The third season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will bring a bit of a different look for fans, yet it should be exciting. Two new teams not only create new fans this season, but also new opportunities for the players. The distribution of the talent forces players even further from the comfort zones where they have been the first two seasons and provides an exciting action that lies in front of us. And so with this new look, which players in each team can break out and take the next step in their career?
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The “Original Six” teams will fill holes this season by players who have been lost in the expansion, while the expansion teams will look to find their leaders and hidden gems. Anyway, every team needs its players to act. So which player do I think a Breakout season will have for their respective team? Let’s dive into it.
Minnesota Frost – Katy Knoll
The list starts with the reigning champion Minnesota Frost who is looking for a three-level and despite a number of major victims in the expansion of the expansion, a number of Underdogs have ready to shine, the most striking of those who are none other than than Katy Knoll. She appeared in 21 games last season and scored a goal and an assist on the fourth rule. She was a great depth of the team to have standby and was a nice eruption of speed in the bottom half of the line-up. Knoll was usually the first when someone returned from an injury; More a filler Most of the regular season.
Then came the play -offs. Knoll came out of her shell and placed five points in eight playoff matches, including one Exciting Triple-Overtime winner In game 3 of the PWHL final. She used the ice age she got and was very efficient. She also played an aggressive, hard-forechecking game, a perfect fit for a third or fourth rule. Expect that Knoll will continue its strong 200-feet competition this season and hopefully become a fixture in the lower six; A scary thing to add to an already strong offensive front in Minnesota.
Boston Fleet – Shay Maloney
The Boston Fleet comes from a rather disappointing end of their season and has a number of young players who are ready to compete. This includes second -year attacker Shay Maloneywho is already an integral part of the violation. Maloney had nine points in a fully 30-game 2024-25 season, which is good in her first season. She did the work last season and only by watching her game logs, she earned more and more ice age as the campaign progressed. She has some work to do on faceoffs, which comes in a little less than 50% in the spot, but she was not a full -time center last season. A full season in the middle is likely to stimulate that number because it gets more repetitions. Maloney could be found most times and even in the starting line -up for a few nights.
This season can be huge for Maloney. The fleet will be looking for some extra attack with the outputs of Hilary Knight and Hannah Bilka in expansion, not to mention that Maloney was one of their protected players and she I just got a new contract. The stars are connected to the potential star and is now the time to capitalize.
Ottawa Charge – Mannon McMahon
A heartbreaking end to their 2024-25 season and few losses for the expansion teams, the Ottawa attack sets a few notches, but they have a lot of talent in this schedule. Mannon McMahon Is one of that talent when she comes from a fairly solid Rookie season. She placed eight points in 30 games, which may not seem much, but there is more to the story. Her shooting percentage (SH%) On average just shy of 12 Percentage for the season, so that she is put in the competition in the top 30 as a rookie. I think this is a stat that really shows how smart of a player she is. Her Scottish selection was excellent and under the best.
McMahon is an intelligent player and knows how to create opportunities for herself and her teammates. She showed it as a team captain at the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and we already see pieces and bits of it early in her professional career. The scoring statistics will soon reflect the other strong aspects of her game. I think season two will be a big one for her.
New York Sirens – Paetyn Levis
Although the team has ‘rebuilt’ since its foundation, the New York Sirens collect some promising young pieces to strengthen their foundation; One of the young talent is EscapeA very underestimated player to pay attention in the coming years. She has been with the Sirens for two seasons (PWHL New York when she arrived there) and has already shown that she can improve season to season. Her first season she had three points in 23 games, and that followed last season with eight points in 30 games. She was a fixed value in the first line of the Sirens and that should continue this season.
See how Levis plays, it is clear that her offensive potential is through the roof and that she will be a constant threat to her team. However, she will get a bit of a challenge, because one of her regular linemates is Alex Carpenter with PWHL Seattle for next season, in addition to many other losses for New York. Levis will have to make an adjustment, but with its talent it should not be a problem to quickly gelter with a new line and to create destruction on opposing defenses.
Toronto Scepters – Emma Maltais
The Toronto -Sceppes are a team that has scary good talent on paper, and some of those players have not even reached their full potential. Emma Maltais Goes her third season with Toronto and wants to bounce back. Her first PWHL season was a great success because she had 19 points in 24 games. Last season, however, she saw a dip in production and placed only 9 points in 30 games. She was also a plus-7 and a min-5 in the 2024 and 2024-25 seasons. There is a clear difference, but she is definitely the kind of player who can come back and possibly even surpass her career heights.
Together with being strong on the puck and an elite passer, the physical game of Maltais is also a unique part of her game. She is in fourth place in the entire competition last season In hits with 48 And fifth in hits per game. She is a filthy force that has the potential to be a dangerous score. The skeptes also had Maltais on their protection list, so they also see something special in her. This season can be huge for her.
Montreal Victoire – Kati Tabin
Montreal’s unfortunate end to last season can forget how good this team is. They have a few players who probably have a big season, but Cardboard map Is my choice. She is the lonely blue lining that must be chosen for this list and it is not for nothing. Her attack is slowly advanced during her first two PWHL seasons, with six points in the year one and four goals and eight points last season. Although she has never been the target score, the type of hush type is, there are other solid aspects of her game that make her valuable. She is a strong defender who can wear the other team and make smart plays with the puck on both ends. She is something that every team needs.
Tabin is ready for an outbreak, not only because of her own skill, but because of the chance that lies for us. Montreal lost important pieces on their back this season in Cayla Barnes and Anna Wilgren and now the D-core needs someone to perform. Tabin will be a defender who plays the top minutes (as she already has) and possibly playing on the top coupling. I would expect that she will be a top score player on the Victoire Blueline this season.
PWHL Vancouver – Michela Cava
The new team in Vancouver is full of skill and potential and they will be a real threat this season. That is partly due to players such as Michela Cava. She comes by after winning back-to-back titles with The Frost, now looking for the winning ways and high-doctane attack with her. After a quiet first season, Cava exploded last season with nine goals and 19 points in 30 games. Moreover, she has proved to be a coupling playoff artist with 13 career points in 18 games. She has been an attacking Juggernaut for a while who, despite being older than 30, still has a star potential.
Cava is an extremely smart and talented attacker. She had one 17 percent SH% last season, good enough for the ninth in the competition. She has a laser of a shot and can cover around the best of them. The veteran comes from playing with an Elite Forward group in Minnesota and now wants to distinguish herself and really shine in her new house. Cava was able to explode and be one of the best in the competition in the coming season.
PWHL Seattle – Carly Jackson
There are a few candidates to choose from in another brand new team, but they stand out. A pressure in Toronto led to the difficult decision to leave the young goalkeeper Carly Jackson Unprotected for the new teams; And Seattle didn’t think about it twice. Now Jackson may not be as young as some others on this list, but in my opinion 28 -year -old is the most important age for a keeper.
Looking at her statistics, the sample size on a professional level is small. She posted a .904 savings percentage in two starts last season (regular season and late season) and has a handful of starts in other professional competitions that have been formed over the years. But the little we have seen is a good sign for the future.
Jackson is very composed in the net. She has a good rebound control and her lateral movement is very flexible. She could easily become the number one goalkeeper of Seattle and have a big first season for them. She will probably start sharing the net with the former Sirens goalkeeper Corinne Schroeder, but if she is able to perform with the start she has given, she can easily win the runway.
There are many players to pay attention to this season, because the competition continues to take shape and chemistry is formed. It will again be an entertaining PWHL campaign and hopefully there will be more surprises and pimples in the coming years.
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