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PWHL Rosters & Season

I know players can declare for the 2024 draft, since March? And the window closes sometime early May - Does anybody know when/how the players that have declared will be announced? I don't suppose there's a public running list somewhere?
 
WNBA Draft is tonight, with 36 players.

I'm not sure where to find more info on who has declared for the PWHL draft, except that I found this info from an article published today:
"Over 100 players, including Europeans, have declared for the 2024 PWHL draft, Hefford said."

So, over 100 players for 42 draft-pick spots. They can declare Mar 1 through May 8. As the draft gets closer, The Athletic will likely also do a projected draft. With the September draft, the PWHL announced a list of players who had declared for the draft around the start of September.
 
I tried watching the Ottawa/MN game yesterday, but it just seemed too sloppy to me, like some of the play was moving too fast for some of the players. Closing time and space is the name of the game and in this league that is on steroids (from what I have seen which may not be a big enough sample size).
 
Interesting read, thanks!

Attendance has been an issue for New York and a bit for Boston. New York has 2 more games at UBS Arena and 1 more at Prudential Center in New Jersey. Yesterday, their first game at Prudential Center had about 5100 fans. That is about 1000 higher than the average at UBS. The team/league removed Bridgeport from consideration for remaining home games about a month ago - some home games weren't set for their location or time at that point. So, sounds like Bridgeport will no longer be a home for the team. Attendance usually was about 2000 there. The evening when it was only around 700, the torrential rain and, around NYC, flooding probably didn't help attendance.

The article includes good perspectives from NY players Jaime Bourbonnais, Madison Packer, and Micah Zandee-Hart. It was an interesting note from Abby Roque that the league decided not to place more midwestern teams and insisted on placing a team around NYC.

I'm glad that Zandee-Hart bucked the trend of players in initial free agency signing in their home country, when she signed in New York. Though Zandee-Hart wasn't included on the latest Canadian national team for Worlds, Ella Shelton and Bourbonnais were. Happy for Shelton earlier this season getting both the first goal in the league and the first goal in the All-Star game. Alex Carpenter is high on the PWHL leader-board for points and picked up another assist yesterday on Jessie Eldridge's goal.

Yesterday, Montreal vs Toronto set a new world record for attendance at a women's hockey game with 21,105 fans in the sold-out Centre Bell! Montreal and Minnesota are neck-and-neck around 2nd place, while Toronto in first is the only team so far to have clinched a playoff spot. They clinched it with Sarah Nurse's OT winning goal yesterday.

Off the cuff, Ottawa and Minnesota seem to be maybe the only teams likely to keep their main venues for next season - who knows, though? Ottawa has had some sell-outs but not all sell-outs, and Xcel Energy Center looks relatively full for Minnesota games. Toronto and Montreal's main rinks seem too small, while Boston and New York's rinks are far from the population centers and haven't drawn a lot. Overall, though, the PWHL people like Jayna Hefford whom media have quoted have said the demand for the league much exceeded their expectations.
 
thirdtime's . . . said:
For starters . . . give them a name (they all need names)!
Click to expand...


While driving in and around Boston traffic for an hour and a half Tuesday afternoon I heard three separate announcements on the local NPR station for what was on tap in the Boston sports world Wednesday night:

“The Bruins, the Celtics, the Red Sox, and women’s pro hockey.”

Women’s pro hockey? Women’s pro hockey? Women’s pro hockey?

Can you imagine any other startup being mentioned alongside such company and remaining nameless by default? The PWHL PR guys were criminally out to lunch when the apparently incidental question of names popped up on the agenda.
 
thirdtime's . . . said:
While driving in and around Boston traffic for an hour and a half Tuesday afternoon I heard three separate announcements on the local NPR station for what was on tap in the Boston sports world Wednesday night:

“The Bruins, the Celtics, the Red Sox, and women’s pro hockey.”

Women’s pro hockey? Women’s pro hockey? Women’s pro hockey?

Can you imagine any other startup being mentioned alongside such company and remaining nameless by default? The PWHL PR guys were criminally out to lunch when the apparently incidental question of names popped up on the agenda.
Click to expand...

They were so determined to bury the PHF they torched some very recognizable brands in women's hockey
 
I would be surprised if Toronto doesn't move to the Coca Cola Coliseum next year. They can work around/with the Marlies on dates/times. 8,100 is a good size for most regular season games.

After the Keafs get eliminated next week, maybe some of the ladies' playoff games can get moved to the Scotia Bank Centre.
 
The 2024 PWHL Draft will be held in Minnesota (June, date tba). Minnesota had the 1st overall pick in this past fall's snake draft. This year, the 1st pick will go to the team that earns the most points after it is out of the running for the playoffs, and the draft order will be traditional, not snake format. Currently, only New York is out of contention for a playoff spot.

Potential 1st-round picks per The Athletic and THN: Sarah Fillier, Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Danielle Serdachny, Ronja Savolainen (Finnish D), Daniela Pejsova (Czech D), and Claire Thompson (D, finishing medical school and moving to playing full-time).
2nd round could include Noora Tulus (Finnish F) and Izzy Daniel.
 
An update on standings and playoffs with one game to go for each team. There are 64 possible outcomes over the final regular-season games, going on today and tomorrow. (Four possible outcomes for each of 3 games, 4 x 4 x 4.) Toronto has clinched first place (44 points), holding the tie-breaker (regulation wins) over 2nd-place Montreal (41 points).

Minnesota (35 points), Ottawa (32 points), and Boston (32 points) are competing for the 3rd and 4th playoff berths. New York (23 points) is in 6th and will have the first draft pick because of their regulation win vs Ottawa on Tuesday.

So it is pretty much down to the wire: a good situation to have. Minnesota needs at least a point if - and only if - Boston and Ottawa both win in regulation.
MIN at NY - today 1PM EDT
MTL at BOS - today 3:30PM EDT
OTT at TOR - tomorrow 7PM EDT

As the 1st-place team, Toronto will get to pick their opponent between the 3rd- and 4th-place teams in the first round of the playoffs, starting mid-week.
 
Crazy situation today where Toronto plays Ottawa, and also gets to pick who they play in the playoffs. If Ottawa wins in regulation they are in the playoffs. If not, I believe Minnesota is in? If that’s the case…

If TO thinks Ottawa is easier than either of the other teams they can throw the game, let OTT win in regulation and pick them for the playoffs.

I am not saying Toronto WOULD do the above , but Minnesota has put themselves in a tough spot leaving their playoff fate in the hands of Ottawa who still wants in and controls their destiny, and Toronto who IS in and gets to pick who they play in the semis.

it site does make this game interesting
 
Lindsay said:
Crazy situation today where Toronto plays Ottawa, and also gets to pick who they play in the playoffs. If Ottawa wins in regulation they are in the playoffs. If not, I believe Minnesota is in? If that’s the case…

If TO thinks Ottawa is easier than either of the other teams they can throw the game, let OTT win in regulation and pick them for the playoffs.

I am not saying Toronto WOULD do the above , but Minnesota has put themselves in a tough spot leaving their playoff fate in the hands of Ottawa who still wants in and controls their destiny, and Toronto who IS in and gets to pick who they play in the semis.

it site does make this game interesting
Click to expand...

Or conversely, maybe Toronto goes hard today in the hopes of eliminating Ottawa now so they won’t have any chance of seeing them again in the playoffs. I think Ottawa is the only team Toronto has a losing record against (1-3) in the regular season. Their lineup for the game will probably reveal their intentions.

Also, maybe they world just prefer to face Minnesota since they are definitely in a funk right now.
 
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Lindsay said:
Crazy situation today where Toronto plays Ottawa, and also gets to pick who they play in the playoffs. If Ottawa wins in regulation they are in the playoffs. If not, I believe Minnesota is in? If that’s the case…

If TO thinks Ottawa is easier than either of the other teams they can throw the game, let OTT win in regulation and pick them for the playoffs.

I am not saying Toronto WOULD do the above , but Minnesota has put themselves in a tough spot leaving their playoff fate in the hands of Ottawa who still wants in and controls their destiny, and Toronto who IS in and gets to pick who they play in the semis.

it site does make this game interesting
Click to expand...


An unheralded perk of being professional.
 
Final standings
Toronto won 5-2 vs Ottawa this evening. The playoffs will start Wed May 8, with Toronto picking their opponent between the 3rd- and 4th-place teams and Montreal playing the other team of those 2!
 
Russell Jaslow said:
No surprise. I don't think any team in this scenario would ever have not picked the last seed. Just too much bulletin board material to do otherwise.
Click to expand...

True - also, Minnesota lost its last 5 games in regulation. Meanwhile Boston won 4 of its last 5, and the other went to a shootout. Being interviewed on Sunday night, Gina Kingsbury said Toronto was considering the other teams' last 5 games, as well as travel and other matchup issues. Still maybe getting picked is bulletin-board material for the team that gets picked, even if they are the last seed.
 
I have been slow to actually start watching PWHL games. The lack of a mascot and the "store-brand" generic names are kinda turnoffs for me, even though our local team is packed with Gopher greats. But it's the off-season for every other sport I care about so it's something to watch I guess.

That said: I am utterly baffled by this Minnesota team which, despite having three Patty Kaz award winners and being loaded with talent, can score a single gd goal goal in two games against a beatable opponent. Utterly baffling.
 
StPaulSam said:
I have been slow to actually start watching PWHL games. The lack of a mascot and the "store-brand" generic names are kinda turnoffs for me, even though our local team is packed with Gopher greats. But it's the off-season for every other sport I care about so it's something to watch I guess.

That said: I am utterly baffled by this Minnesota team which, despite having three Patty Kaz award winners and being loaded with talent, can score a single gd goal goal in two games against a beatable opponent. Utterly baffling.
Click to expand...

Hopefully they turn it around tomorrow in game 3, at home. It is baffling, like you say.

Heise has been pretty ice cold for the latter part of the season and left the game with an injury last game. Wonder if she’s back.

Spooner has been so prolific for Toronto, and Maltais is unrelenting. They are going to need a plan for those two, but absolutely Toronto is beatable.

Montreal Boston last night was great. Boston has been getting goals from their youth/depth, and is beating Montreal without Gabel or Rattray being available. Montreal is playing a much shorter bench. Hard to imagine Poulin getting swept but the minutes have to be astronomical for her at this point.
 
Boston takes a sweep over Montreal, all 3 games going to overtime.
Susanna Tapani scored 2 game-winners in the series - a useful trade for Boston from Minnesota.

Minnesota and Toronto have gone to game 4; Minnesota prevented the sweep on Monday.
 
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