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PWHL

2025-26 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 3 (12/05-12/11)

Disney sidekicks meet their PWHL matches in this week's power rankings.

2025-26 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 3 (12/05-12/11)
The Boston Fleet celebrate their win over Minnesota. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Welcome back to The Ice Garden’s weekly PWHL power rankings! Check back every Friday for a new installment and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely, totally, 100% because we hate them.

The PWHL kicked off its first international break of the season Sunday night, which means there hasn’t been much action since last we ranked. Just three games took place, but teams still managed to shuffle around a bit in the rankings. One club still remains undefeated, while everyone else has now secured a regulation win. This week's rankings also feature the first three-way tie in TIG power rankings history because no one quite deserved better or worse. The PWHL picks back up on Tuesday with one game before a three-game slate on Wednesday.

For this week’s theme, I returned to the familiar realm of Disney, but with a new twist. This time, some of Disney’s most iconic animal sidekicks take center stage, because who doesn’t love a good sidekick?

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#1. Boston Fleet (4-0-0-0, 12 points)

The Fleet celebrate their win with fist bumps and hugs in their defensive zone. They are all wearing green home uniforms.
The Fleet celebrate their win over the Frost. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Dec. 7 vs. MIN: 4-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Dec. 17 @ NYS: 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (NESN, MSG, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)

After a 4-0-0-0 start, the Fleet sure would be singing “Hakuna Matata” alongside this lovable duo. Timon and Pumbaa are steadfastly loyal to Simba throughout the movie and do what they can to help him, much like the Fleet have been playing an excellent team game.

If you predicted this start from the Fleet, buy yourself some lottery tickets. While it hasn’t been perfect, you can’t argue too much with a 4-0-0-0 record. Aerin Frankel has somehow been outperforming her extremely lofty expectations, the offense is getting contributions from up and down the lineup, and the defense has been doing a decent job of limiting high-danger chances. However, this international break is coming at a terrible time for them momentum-wise. At the same time, it's a good test for the team, especially since they head right out on a road trip.

#2. Montréal Victoire (2-0-0-1, 6 points)

Three Victoire players celebrate a goal with a group hug. They are all wearing maroon home uniforms.
Montréal players celebrate a goal against Toronto. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (+1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Dec. 7 vs. TOR: 3-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Dec. 17 @ TOR: 6:30 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS (TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Maximus (Tangled)

Maximus has a singular focus at the beginning of Tangled: capture Flynn Rider. But, in the end, he ends up rescuing Flynn from his death sentence and then bringing him to free Rapunzel from Mother Gothel so she can take her rightful place as the kingdom’s princess. Similarly, for the past two seasons, the Victoire have had a single line consistently produce, and that's Marie-Philip Poulin's. However, they’ve changed things up in Season 3, getting scoring from around the lineup in their three games. If they can keep it up, it might just be what finally gets them crowned champion at the end of the season.

The Victoire have a wacky schedule to start this PWHL season. This week's game was their only one in 22 days. Yet, they didn’t show any signs of rust after ten days off. Despite a controversial disallowed goal and taking four penalties, including three in a 1:30 span in the third period, the Victoire never really looked at risk of losing. After a tough first outing in Boston, Montréal has looked like the team many expect them to be, and there’s no reason to believe they’ll falter any time soon.

#3. Minnesota Frost (2-0-0-2, 6 points)

Three Minnesota players celebrate their goal with a group hug. Two have their backs turned to the camera, while the other is facing the camera but out of foucs. They are wearing white away uniforms.
Minnesota players celebrate their goal against Boston. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Dec. 7 @ BOS: 4-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • No games this week.

Sidekick: Dug (Up)

Dug is one of the most lovable sidekicks Disney has made, and he’s a real scene stealer. However, while he always tries his best, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Similarly, the Frost are one of the PWHL’s best teams (although many fans find their lovability questionable), and they’ve stolen the show every postseason, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

After a strong Week 2, the Minnesota Frost didn’t have the best outing in Boston. They had a solid start, but then they let Boston take over. Defense has been the team’s biggest problem, as they have been outshot in the past three games and allowed an alarming number of high-danger chances in the past two. It was predicted to be their weakness heading into the season, given they lost two of their top blueliners in the expansion to Vancouver, but they must clean it up if they want to be better than a 0.500 team.

#4. Toronto Sceptres (2-0-0-2, 6 points)

A Montréal and Toronto player are underneath a nearly horizontal Kirk as she attempts to make a save just outside her crease. The Montréal player is in a maroon home uniform, while Kirk is in a white away one.
A Montréal and Toronto player crash into Raygan Kirk. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Dec. 7 @ MTL: 3-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Dec. 17 vs. MTL: 6:30 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS (TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Dory (Finding Nemo)

Dory was such a lovable sidekick in the first movie that she got her own. She’s as loyal as they come, but suffers from short-term memory loss that gets her into trouble. Similarly, the Sceptres have all the makings of a solid team. However, they’re struggling a bit offensively, and they have a nasty habit of randomly forgetting how to play defense, which is costing them games.

It’s tough to know what exactly to make of the Sceptres so far. They’re not a bad team. However, they’re not a particularly impressive one either. They have the pieces to be, but they’re not generating enough offense, and they’re excellent at shooting themselves in the foot defensively. I’d say they could work a lot of that out in practice this week, but they’re missing their GM, head coach, and several top players thanks to the international games, so that’s not ideal. Still, Toronto started the first two seasons weirdly and managed to turn it around, so it's not too hard to imagine that happening again.

#6 (tied). New York Sirens (2-0-0-3, 6 points)

O'Neill takes a shot on Maschmeyer as two teammates come in to support and Vancouver players try to defend. The New York players are in white away uniforms, while Vancouver is wearing blue home ones.
Kristin O'Neill takes a shot on Emerance Maschmeyer. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Dec. 6 @ VAN: 4-0 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Dec. 17 vs. BOS: 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSG, NESN, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Mushu and Cri-Kee (Mulan)

Mushu is one of the funniest sidekicks in Disney history. However, chaos often ensues when he tries to help Mulan, causing a fair amount of problems en route to eventually saving China. Mushu also has a sidekick of his own in Cri-Kee, the lucky cricket who manages to live up to his title and somehow not die during all the chaos. Likewise, the Sirens have been entertaining to watch so far this season, but they’ve also encountered a fair bit of chaos. They’ve shown flashes of good but also flashes of the past two seasons, where they can’t get out of their own way. They could use a Cri-Kee of their own to help them rally together and find genuine success for the first time in franchise history.

After controlling most of the game against Seattle but losing in the final minutes, the Sirens played another decent game in Vancouver but got shut out. They deserved better than the zero points they banked out west, and they do look like a better team than last year. But it's hard to say right now whether that’s going to turn into much more than a bunch of games where they deserve better than they get.

#6 (tied). Seattle Torrent (1-0-1-1, 4 points)

Six Seattle players are lined up on the blue line in the foreground, while five New York ones are visible in the background. All have their backs to the camera. The Seattle players are in teal home uniforms, while the New York players are in white away ones.
Seattle and New York players line up on their blue lines during the national anthem. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • No games this week

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Dec. 17 vs. OTT: 7 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Ray (The Princess and the Frog)

Ray the Firefly is a sweet, fearless character with big dreams. He wants to marry the evening star, Evangeline, and puts himself in danger frequently to help Tiana and Naveen become human again. He pays a high price in the end, dying at the foot of Dr. Facilier, but he then becomes a star right next to his Evangeline, so it’s still a happy ending for him. Similarly, the Torrent entered this season with big dreams of success and lots of talk of a strong, team-first culture. It’s been a rocky road so far, as they have yet to really control a game, and it’s showing in the results. However, there’s still plenty of time for a happy ending.

The Torrent were given the gift of time this week with no games on the docket. Other teams may not have welcomed such an interruption so early in the season, but no one needs to practice more than the expansion clubs. The Torrent are also still in the middle of their December homestand, so between that and all the practice time, they should emerge at least a bit better than they entered it. As with Vancouver, the potential is there with this team. But a two-week training camp simply wasn’t enough to hit the ground running.

#6 (tied). Vancouver Goldeneyes (1-1-0-3, 5 points)

Boreen celebrates a goal with one of her teammates. Both are on their knees just outside the New York crease. The Vancouver players are in blue home uniforms, while the New York players in the background are in white away uniforms.
Abby Boreen and her teammate celebrate a goal against the Sirens. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (+1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Dec. 6 vs. NYS: 4-0 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Tue, Dec. 16 vs. OTT: 7 p.m. PT, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Abu (Aladdin)

Aladdin’s kleptomaniac friend gets them into a fair amount of trouble at the beginning of the movie. He was unable to control himself in the Cave of Wonders and touched the forbidden treasure, and it seemed like he had doomed them to rot in the cave for all eternity. However, he also managed to steal the Genie’s lamp back from Jafar before the Cave closed, which proved their salvation. Similarly, the Goldeneyes started their existence as kleptomaniacs, stealing a horde of high-end players from the original six teams. That strategy hasn’t led to the smoothest start, but it’s hard to imagine it not working out for them in the end.

Going home was just what the doctor ordered for the Goldeneyes. After a messy road trip, they finally got their first regulation win via a shutout of the Sirens. Emerance Maschmeyer was brilliant for the second straight game, and this time, her team actually supported her offensively. It’s certainly not all peaches and cream for Vancouver yet, but it was the perfect way for them to start their lengthy homestand. They have two more games there to keep building as a team before heading back on the road at the end of the month. They’d be wise to make them count.

#8. Ottawa Charge (1-0-0-3, 3 points)

From her knees, Phillips kicks out a puck from her crease. She is wearing a red home uniform.
Gwyneth Phillips makes a save during a game. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • No games this week

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Tue, Dec. 16 @ VAN: 10 p.m. ET, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Wed, Dec. 17 @ SEA: 10 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Sidekick: Heihei (Moana)

Heihei is not a smart sidekick. He frequently endangers himself, but he does manage to help Moana by keeping the heart of Te Fiti away from the Kakamora and then saving it from falling into the sea in the final battle. Likewise, the Charge have not been a good team this season. Gwyneth Phillips has tried to redeem them with her brilliant play, but she needs some help to make it translate into results.

Similar to Seattle, a week off was probably for the best for the Charge right now. However, they face a big challenge coming out of it, with the first back-to-back set of the PWHL season, and it's out west. Still, the week of practice should be an asset heading into that. Phillips has been the lone player to show up every game for them, and they need practice time to figure out what play combinations might be able to support her. Ten of their players have found the scoresheet this season, but just four of them have put their names on multiple times, and only Brianne Jenner has multiple goals. You can’t win games if you don’t score goals, and hopefully, this week of practice will help them figure out how to do that. Otherwise, they're in for a long, long season.

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