Sirens' rookie sensation Fillier among 6 players to watch when new PWHL season begins
League's trio of Canadian clubs each boast intriguing individual talents to monitor
Last fall was a blur for Boston Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer.
Within three months, Marmer had to run her team's draft, hire a full staff, organize a training camp and perhaps hardest of all, make the final cuts for her team's opening-day roster.
No one knew exactly what to expect from new six-team Professional Women's Hockey League, including what kind of players would thrive in the best-on-best league.
"I think last year we were guessing," said Marmer, whose team lost in five games in the Walter Cup final. "All six GMs had to use educated guesses to make those decisions. This year, we have some actual tells."
With a season under their belt, players, coaches and general managers alike go into a new year in the PWHL with a better idea of what to expect. They know games are going to be close, and they're likely going to be quite physical.
A lengthy offseason gave GMs like Marmer a chance to really think about what kind of attributes and abilities translate best to the PWHL.
Sometimes, it could mean passing on a skilled player to add someone who excels at forechecking or can help the team win a puck battle in the corner.
WATCH | From MVP to Walter Cup champion, early PWHL season predictions on Hockey North:
"Does that become more important than having a whole bunch of skilled players?" Marmer said. "It's a really interesting puzzle that we're putting together."
The Fleet kick off season two of the PWHL on Saturday on the road against the Toronto Sceptres at 2 p.m. ET at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The game will be streamed on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and CBC Sports App, which will be home to 17 Saturday games this season.
The Minnesota Frost go into the second season looking to defend the Walter Cup title won back in May. They know what's it like to win, and how it felt.
For teams that made it to the playoffs but didn't go all the way, it's a sting players carried with them over the summer.
"We didn't make it to the final but it's part of the process," Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin said. "That's how you step back and you respond from it."
The New York Sirens finished last, but come into this season with a generational talent on the roster in forward Sarah Fillier.
Ottawa, meanwhile, has tried to get bigger and grittier after head coach Carla MacLeod felt her team wasn't hard enough to play against. The change in philosophy will be most obvious on the blue line, where Finnish veteran Ronja Savolainen was the top upgrade.
But it will also be evident up front in a player like Danielle Serdachny, who has skill but can also hold her own.
"The league has informed us that the physicality is here to stay so you have to be able to, one, provide it, initiate, but you have to be able to defend it and absorb it as well," MacLeod said.
Here are six players to watch heading into the PWHL's sophomore season:
Sarah Fillier, forward (New York Sirens)
Fillier comes into the PWHL already a three-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist with Team Canada.
New York's new head coach, Greg Fargo, has put Fillier on the top line with sniper Alex Carpenter to start the season. It's already paying dividends. Fillier recorded a hat trick in preseason action against Toronto.
"Every game I'm trying to be dangerous in the offensive zone," Fillier said after the game.
Danielle Serdachny, forward (Ottawa Charge)
Drafted one spot after Fillier in the draft, Serdachny has the size and skating to contribute in the PWHL immediately.
"She has an amazing skillset, but I think what makes her so elite is just the way she thinks the game," Ottawa Charge captain Brianne Jenner said. "For a young player, she has that strength. She doesn't get pushed off the puck."
Serdachny can play down the middle. Or she could move to the wing to fill the gap left by Daryl Watts alongside Jenner and Kateřina Mrázová, in what was Ottawa's best line for much of last season.
Kristen Campbell, goaltender (Toronto Sceptres)
Campbell had a difficult start last season before rebounding to be named the league's goaltender of the year. Her turnaround was a key component to an 11-game winning streak that took Toronto from the bottom of the league to the top.
Campbell struggled in a start for Canada at the Rivalry Series earlier this month, and her ability to find her game quickly will be a big factor in whether the Sceptres look more like the team that started the last regular season or the one that looked unstoppable as the season wore on.
Beyond Campbell, Toronto has one of the deepest forward groups in the league. The team will be without top scorer Natalie Spooner to start, but added reinforcements over the summer in Watts, Julia Gosling and Izzy Daniel.
Lina Ljungblom, forward (Montreal Victoire)
Montreal GM Danièle Sauvageau selected the young forward with the final pick of the 2023 draft.
Now 23, she's come to North America this season eager to play physical with the best.
So far, Ljungblom has gotten reps on the top line between Poulin and Laura Stacey, as head coach Kori Cheverie looks to unlock the Swede's shot. From the first preseason game to the second, Poulin saw her new teammate grow more confident and become more poised with the puck.
"I would not want to be in front of that shot," Poulin said.
Beyond her shot and willingness to play a heavy game, Ljungblom has also arrived in North America looking to get better.
"The best thing about Lina is she's just so ready for any feedback, all feedback," Montreal defender Erin Ambrose said. "She's happy to be here."
Taylor Heise, forward (Minnesota Frost)
The league's first draft pick in 2023 had a standout season on her hometown team, registering 13 points in 19 games despite a mid-season injury.
But it was in the playoffs where Heise truly shined, leading all players in goals and tying with her teammate, Michela Cava, for the lead in points en route to the Ilana Kloss playoff MVP award.
No one will underestimate Heise or the rest of the Minnesota Frost after that performance, and Heise seems to know the hill will be steeper to climb in season two.
"We have a spot on our back," Heise told The Associated Press. "Everyone's going to look at us a specific way."
Hannah Bilka, forward (Boston Fleet)
The Fleet struggled to put the puck in the net last season, finishing with fewer goals than any other team in the league, and the worst power play percentage.
But Marmer believes Bilka could have a hand in changing that. A playmaker, Bilka could help unlock more offense from the best shooters on the team, like Hilary Knight and Loren Gabel.
"I don't know if she ever looks down at the ice," Marmer said. "She's seeing and taking info every step that she takes on the ice. It just allows her to make really smart decisions. That's why she has such a high IQ."
Bilka isn't the biggest player, and the transition from college to the PWHL can be steep, as players face the best goaltenders in the world every night. But Marmer plans to keep building the 23-year-old's confidence.
"I can't speak high enough about her game, and how she changes the way we're going to be able to play," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
