PWHL Releases Training Camp Rosters
PWHL training camp rosters have been announced, with a few surprises and notable omissions.
With just over a month before players report to their respective cities, the PWHL and its teams released training camp rosters. For the most part, camp rosters are as expected, with the majority of spots filled by players who have already signed and most of the remaining spots taken by either players who skated last season with the team or unsigned 2024 draft picks.
View full camp rosters by clicking below, and stay tuned to The Ice Garden next week for breakdowns of each team!
Boston | Minnesota | Montreal | New York | Ottawa | Toronto
Notable Camp Invites & Attendees
There are still a few notable camp invites that should keep things intriguing, such as Jillian Dempsey in Boston. When it comes to non-national team players, Dempsey is Boston hockey, so it's nice to see her get an invite for a potential spot back in her hometown. Dempsey spent last season with Montréal, but previously captained the NWHL/PHF's Boston Pride for six seasons and played four seasons in Boston before that, between the CWHL's Blades and the Pride. She also went to Harvard and The Rivers School and is a Waltham native, so truly, Boston through and through.
German national team mainstay Laura Kluge has been invited to the Toronto Sceptres' camp and would be a phenomenal addition to the team's forward group. She recorded five points (2-3) in six games at Worlds last year and has represented her country on the international stage a number of times. She also recorded 18 points in just 10 games for ECDC Memmingen last season.
Klára Peslarová also earned an invite to the Fleet's camp. Peslarová is Czechia's top netminder on the international stage, and she played big minutes - over 1200 - for Brynäs in the SDHL last season. She'll be one of four goaltenders at Boston's camp, alongside signed Aerin Frankel and Emma Söderberg, and Cami Kronish. Kronish was on Boston's roster last season, but did not see any action.
In Minnesota, goaltender Lucy Morgan is one to keep an eye on. The former Golden Gophers netminder posted an impressive 1.65 GAA and .931 save percentage in 20 NCAA games last season, her first with Minnesota after four years at St. Lawrence. She had an impressive collegiate career, finishing with a 1.94 GAA and 3,099 saves over five seasons, and looks to compete for the Frost's third goaltender slot.
Keeping with the goaltending theme, we can't forget Sandra Abstreiter. She played in three games last season with Ottawa, and comes into Montréal's camp as one of five netminders. The Victoire already have Elaine Chuli and Ann-Renée Desbiens signed, but Abstreiter will compete for the third spot alongside Marlène Boissonnault and Tricia Deguire.
Sarah Fillier has yet to sign with the New York Sirens, but she does appear on their camp roster, a sign of hope for the first-overall draft pick's future in the city.
Notable Omissions
While there are definitely some interesting camp invites, there are also a few notable players who don't appear on any training camp roster. At this point, without any official announcement from the players themselves, we can't say what the future holds for them.
Kaleigh Fratkin and Ann-Sophie Bettez are perhaps the most notable omissions, though there are a handful of players from last season who are not on training camp rosters.
Fratkin, 32, skated in 24 games with PWHL Boston last season. She spent the prior six seasons with the NWHL/PHF's Boston Pride, including four years as an alternate captain.
She is truly a piece of women's hockey history in the Boston area, having also played with the CWHL's Blades and for Boston University. (Let's not forget her time with the NWHL's Connecticut Whale and New York Riveters either!) She's appeared in 184 pro games (CWHL, NWHL/PHF, PWHL) and recorded 97 points and 238 penalty minutes.
Bettez, 36, recorded five points in 15 games last season with PWHL Montréal, but like Fratkin or Dempsey in Boston, has long been a storied part of the city's women's hockey history. From spending years at McGill to playing in the CWHL for the Stars and Canadiennes, captaining the PHF's Force, skating for the PWHPA and the PWHL. According to data from EliteProspects, Bettez has appeared in 219 pro games and recorded 306 points.
Amanda Kessel does not appear on a PWHL training camp roster. This is perhaps not as surprising, considering her promotion to manager of minor league operations and assistant general manager by the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. She was drafted by the Victoire earlier this year.
Players report to training camps on Tuesday, November 12.
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