PWHL Team Profile: Toronto

Toronto finished atop the PWHL standings last year, and they look like an early favorite to be the PWHL’s top team again this year. The difference? Toronto will look to play their way deeper into the playoffs and compete for a Walter Cup. They added a lot of talent this offseason, without significant subtractions.

Offense

Natalie Spooner single handedly carried Toronto at times last season as the league’s leading goal and point scorer. Spooner had 29.98% of Toronto’s goals, so the question mark here is if she’s healthy, and returns from her knee injury as good as she was last season, Toronto’s offense will be nearly unstoppable. In addition to Spooner, Toronto has Sarah Nurse, Emma Maltais, and Hannah Miller who all finished in the top 20 in league scoring, and they added Daryl Watts on a steal of a deal from Ottawa who was the 12th leading scorer in the PWHL. Beyond this group, Toronto was able to added Team Canada forward Julia Gosling in the draft and they still have national team experienced forwards Blayre Turnbull and Victoria Bach, along with new signee Emma Woods and reigning Patty Kazmaier winner Izzy Daniel as “depth” scoring. There is no group in the PWHL with the depth at both ends of their forward group like Toronto has. Even their currently unsigned draft picks like Noemi Neubauerova and Anneke Linser can be impact players.

Defense

After the duo of Renata Fast and Jocelyne Larocque, and third defender Kali Flanagan, Toronto struggled defensively last year. Allie Munroe was more than capable and will be even better suited to her role this season with more depth on Toronto’s back end. Megan Carter will be the biggest boost to Toronto’s blueline, and perhaps their roster in general this season as she brings a stable defensive presence who can still play Toronto’s seemingly positionless style. It’s surprising Toronto hasn’t pursued another defender, but with Lauren Bernard drafted, and Rylind MacKinnon as a free agent invite and perhaps the biggest steal going, Toronto will be more solid than they were last year.

Goaltending

Toronto has reigning PWHL Goaltender of the Year Kristen Campbell in net. With the lineup in front of her, Campbell may not need to be perfect, and with the confidence she gained last season, it would actually be surprising to not see her climb Canada’s depth chart. The real question will be if Raygan Kirk can play enough, and well enough to spell Campbell off or carry the load should an injury occur.

Special Teams

Toronto had the league’s best penalty kill last year 91.8% and at times even threatened shorthanded. When players like Emma Maltais and Blayre Turnbull who combine speed and defensive acumen are killing penalties, not to mention both players can quickly transition to the attack, and their penalty kill will certainly remain strong. Surprisingly, Toronto had the league’s fourth best powerplay capitalizing on only 15.7% of their chances. The addition of Watts and Gosling certainly will help.

Intangibles

With so many players on Toronto’s roster having been teammates not only at the pro level, but also with Team Canada, this group has more cohesion than most. Coupled with the off ice stability and consistency in coaching and management from Gina Kingsbury and Troy Ryan. In Toronto, players know their expected role, and Toronto found more players who can play versatile roles including Neubauerova, Daniel, and Carter.

Rookies

Last year Emma Maltais was a finalist for Rookie of the Year, this season it will be players like Julia Gosling, Megan Carter, Izzy Daniel, Raygan Kirk, and Noemi Neubauerova who have the chance to impact this roster.

X-Factor

Natalie Spooner’s health is the x-factor in Toronto. If she comes back at 100%, this team could be unstoppable. If there’s any other item that could disrupt Toronto’s season, it’s the fact they have too many quality forwards and not enough ice to go around. That type of congestion can sometimes result in healthy competition, and other times, issues in the room.

The Brass

Gina Kingsbury continues to collect national team members and she’s relied heavily on those connections for scouting, and coaching with bench boss Troy Ryan pulling double duty. They are an experienced duo.

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