2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 1 (11/29-12/05)
It's finally time for PWHL Power Rankings: The Sequel!
Welcome back to The Ice Garden’s weekly power rankings! Check back every Friday for a new installment and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely, totally, 100% because we hate them.
After a long offseason, the PWHL returned last week, which means it’s finally time for more power rankings! There’s not a whole lot to say here today since each team has only played two games, so the rankings are largely the same as the standings. That’s not likely to change anytime soon either since it’s a light week ahead before the league takes a break for the Six Nations tournament, which takes place December 11–15 in Finland. But, as the season wears on, things will surely get more fun.
The return of the power rankings also means the return of my weekly chance to make dumb jokes and pop culture references. Since this is season two, I figured what better way to start than with comparing each team to a movie sequel? Admittedly, I did not have a ton of options to choose from since I'm not overly adventurous in my movie-watching, but I hope you still enjoy.
#1. New York Sirens (1-1-0-0, 5 points)
Last Week’s Results:
- Sun, Dec 1 @ MIN- 4-3 OTW
- Wed, Dec 4 @ MTL- 4-1 W
This Week’s Schedule:
- Sun, Dec 8 @ BOS- 4 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (MSGSN2, NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Sequel: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
I love Marvel, and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of my favorites. The first one is great and laid the groundwork for what was to come, and then the second movie upped the fun factor and gave us the show-stealing Baby Groot. Things were a little different in New York, with a messy season leading to little fun and a last place finish. However, it did secure them the first-overall pick, which they used to draft the show-stealing Sarah Fillier and lay the groundwork for a bright future. It’s early, but as Jeff Lynne sings in the opening scene of Guardians 2, it looks like “it’s stopped rainin’/everybody’s in play/and don’t you know?/it’s a beautiful new day/hey!”
A new coach and several talented new faces later, the Sirens have taken the #1 spot in the power rankings for the first time ever. They look like a very different team than they were last year and in all good ways. It’s way too early to tell if they’re different enough to make playoffs, but right now, they’re a lot of fun to watch. Corinne Schroeder remains brilliant, and the skaters seem to be gelling together a lot better. If they can keep building on these early wins, they have the potential to make some serious noise this year.
#2. Minnesota Frost (1-0-1-0, 4 points)
Last Week’s Results:
- Sun, Dec 1 vs NYC- 4-3 OTL
- Wed, Dec 4 @ BOS- 2-1 W
This Week’s Schedule:
- Sat, Dec 7 @ TOR- 2 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Sequel: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
In Catching Fire, we find Katniss and Peeta trying to have a normal life after winning their Hunger Games. However, their defiant act with the poisonous berries incited rebellions in several districts, and during their victory tour, they were warned to do what they could to quell the unrest, or the consequences would be severe. Likewise, Minnesota’s offseason started with them firing then-GM Natalie Darwitz, which was soon followed by rumors of a rift between her and head coach Ken Klee, who captain Kendall Coyne Schofield sided with. This led to a barrage of other negative rumors (which you can read about via the previous link) that marred what should have been a celebratory offseason after they captured the inaugural Walter Cup. Now, Klee and Coyne Schofield must do what they can to ensure the team leaves all of that in the past. So far, the results have been promising, but if they can’t keep it together, the consequences will not be pretty.
The Frost have had a solid start to the season. They didn’t get the result they deserved in Game 1 against the Sirens, but they turned things around and handily beat the Fleet in their second game of the week. After such a rocky offseason, there were questions over how well they’d start this season, but so far, so good. Now, let’s see if they can keep it up.
#3. Toronto Sceptres (1-0-0-1, 3 points)
Last Week’s Results:
- Sat, Nov 30 vs BOS- 3-1 W
- Tue, Dec 3 @ OTT- 3-2 L
This Week’s Schedule:
- Sat, Dec 7 vs MIN- 2 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Sequel: Men in Black 2
Men in Black 2 finds Agent J neuralizing new partners left and right and insisting he is fine without one. However, when the alien Serleena returns to Earth searching for the Light of Zartha, J has to track former Agent K down, restore his memories, and bring him out of retirement since he’s their only hope of victory. Just like J was fine on his own with smaller problems, the Sceptres are off to a fine start without reigning PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner, who is still recovering from a knee injury suffered last playoffs. However, there’s no denying that Spooner’s return will make them better. Their offense is much less dynamic without her, and they need her if they want to go far, just like J needs a capable partner to handle anything worse than Jeff the Worm in the subway.
I know that it’s odd for me to have the Sceptres ranked above the Charge in a week where results mattered a lot and the Charge defeated the Sceptres. However, I think what we saw from the Sceptres was more impressive than what we saw from the Charge. Like I said, they’re missing Spooner, which forces other players to step up and fill that big void. So far, they’re doing that, with four different players scoring their five goals. The team is showing a lot more balance and depth early, and as long as Spooner comes back even half as good as she was last season, the Sceptres should be a scary team.
#4. Ottawa Charge (1-0-1-0, 4 points)
Last Week’s Results:
This Week’s Schedule:
- Fri, Dec 6 vs MTL- 7 p.m. ET, Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, ON (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Sequel: Shrek 2
There are few things made for kids that can get away with a scene as unhinged as this one. However, the Shrek franchise features just the right kind of chaos that allows it to stuff its movies full of not-exactly-kid-friendly jokes that fly over their heads but delight parents. It’s a big reason why it’s the second-most successful animated franchise of all time. Likewise, Carla MacLeod has her Charge bring a kind of chaos (especially offensively) that shouldn’t be successful, but it is. One wonders how long they can keep getting away with it, but they’re not showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon, so enjoy the ride.
It’s perhaps unfair of me to rank the Charge so low. However, as I mentioned in the Sceptres paragraphs, what Toronto has done is a bit more impressive for now considering the circumstances. The Charge still managed to have a great opening week, and they look improved from last season. I’m still not convinced they did enough to make it into the playoffs by the end of the year, but if they can keep building on this strong start, they could easily prove me wrong.
#5. Montréal Victoire (0-1-0-1, 2 points)
Last Week’s Results:
- Sat, Nov 30 vs OTT- 4-3 SOW
- Wed, Dec 4 vs NYC- 4-1 L
This Week’s Schedule:
- Fri, Dec 6 @ OTT- 7 p.m. ET, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Sequel: Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is an excellent movie that features a little something for everyone. However, after opening strong, the focus turns to setting the emotional stage once Jake and Neytiri leave the Omatikaya to seek refuge with the Metkayina clan, so the pacing slows considerably That said, it was never dull, and the stage setting paid off in a big way as the action started coming back and the movie built to its climax. Similarly, the Victoire are (theoretically) a very complete team, but they have had a slow start to the season results-wise. They’re still a good team, and there’s little doubt they will eventually be a great one. But, they need to gel a little more first. Once they do, the payoff should be massive.
If you told me last week that I’d have the Victoire so low in the rankings, I would’ve been shocked. However, they simply didn’t get the results they needed this week. Game 1 was a good comeback win against Ottawa, but they only got two points since it went to a shootout. Then, they played a flat game against the Sirens. There’s little doubt in my mind that they’ll turn it around relatively soon, but for now, there’s work to do.
#6. Boston Fleet (0-0-0-2, 0 points)
Last Week’s Results:
This Week’s Schedule:
- Sun, Dec 8 vs NYC- 4 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, MSGSN2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Sequel: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, specifically Frodo and Sam’s storyline.
Frodo and Sam had an utterly miserable time in The Two Towers. After breaking away from the rest of the Fellowship, little went right for them. They encountered challenge after challenge en route to Mordor and for a while, it didn’t look like they woud make it. However, as we find out in The Return of the King, they finally do, and with a little accidental help from Gollum, the ring is destroyed. Similarly, the Fleet are not having fun right now. In a continuation from last season, they’re struggling mightily with generating offense and bringing a full 60-minute effort. It’s difficult to say if they’ll be able to figure it out in time to complete their playoff quest, or if they’ll be left wandering lost in miserable lands all season.
It’s only been two games, but the vibes are not great in Boston. The same struggles that cost them the Walter Cup last season are plaguing them again despite several new faces and a resurgent Hilary Knight. They’re not playing hard for a full game and they can’t generate any sort of offense consistently. Those aren’t winning strategies. There is plenty of time for them to turn things around, but they have to start figuring it out quickly. The PWHL is too competitive for a team to survive losing a lot games in a row, especially in regulation.
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