2025-26 PWHL team preview: Boston Fleet
LAST SEASON
It came down to one game. The Boston Fleet simply had to beat the Minnesota Frost on the final day of the regular season, and they were off to the playoffs once again. However, an 8-1 drubbing at the hands of the eventual two-time Walter Cup champions led Boston to have an early offseason.
The Fleet finished with a 9-6-5-10 record, losing out on the playoffs due to a tiebreaker.
It was certainly a disappointing end for the team that came one win short of taking home the PWHL’s inaugural championship the year before. Led by captain Hilary Knight, the team found a little more offense than in the team’s first season. Alina Müller started to come into her own as a perennial star, with rookie Hannah Bilka showing her potential before getting hurt during the Rivalry Series in February, which knocked her out for the rest of the season.
It didn’t help that Boston was without starting netminder Aerin Frankel for a couple of games while recovering from the injury she suffered in the gold medal game at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. Frankel was playing at an MVP level, and probably would’ve been the goaltender of the year had the Fleet made it to the playoffs.
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Chloé Aurard-Bushee, F
Zoe Boyd, D
Ella Huber, F
Laura Kluge, F
Abbey Levy, G
Rylind MacKinnon, D
Liz Schepers, F
Haley Winn, D
Departures
Lexie Adzija, F (Sea)
Kelly Babstock, F (UFA)
Sydney Bard, D (Van)
Hannah Bilka, F (Sea)
Emily Brown, D (Sea)
Jessica DiGirolamo, D (Mtl)
Jillian Dempsey, F (Retired)
Emma Greco, D (Van)
Hilary Knight, F (Sea)
Sidney Morin, D (Min)
Amanda Pelkey, F (Retired)
Klára Peslarová, G (UFA)
Emma Söderberg, G (UFA)
OFFENSE
As you can see by the list above, a lot of the Fleet left the harbor, especially up front.
Losing Kinght to the expansion team in Seattle seemed inevitable, though trying to replace your leading scorer is no small task. Having Bilka picked up by the aforementioned Pacific Northwest team in the expansion draft was another blow to a team that had seemingly found its scoring stride last year.
However, the team still has Müller, the one forward Boston initially protected in the expansion process. The Swiss superstar has the ability to be a strong leader both on and off the ice. Susanna Tapani is going to be relied upon to score big goals once again, and rookie Ella Huber will get plenty of chances to get her feet wet in her first year in the league. The addition of Liz Schepers will provide some needed secondary scoring.
I’m curious to see how Laura Kluge is deployed on a team whose depth is in question. Loren Gabel has struggled to find her footing since coming into the league. Maybe playing more with Jamie Lee Rattray could help her spread her wings.
DEFENSE
Speaking of diminished personnel, Boston lost a lot of players on the back end. Sidney Morin jumped ship to join the Frost, while Sydney Bard and Emily Brown were both taken in the expansion draft. Only Megan Keller, Daniela Pejšová and Hadley Hartmetz are returners on the back end, and Hartmetz missed most of the season due to injury. Bringing in Zoe Boyd from Ottawa was important to help give some stability, with sophomore Rylind MacKinnon expected to bring some toughness to her new team.
Obviously, everyone’s excited to talk about second-overall pick Haley Winn, but more on her later.
Truth be told, Boston’s blue line has some holes at this point, something general manager Danielle Marmer might address in the early stages of the season.
GOALTENDING
Yet, if the defense fails, there will be the Green Monster. Frankel was dynamite for 95% of the 2024-25 season. She was near the top of my ballot for league MVP, let alone goalie of the year. The 26-year-old was second in wins (12) and save percentage (.921) last season. If the Fleet is at all successful this season, it’s most likely because Frankel is on her A-game.
Frankel’s backup situation is a little different. Emma Soderberg was suspect in her limited action, and even though Klara Peslarova seemingly won the No. 2 job, she knew she wasn’t going to play much behind Frankel, leading to both backstops heading to the SDHL.
That has led the Fleet to sign former New York Sirens goaltender Abbey Levy. The 25-year-old played just two games last season while sitting as the No. 3 behind Corinne Schroeder and Kayle Osborne. The New York native was the backup to Schroeder in year one, but fell down the depth chart with the impressive play of the rookie Osborne.
Boston did take goaltender Amanda Thiele in the sixth round of this year’s PWHL Draft. She helped lead Ohio State to another appearance in the NCAA Championship Game, but has yet to be signed.
ROOKIES
Haley Winn has all the makings of being a star in this league. She has already proven she can be a key contributor on the biggest stage, having played for Team USA at the last three Women’s Worlds, where she won a pair of gold medals. At Clarkson, she was a difference maker in helping the Golden Knights make it to the Frozen Four last spring. A dynamic player who can make an impact at both ends of the rink, the 22-year-old’s game will translate beautifully to the pro game.
Huber is going to be fun to watch. She was an exciting playmaker at Minnesota for the past few years and was a very complementary figure alongside Abbey Murphy. I think, if she plays her cards right, she can be an effective enough player that she might be considered as an extra for the U.S. when it goes to Milan this February.
Along with Thiele, Boston has a few unsigned draft picks. Minnesota Duluth product Olivia Mobley, the team’s third-round pick, could be a solid player if given the chance. However, the Fleet already has 13 forwards signed through next season.
COACHING
The Fleet’s bench will look a little different this year. Courtney Kessel stepped down to take over as head coach at Princeton. That opened the door for Marmer to go out and hire Kris Sparre, who had spent the past three years as an assistant coach for the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Sparre doesn’t bring any women’s hockey coaching experience to the table, which does drive a level of concern. Even though he’s worked for years helping develop players at the junior and minor-league levels, running a team in the women’s game is a different ball game. I suspect there to be some growing pains early, but if the team buys into his message, it may work out in the long run.
PREDICTION
Of the two teams that missed the playoffs last season, I think it might be tougher for the Fleet to get back into the playoffs. The team lost just too much talent last season, and even with some of the depth additions and solid draft picks, if Boston goes through its waves of struggling to score, it’s going to be hard for them to keep up with the top teams in the PWHL, along with the new teams on the block.
I won’t be surprised if Frankel plays out of her mind again, and that players like Müller and Keller will be the team’s top stars, but cracking the top four will be a chore. I see the Fleet making a solid push, but just missing the playoffs once again.
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