PWHL_Ottawa
PWHL Ottawa
PWHL ice hockey team in Ottawa
Ottawa are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario. They are one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Ottawa plays its home games at TD Place Arena.
| PWHL Ottawa LPHF Ottawa (French) | |
|---|---|
| City | Ottawa, Ontario |
| League | PWHL |
| Founded | 29 August 2023 (2023-08-29) |
| Home arena | TD Place Arena |
| Colours | Red, white and storm |
| Owner(s) | Mark Walter Group |
| General manager | Michael Hirshfeld |
| Head coach | Carla MacLeod |
| Captain | Brianne Jenner |
| Website | ottawa.thepwhl.com |
 Current season | |
On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Ottawa.[1] Michael Hirshfeld, former executive director of the National Hockey League Coaches' Association, was named the team's general manager and TD Place Arena was announced as its home venue.[2][3] On September 15, Carla MacLeod, former member of the Canadian national team and the head coach of the Czech women's national team, was announced as the first head coach.[4]
Each PWHL team was permitted three signings during the free agency period ahead of the 2023 PWHL Draft. Ottawa signed the league's first three players when it agreed to terms with Canadian national team players Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner, and Emerance Maschmeyer on September 5, 2023.[5] Each of the three players signed a three-year deal with the team, through the 2025–26 season.[6] The team selected 15 players in the league draft held on September 18; with its first pick, Ottawa selected American Savannah Harmon.[7]
On October 17, the team announced that Haley Irwin and Cassea Schols would be assistant coaches and Pierre Groulx would be the team's goaltending coach.[8]
The team colours—and jerseys—were officially announced on November 14, 2023 as red, "storm", and white.[9]
Ahead of the start of the 2024 season, Ottawa announced that Jenner would serve as team captain, with Clark and Jincy Roese serving as assistant captains.[10] The first game in franchise history took place on January 2, 2024, when Ottawa hosted Montreal at TD Place Arena. With 8,318 fans in attendance, the game set a new record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game.[11] Hayley Scamurra scored the first goal in franchise history to give the hosts a 1–0 lead; however, Montreal went on to win the game in overtime by a score of 3–2.[11] Ottawa secured its first win in its second game, a 5–1 win in Toronto on January 13.[12] Its first win at home came on January 23, also against Toronto.[13]
Current roster
Reserves
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 |  |
Malia Schneider | F | R | 25 | 2024 | Millarville, Alberta |
| 95 | |
Audrey-Ann Veillette | F | R | 23 | 2024 | Drummondville, Quebec |
The 2023 PWHL Draft was held on September 18, 2023, using a "snake draft" format with the selection order reversing after each round.[17] Ottawa made the following selections:
| Rd | Pick | Player | Nationality | Position | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Savannah Harmon |  United States |
Defence | Team Harvey's (PWHPA) |
| 2 | 8 | Ashton Bell | Canada |
Defence | Minnesota Duluth (WCHA) |
| 3 | 17 | Jincy Roese | United States |
Defence | Team Adidas (PWHPA) |
| 4 | 20 | Gabbie Hughes | United States |
Forward | Minnesota Duluth (WCHA) |
| 5 | 29 | Hayley Scamurra | United States |
Forward | Team Harvey's (PWHPA) |
| 6 | 32 | Daryl Watts | Canada |
Forward | Toronto Six (PHF) |
| 7 | 41 | Aneta Tejralova |  Czech Republic |
Defence | Boston Pride (PHF) |
| 8 | 44 | Katerina Mrazova | Czech Republic |
Forward | Connecticut Whale (PHF) |
| 9 | 53 | Zoe Boyd | Canada |
Defence | Quinnipiac University (ECAC) |
| 10 | 56 | Kristin Della Rovere | Canada |
Forward | Harvard University (ECAC) |
| 11 | 65 | Lexie Adzija | Canada |
Forward | Quinnipiac University (ECAC) |
| 12 | 68 | Sandra Abstreiter |  Germany |
Goaltender | Connecticut Whale (PHF) |
| 13 | 77 | Amanda Boulier | United States |
Defence | Minnesota Whitecaps (PHF) |
| 14 | 80 | Caitrin Lonergan | United States |
Forward | Connecticut Whale (PHF) |
| 15 | 89 | Audrey-Anne Veillette | Canada |
Forward | Montreal (U Sports) |
- Wyshynski, Greg (August 29, 2023). "Six inaugural franchises revealed for new PWHL". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- Donkin, Karissa (November 16, 2023). "How PWHL Ottawa was built from scratch in less than 80 days". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- "Ottawa's pro women's hockey team to share TD Place Arena with junior 67's". Ottawa Citizen. September 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- "Carla MacLeod named head coach of Ottawa's PWHL team". CityNews. September 16, 2023. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- "Jenner, Clark, Maschmeyer become PWHL's first players after signing with Ottawa". Sportsnet. September 5, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- Kennedy, Ian (September 5, 2023). "Jenner, Maschmeyer, Clark Sign With PWHL Ottawa". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- Kennedy, Ian (September 18, 2023). "Savannah Harmon Chosen 5th Overall By Ottawa". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- Kennedy, Ian (October 17, 2023). "PWHL Ottawa Hires Assistant Coaches, Goalie Coach". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- Donkin, Karissa (December 29, 2023). "Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner named captains of PWHL Montreal, Ottawa". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- Brennan, Don (January 2, 2024). "A Night to Remember: Montreal scores OT win in Ottawa's historic PWHL opener". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 13, 2024). "Ottawa rides fast start, 2 power-play goals to 1st-ever PWHL win". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- "Ottawa finally wins PWHL game at home, beats Toronto". TSN. The Canadian Press. January 23, 2024. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- Donkin, Karissa (December 12, 2023). "PWHL teams release final 23-player rosters ahead of Jan. 1 season opener". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- "PWHL Ottawa Roster 2024 Regular Season". ThePWHL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- "Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Roster Updates". March 22, 2024.
- Burgess, Melissa (September 2, 2023). "PWHL Introduces General Managers, Announces Draft Order". The Victory Press. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.