Maybe the most shocking move of the PWHL’s first-ever expansion draft process was the Boston Fleet leaving captain Hilary Knight unprotected. Knight co-led the league in scoring and looked every bit the highly decorated star she’s always been. But faced with only three protection slots, general manager Danielle Marmer opted to build around a younger player in Alina Müller, along with franchise cornerstones in defender Megan Keller and goalie Aerin Frankel, who each signed contract extensions through 2027-28. Keller, 29, was named captain on Saturday, succeeding Knight and highlighting a massive summer of change in Boston. Only 15 players on the Fleet’s training camp roster are returning from 2024-25, with new coach Kris Sparre taking over for Courtney Kessel, who departed to become the head coach at Princeton University. Adding U. S. defender Haley Winn in the draft is reason to be optimistic for the future. The same could be said for re-signing elite two-way center Susanna Tapani, who would have been a target for all seven other teams if she hit the open market back in June. The Fleet barely missed the playoffs last season after making the Finals in Year 1. In Year 3, the goal is to get back into the postseason with a roster that, like many in the PWHL, has been ripped up and reassembled. The roster The deadline for PWHL teams to finalize their 23-player rosters is Wednesday, Nov. 19. Strengths If there is one reason to believe in the Boston Fleet this season, it’s that Aerin Frankel is too good for them to be too bad. Frankel has been Boston’s workhorse starting goalie since the inaugural season and has established herself as one of the very best in the world at her position. Last season, Frankel became the first two-time finalist for PWHL Goaltender of the Year after leading the league in saves (591) while also finishing second in save percentage (. 921). No goalie faced more shots against (642) or played more minutes (132: 18). And while the Fleet ultimately missed the playoffs last season, it cannot be overstated how much the team missed Frankel in the final three games of the season after the Women’s World Championships, where Frankel was injured in the gold medal game against Canada. Down the stretch, the Fleet were outscored 14-3, including in an 8-1 loss in their regular-season finale against Minnesota to officially end their season. Frankel will likely be Boston’s most important player once again. But that doesn’t mean she’s alone at the top; the Fleet have elite players at every position. Megan Keller is the second-best defender in the world, behind reigning Defender of the Year Renata Fast, and brings a steady veteran presence to the blue line. Keller can eat big minutes only Fast played more last season and adds value on both sides of the puck with her skating, poise and big shot from the offensive blue line. The addition of No. 2 pick Haley Winn only bolsters the top of the defensive depth chart. Winn was the second-highest scoring defender in the NCAA last season and has been a regular on Team USA’s blue line over the last three years, which makes her more of a proven asset at the pro level compared to a more traditional “true rookie” coming out of college. Winn is a dynamic offensive player and will be expected to drive play in Boston and take some of the workload off Keller, who played over 100 minutes more than the Fleet’s next best defender last season. The hope is Boston can combine Keller and Winn for an elite dual-threat pair, but the team’s questionable depth on the back end might necessitate separate pairs. At forward, Boston is led by Müller and Tapani, who finished second and third in scoring behind Knight last season. They were often on the same line last season, but the Fleet might be better served moving Müller back to her natural center position to give the team an elite 1A/1B combo. Weaknesses Potential issues on defense have been teased enough, so let’s cut to it: The blue line was decimated in the offseason. Veteran defender Emily Brown (Seattle Torrent) and puck-mover Sydney Bard (Vancouver Goldeneyes) were taken with back-to-back picks in the expansion draft. Jessica DiGirolamo (Montreal Victoire), Emma Greco (Vancouver) and Sidney Morin (Minnesota Frost) all left in free agency. That leaves Keller with a largely new and inexperienced group, with only sophomores Daniela Pejšová and Hadley Hartmetz returning. Zoe Boyd should help shore up the top of the depth chart. She’s a good skater, physical and can transition pucks well, and is coming off a strong showing in the playoffs for the Ottawa Charge. But the back half of the defensive group has a lot of question marks. Czech national team defender Pejšová struggled in Year 1, but she’s still only 23 years old and might have just needed more time to adjust to the North American game. Hartmetz was coming off major surgery last season and only played two games. Free-agent signing Rylind MacKinnon could bring a physical edge to the third pair, while 2025 fourth-round pick Riley Brengman comes from a winning program at Ohio State where she played a smart two-way game that should make her a capable third-pairing defender in the PWHL. At the very least, there’s options. But Boston will need at least one defender outside the top three to step up for the Fleet to have two reliable D-pairs, and to avoid riding Keller and Winn too much. The big question Who is going to score goals in 2025-26? Boston was a middle-of-the-pack offensive team last season, and a top-heavy one at that. Hilary Knight paced the group with 15 goals, which represented 20 percent of the team’s offense. With Knight in Seattle, there’s only one forward left who scored in double digits: Tapani with 11. With Müller’s seven goals, the trio combined for over 40 percent of Boston’s 75 goals last season. Boston will need a lot from Müller, given they protected the Swiss forward over both Knight and promising U. S. winger Hannah Bilka. She should be up to the task with her playmaking ability and versatility to play on the wing or up the middle. The idea of Müller with second-round pick Ella Huber in the top-six could be especially productive for Boston. Huber has shown she can play well off elite linemates, as she did over a decade playing beside Team USA and University of Minnesota star Abbey Murphy. Huber has good speed to keep up with Müller and the finishing ability to score when Müller gets her the puck in scoring position. She has no problem going to the dirty areas of the ice to gain possession and make plays herself, which could make Huber the perfect linemate for the quick and creative Müller. Keller and Winn should help carry the offense from the back end, but what’s left at forward is mostly a returning core that needs to bounce back offensively. Jamie Lee Rattray (4), Hannah Brandt (3), Shay Maloney (3), Theresa Schafzahl (3), Jill Saulnier (2), Loren Gabel (2) and Sophie Shirley (0) combined for only 17 goals last season just two more than Knight scored alone. It’s pretty easy to be optimistic about a forward group that looks pretty deep on paper, especially with a new coach bringing a fresh message. You could also be pessimistic, given most of the returning veterans have yet to consistently produce for two years in Boston. The team also has to make a decision between rookies Abby Newhook, Oliva Mobley and sophomores Laura Kluge and Chloé Aurard-Bushee for the final roster spots. (For now, we’re conservatively projecting the latter two are in, given they signed as free agents in the summer.) Regardless, if just one or two of Boston’s returning forwards especially someone like Rattray, Shirley or Gabel can have a productive season, Boston might be better than expected. Boston Fleet, NHL, Women’s Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company.
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