Looking at Ottawa Charge's Training Camp Roster

We finally have some details about training camps!

The Charge finalized their training camp roster last week after the PWHL announced that teams will open their training camps on Nov. 12. Teams were required to send in final rosters by Oct. 10.

Ottawa will start their training camp at TD Place on the 12th before traveling to Montréal for the PWHL Mini-Camp on Nov. 19-22. The Charge will take on the Victoire and the Fleet in scrimmages at the camp.

Team rosters must be finalized by Nov. 27 and can include 23 players and three reserve players. The Charge will have to narrow their roster down from the 29 players they've invited to their training camp.

Of the invitees, 21 of them have been signed to contracts for the upcoming season. The camp also features 16 players who played on the Charge last season.

Camp invitees Mannon McMahon (Forward), Stephanie Markowski (Defense), and Madeline Wethington (Defense) were drafted by Ottawa but have gone unsigned.

Alexandra Lehmann (Goaltender), Samantha Isbell (Defense), Jessica Adolfsson (Defense), Audrey-Anne Veillette (Forward), and Taylor House (Forward) join the camp as undrafted camp invites.

So, how will these players fit in with Ottawa's roster?

It's pretty easy to assume that Alexandra Lehmann won't join the team. The Charge has already signed Maschmeyer, Philips, and Angers to contracts for the 2024-25 season. At just 24 years old, she may make a strong impression and find a spot next season or with another team down the line.

Samantha Isbell leads the way for the unsigned defenders. Isbell joined Ottawa part-way through last season after playing three games with the Boston Fleet. Although she was signed as a forward, Isbell supported the team on the blue line last season after a number of players were out with injuries. Her previous connection to the team and strong numbers with the Montréal Force of the PHF give her a good chance at making the team this year.

2024 draft picks Markowski (20th overall) and Wethington (38th overall) both come into camp after strong NCAA seasons.

Markowski played four years at Clarkson University before finishing her final year of eligibility at Ohio State. While with Clarkson, she led the team in blocked shots. She also won a U-18 gold medal with Team Canada before being named to the 2022-23 development team and the development camp in 2023.

Wethington played all five years of her collegiate career at the University of Minnesota. She leaves the program tied with the record for most games played as a Gopher and 100 points. Wethington also won 3 U-18 gold medals with Team USA.

Not to be left out of the conversation is Adolfsson, a Swedish defender who has started the season with HV71 in the SDHL. With five seasons in the SDHL and a trip to the Olympic Games in 2022, Adolfsson would be a strong addition to any team's blueline.

With four lines worth of forwards already signed going into 2024-25, it'll be up to the unsigned forwards at camp to try and crack the roster or earn a reserve player contract.

A player with reserve contract experience is Audrey-Anne Veillette, who joined Ottawa in March to finish off the season. After missing out on last season due to injury, Ottawa still kept their faith in the forward and has supported her through her rehabilitation. As a senior at the University of Montréal, Veillette put up 26 goals in 22 games. She also competed for Team Canada at the U-18 World Junior Championships, taking home bronze and silver.

Former PHF forward Taylor House will look to make the jump to the PWHL from the SDHL. House joined MoDo after the PHF folded where she put up 17 points and took home second in the championship. Her physicality is something that Ottawa could definitely use and would fit in well in the PWHL.

Both will have to contend with UMD captain Mannon McMahon, who brings an impressive NCAA career to the table at just 23 years old. Voted Most Outstanding Female Athlete at UMD, McMahon set the program record with 173 consecutive games played, never missing a single game during her five seasons. No one from McMahon's round in the draft has been signed, save for Kayla Osbourne in New York, so it's possible that we'll see these players join as reserve players in their first PWHL seasons.

Ultimately, Ottawa looks strong going into training camp, even after losing some big names like Daryl Watts. Size and physicality should be at the top of their list for things to focus on, especially after getting pushed around a bit last season by grittier teams.

Training camp scrimmages will not be televised but stats will be available online.