PWHL Power Rankings: Week 2 (01/08-01/14)

Welcome to The Ice Garden’s weekly PWHL power rankings! Check back for new installments every Monday and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely because we hate them.

There was a lot of movement in this week’s power rankings, which is to be expected this early in the season. Overall record mattered less this week as we’re starting to get a better idea of each team’s true skill, but it still factored in when I needed a tiebreaker. Expect there to continue to be a lot of movement over the next couple of weeks as teams continue to settle in. Keep an eye on Boston and Ottawa in particular, who have only played two games to everyone else’s four.

For this week’s theme, I'll be listing the homegrown players for each team, because who doesn’t love a good hometown hero? In this article, homegrown means the player is from the state or province their team is located in. To begin, here's a fun fact: Ottawa has a player from Toronto, and Toronto has players from Ottawa, but neither team has a player from their city. Now, without further ado, let’s rank those teams!

Note: team records are now written to better match how appear on the PWHL website, with some slight modifications. The order is: regulation wins-overtime/shootout wins-regulation losses-overtime/shootout losses.

#1: Minnesota (3-0-0-1, 10 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: #1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Weds, Jan 10 vs TOR- 3-1 W
• Sun, Jan 14 vs NYC- 3-2 OTL

Upcoming Schedule:

• Weds, Jan 17 @ OTT- 7 p.m. EST, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (Bally Sports North Extra, PWHL Youtube Channel, TSN+)

Homegrown Players (13):

• Claire Butorac (Andover, MN)
• Sydney Brodt (North Oaks, MN)
• Sophia Kunin (Wayzata, MN)
• Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, MN)
• Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, MN)
• Liz Schepers (Mound, MN)
• Taylor Heise (Lake City, MN)
• Lee Stecklein (Roseville, MN)
• Nikki Nightengale (Bloomington, MN)
• Maggie Flaherty (Lakeville, MN)
• Amanda Leveille (New Hope, MN)
• Lauren Bench (Eagan, MN)
• Maddie Rooney (Andover, MN)

Man, is this Minnesota team fun to watch. However, compared to last week, they took a minor step back this week. In fact, they nearly ceded the #1 spot to Montréal. They didn’t beat a struggling Toronto team as soundly as many might have expected, and then they lost in overtime to an up-and-down New York squad, largely thanks to a lights-out performance from NY’s Corinne Schroeder. But, they did go 3-0 to start the season and beat some good teams, including Montréal last week, so they get the edge for now. They’re playing well and silencing the doubters (myself included) with this hot start. Ottawa will be a good test for them on Wednesday.

#2: Montréal (1-1-1-1, 6 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (+1)

This Week’s Results:

• Weds, Jan 10 @ NYC- 5-2 W
• Sat, Jan 13 vs BOS- 3-2 OTL

Upcoming Schedule:

• Tues, Jan 16 vs NYC- 7 p.m. EST, Place Bell, Montréal, QC (Sportsnet, MSGSN2, SN+, RDS2, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sat, Jan 20 vs TOR- 8 p.m. EST, Verdun Auditorium, Montréal, QC (GEM, TOU.TV, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Homegrown Players (9)

• Gabrielle David (Drummondville, QC)
• Sarah Lefort (Ormstown, QC)
• Ann-Sophie Bettez (Sept-Îles, QC)
• Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, QC)
• Catherine Dubious (Charlesbourg, QC)
• Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, QC)
• Catherine Daoust (Île Bizard, QC)
• Brigette Laganière (Montréal, QC)
• Ann-Renée Desbiens (Clermont, QC)

So far this season, Montréal is largely who we expected them to be: a deep, talented team that has a chance to win every single night. They kicked the week off by running over New York, who has shown flashes of being a great team, before taking Boston to overtime in one of the best games of the season so far. Had they won that game, they would’ve taken over the #1 spot this week, but since Minnesota has more wins overall, including one against Montréal, they got to keep it this week. But, there’s no reason to believe this team will slow down any time soon, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take over the #1 spot sometime soon.

#3: Boston (0-1-1-0, 2 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (+3)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 13 @ MTL- 3-2 OTW

Upcoming Schedule:

• Weds, Jan 17 @ TOR- 7 p.m. EST, Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, ON (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sat, Jan 20 vs NYC- 12:30 p.m. EST, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, MSG, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel, SN+)

Homegrown Players (1 from MA, but 3 if the definition of homegrown expands to all of New England, which isn't unusual when talking about a New England sports team):

• Sammy Davis (Pembroke, MA)
• Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, NH)
• Amanda Pelkey (Montpelier, VT)

Last week, I said don’t be surprised to see Boston shoot up the rankings this week, and here they are. After falling behind 2-0 off two quick second-period goals, Boston rallied to take down a scary Montréal team on the road in overtime. Despite a long break between games due to a postponement, Boston showed no signs of rust, and they picked up right where they left off against Minnesota, which is exactly what they needed to do. Sure, they’re still last in the standings, but they’ve only played two games, so that can be overlooked. They kept things close against top-ranked Minnesota despite a sloppy start, and beat #2 Montréal. I think that’s well-deserving of the #3 slot this week.

#4: New York (1-1-2-0, 4 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-2)

This Week’s Results:

• Weds, Jan 10 vs MTL- 5-1 L
• Sun, Jan 14 @ MIN- 3-2 OTW

Upcoming Schedule:

• Tues, Jan 16 @ MTL- 7 p.m. EST, Place Bell, Montréal, QC (MSGSN2, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel, SN+, RDS2)
• Sat, Jan 20 @ BOS- 12:30 p.m. EST, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (MSG, NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel, SN+)

Homegrown Players (2):

• Olivia Zafuto (Niagara Falls, NY)
• Abigail Levy (Congers, NY)

New York’s week was very Jekyl-and-Hyde. They lost badly to an admittedly excellent Montréal team on Tuesday before taking down formerly undefeated Minnesota in overtime yesterday. However, that win wasn’t enough to keep them in the top half of the rankings considering Boston beat Montréal this week, albeit in overtime. This is a fun team to watch, but they also seem to rely heavily on Schroeder, who recorded 39 saves–a PWHL record–in the OTW against Minnesota and was also in net for their win against Toronto last week. It’s something to keep an eye on going forward. This week will be a good test to see what this team is made of, as they face two of the top-ranked teams in Boston and Montréal.

#5: Ottawa (1-0-0-1, 3 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 13 @ TOR- 5-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Weds, Jan 17 vs MIN- 7 p.m. EST, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (Bally Sports North Extra, TSN+, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Homegrown Players (9):

• Daryl Watts (Toronto, ON)
• Mikyla Grant-Mentis (Brampton, ON)
• Brianne Jenner (Oakville, ON)
• Kristin Della Rovere (Caledon East, ON)
• Lexie Adzija (St. Thomas, ON)
• Zoe Boyd (Caledon East, ON)
• Victoria Howran (Bancroft, ON)
• Taylor Davison (Oakville, ON)
• Rachel McQuigge (Bowmanville, ON)

Another week, another unfair ranking for Ottawa. Originally, they were #4, but then New York took down undefeated Minnesota in overtime, which couldn’t be overlooked. Ottawa looked phenomenal in their one game this week, and they curb-stomped Toronto 5-1. However, Toronto appears to be the worst team in the league. As you will soon see, they’re ranked dead last this week, and for good reason. So, ultimately, Ottawa ends up fifth this week, but it’s a reluctant ranking given how well they’ve played. If they had any other games this week, they likely would’ve been higher. But, it shouldn’t be long before they start shooting up the rankings. They only have one game again this week, but it’s against Minnesota, which will be an excellent opportunity to prove themselves. It only took Boston one OTW against a great team to shoot up three spots, so Ottawa could easily see a similar jump if they pull off a win in any fashion.

#6: Toronto (1-0-3-0, 3 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-2)

This Week’s Results:

• Weds, Jan 10 @ MIN- 3-1 L
• Sat, Jan 13 vs OTT- 5-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Weds, Jan 17 vs BOS- 7 p.m. EST, Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, ON (TSN, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sat, Jan 20 @ MTL- 8 p.m. EST, Verdun Auditorium, Montréal, QC (GEM, TOU.TV, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Homegrown Players (10):

• Alexa Vasko (St. Catharines, ON)
• Samantha Cogan (Ottawa, ON)
• Rebecca Leslie (Ottawa, ON)
• Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, ON)
• Jess Jones (Picton, ON)
• Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, ON)
• Emma Maltais (Burlington, ON)
• Brittany Howard (St. Thomas, ON)
• Victoria Bach (Milton, ON)
• Renata Fast (Burlington, ON)
• Erica How (Orleans, ON)

Toronto is not off to a good start this season. Sure, they beat New York last week, but other than that, they have not looked good, and it’s not just one thing. Speed has been an issue, and their structure hasn’t been solid enough to cover it up. Kristen Campbell also hasn’t been bailing them out. She’s been fine and is hardly their biggest issue, but she has yet to play at top form. Toronto needs to do some soul-searching to figure things out soon, or it’ll be a long season.