The PWHL just ended their second season by awarding the Walter Cup to the Minnesota Frost, who remain the only team in PWHL existence to win the Walter Cup. They wrote another item in the history books as the first team to win back-to-back. While the Frost will be celebrating for some time, it’s going to be different than their first win as the PWHL is expanding and the two new teams will start building their rosters in a few days.
The protected list comes out on Tuesday, June 3, and teams are able to start signing players on Wednesday, June 4th, until Sunday, June 8th, with the Expansion Draft on June 9th. Both Seattle and Vancouver, who have yet to release team names, will begin signing and drafting players this week, and that means every team in the league, including the Frost, will no longer be the same.
Each team is only allowed to protect three players at first, but after they lose two players, they can protect another. It is important to note that each team can only lose a total of four players throughout both expansion processes. Players who are under contract for next season or have their rights held by a team for next season are the only ones eligible for protection.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the three players the Ottawa Charge should and likely will protect. They have a lot of great names, and they’re going to lose some strong pieces, but choices have to be made. They have to choose from Ashton Bell, Emily Clark, Gabbie Hughes, Brianne Jenner, Jocelyne Larocque, Stephanie Markowski, Emerance Maschmeyer, Mannon McMahon, Anna Meixner, Kateřina Mrázová, Gwyneth Philips, Ronja Savolainen, Danielle Serdachny, Aneta Tejralová, and Madeline Wethington.
Philips Proved Herself
It’s hard to pick one goaltender over the other, but when Maschmeyer was injured back in March, Philips stepped up and filled the void. She was good enough to help the Charge get into the postseason for the first time, and she helped them get past the Montréal Victoire in the PWHL semi-finals. Although the Charge lost to the Frost, Philips was solid and earned the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award.
She played in 15 games throughout the regular season and had a record of 8-5-1. Despite being a rookie goaltender, she didn’t show any sign of nerves. The Charge are a very strong team with a bright future, and although this expansion process is going to change the team, just like every other team in the league, they need a solid goaltender to help them win the close games.
If a team can fully trust their goaltender in between the pipes, they can focus on playing their style of game and not having to worry about their goaltender. The Frost have shown what success they can have when their goaltenders get hot, and while the Charge can’t protect both, Philips is a great start to having a solid tandem, and she’s only 24 years old, plus she was able to stay healthy.
Savolainen Has Strong Future
While Savolainen may not be quite experienced enough to lead the defense for the Charge, she had a great first PWHL season and has a solid future ahead of her. Just like a great goaltender, having a sound defense is something every team needs, and Savolainen should be a part of that for the Charge. She is a bit older for her first season at 28, but that means she also has experience that can be valuable.
She played in 28 games for the Charge in the regular season, and she scored two goals, plus assisted on nine others, for 11 points total. In the postseason, she added one more assist in the eight games the Charge played, and it was in their series against the Victoire. Despite being a defender, she proved she can contribute offense when needed, even in the playoffs.
She has a big shot that can beat goaltenders and will likely be using it more and more. She has some areas to improve on the defensive side, like positioning, but she has good instincts, especially in the offensive zone. The rest will come with time, and the Charge should give her a chance to prove it.
Clark Showed Up
This one was a difficult choice because it was between two leaders, but Clark made herself known both in the regular season and the playoffs. She was a menace against the Frost in the PWHL Finals, and although her team didn’t come out on top, she was one of the biggest reasons they had a chance.
She took a big step from her first to second season, and although it wasn’t a huge difference in points, her play was noticeable. In her first season, she scored four goals and recorded 11 assists for 15 points in 24 games. This season, she tallied nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, a four-point increase in 30 games. However, the stat to pay attention to is her improvement in goals; she scored five more from her first to her second season.
Those goals came because she pushed harder, and it showed in her shot totals as well, which jumped from 74 to 87, something all players need to work at. She continued that in the postseason as well, where she had 26 shots in eight games played. She tallied three goals and two assists for five points in those eight games, which are very respectable numbers and something the Charge need in their lineup if they plan to get back to the postseason.
Hughes Over Jenner for Fourth
Another hard choice to make, but if Hughes and Jenner are available after two players are chosen, Hughes should be protected. It was a hard choice to make because Jenner is a valuable asset as a captain with a lot of experience and points, but her numbers did drop slightly. Hughes improved from 12 points in her first season to 16 in her second, while Jenner dropped from 20 to 15 despite having more games to produce.
In the postseason, they were even with three points apiece. Jenner recorded two goals and an assist, while Hughes tallied three assists. The regular season points are a factor, but so is the age difference. Jenner is 34 years old, while Hughes will turn 26, and again, both young numbers outside of the sports world, but when it comes to sports, 34 is getting older.
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Hughes has a lot of potential, and while Jenner may as well, Hughes has proven herself and could be a leader as she has learned from everyone on the team. It’s not easy to let go of a captain who became one of the faces of the franchise, but the Charge may have to do so to keep the future youth for their roster.
PWHL is Expanding
With just two seasons under their belts, the PWHL has decided to expand, and while it’s going to be hard on every team to lose valuable fan favorites and assets, it’s good for the league. The only way the game can continue to grow is by adding more teams and more fan bases. After the expansion process is over, the next event will be the PWHL Entry Draft at the end of June, where all teams will be able to build their rosters for the future.
