set to enter their longest uninterrupted stretch of the season until after the Olympics.
Advertisement
Boston sits comfortably atop the PWHL standings, but with 10 days to refocus their on-ice plans, the rest of the league will be taking aim at stringing together wins.
Here’s a look at five storylines to follow as the PWHL resumes their schedule.
1. Can the Boston Fleet continue to sizzle?
No team shocked the league more than the undefeated Boston Fleet. Kris Sparre deserves immense praise for the style and system he implemented to Boston despite their loss of skill this offseason. If anything, with talent spread more thinly across lineups in the league following expansion, teams might mimic Boston’s balanced approach where it’s nearly impossible from night to night to guess which line Sparre and the Fleet believe is their top unit. They separated the most skilled forwards remaining and sprinkled them across four lines, and Boston has played with that approach, to great success. The only spot that hasn’t occurred in Boston is in net with Aerin Frankel, and their reliance on their top pairing on the back end in Megan Keller and Haley Winn. An injury to any of those players would be catastrophic to Boston’s approach. But coaches across the league are monitoring Boston closely and could try to recreate their magic.
Advertisement
2. Will the expansion teams finally hit their stride?
It wasn’t the torrid start most predicted for the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent. Now with extra time under their belts training and getting up to game speed as a unit, things might be different. Vancouver and Seattle both headed into the international break with wins, and their opponents will hope they remain asleep, but sooner or later, that won’t happen. There’s just too much talent on both rosters for a season of struggles. When these teams hit their stride, it will spell trouble. Right now it’s a matter of chemistry in both markets.
3. The injury bug is starting to play a role
There are a number of players across the PWHL who have yet to get into the 2025-26 PWHL season, or who have already been knocked out of the schedule due to injuries. In Toronto, star Daryl Watts was hurt, but then returned. She was one of the lucky ones as others including Jade Downie-Landry, Nina Jobst-Smith, Dayle Ross, Lina Ljungblom, Sarah Nurse, Sanni Ahola and Gabbie Hughes have joined the injured list, or been there since day one. Roster management due to injuries is going to become a factor for PWHL teams which could result in roster movement between teams, teams plucking reserves from elsewhere, or future trades. Looking at the international stage, national programs will be watching these injuries closely as the Olympic Games approach. Fans and the league will hope players get healthy soon, and that future injuries are minimized.
Advertisement
4. It’s Takeover Time
One of the first games back on the PWHL schedule is the league’s first Takeover Tour game of the season in front of a sold out crowd in Halifax. For fans, it’s the first opportunity to begin speculating on where the league will target their next expansion. After Halifax on the 17th, where more than 11,000 fans are expected, the league will shift to their first American stop on the tour in Chicago, where the league has recently opened a small portion of the upper deck at Allstate Arena after nearly filling the lower bowl on the 21st. The tour is crucial for the league’s financial success, and future expansion, and all eyes will be watching the response in Halifax, Chicago, and then Edmonton on the 27th.
5. Reviewing The Reviews
The stoppages in play were a topic of debate across the PWHL among not only fans, but team officials as well. No one was happy with the level of officiating or review process in the league’s first 16 games. Did the league spend the 10 day international break reviewing their procedures and focusing on improvement? One can hope. In the Central Situation Room, the PWHL was training a new trio of hires on the fly after dismissing the three experienced staff who held the role on days before the season opened. The impact of officiating, both on and off the ice, on the result of PWHL games and the level of fan enjoyment are two storylines worth watching.
The PWHL regular season resumes with Ottawa facing Vancouver December 16, followed by six of the league’s eight teams in action December 17.
