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2025–26 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 4 (12/12–12/18)

2025–26 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 4 (12/12–12/18)
Liz Schepers celebrates her goal against New York with her teammates. 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 returned from the international break this week with a bang, playing four games in just over 24 hours. Streaks continued, for better or for worse, across the league, which means there isn’t as much movement this week as teams finally begin to settle in. It’s a busier week ahead despite the holiday break, with seven games on the docket and every team in action for the first time in a while. In the meantime, on behalf of everyone here at TIG, I want to wish a Happy Hanukkah to all those currently celebrating, and an early Merry Christmas to all those celebrating on Thursday!

Last year, we celebrated the holiday season with a Christmas song theme, so it only felt right to use movies this year. Each team was matched with a scene or quote from a Christmas movie, so grab a cup of hot beverage, curl up with a nice cozy blanket, and enjoy.

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#1. Boston Fleet (5-0-0-0, 15 points)

Huber raises her arms in celebration as she skates around the back of the net. She is wearing a white away uniform, while New York's Kayle Osborne is in her crease wearing a teal home one.
Ella Huber celebrates her first PWHL goal. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Wed., Dec. 17 @ NYS: 2-0 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Fri., Dec. 19 @ MIN: 8 p.m. ET, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (NESN, FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Sun., Dec. 21 @ SEA: 5 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene/Quote: “All aboard!”—The Conductor (The Polar Express)

All abooooooooard the Fleet Express. Let them make you a believer, too.

The Fleet played a rather clunky game against New York, yet thanks to Aerin Frankel, some luck, and a can-do attitude, they’re 5-0-0-0. This is a nasty road trip for Boston, with three games in five days across three time zones, so it’ll be an excellent test of the team’s resilience. They’ve put themselves in a great position in this young season, but there’s a long way to go. Luckily for Fleet fans, it seems like they know that complacency is not an option.

#2. Montréal Victoire (2-1-0-1, 8 points)

Desbiens, Poulin, and another teammate all raise their arms in celebration and come together for a group hug. They are wearing cream away uniforms.
Montréal players celebrate their win over Toronto. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Wed., Dec. 17 @ TOR: 2-1 SOW

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sat., Dec. 20 @ VAN: 3 p.m. ET, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (CBC, CBC TV, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Tue., Dec. 23 @ SEA: 10 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene/Quote: “I’m singing/I’m in a store/And I’m siiiiingiiiiing/I’m in a store/And I’m siiiiiiiiingiiiiing!”—Buddy the Elf (Elf)

They’re winning. They’re not always playing the best hockey, but they’re wiiiiiiiining. 

Ann-Renée Desbiens appears to have taken all the talk of Aerin Frankel’s brilliance personally, and she's reminding everyone why she’s the reigning Goaltender of the Year. The Victoire did not have a good game offensively or defensively, but when you have one of the best goaltenders in the world bailing you out, it's amazing what can happen. Still, they need to find a way to generate more consistent offensive pressure if they want to make their lives easier, and helping Desbiens out a little more isn't a bad idea either.

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

Minnesota players celebrate their goal with a group hug. They are wearing white away uniforms.
Minnesota players celebrate their goal against Boston. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • No games this week.

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Fri., Dec. 19 vs BOS: 7 p.m. CT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, NESN, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Sun., Dec. 21 vs OTT: 1 p.m. CT, Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene/Quote: The Grinch rattles off his to-do list (How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000))

The Frost haven’t had a whole lot to do these past few weeks. Their to-do list has been significantly less self-loathing, but lacking an equal amount of pizzazz.

After spending three of their first four games on the road, the Frost were rewarded with a nearly two-week stretch at home. As I’ve said a lot recently, extra practice is always a good thing early in the season. However, unlike most of the other teams afforded extra practice time, the Frost were already playing decent hockey heading into this break, save for some occasionally iffy defense. So, look for them to emerge raring to go against a red-hot and then ice-cold opponent.

#4. Toronto Sceptres (2-0-1-2, 7 points)

A wide-view shot of Toronto celebrating their goal. One player is in the corner with her arms raised, as the others skate toward her for a group hug. Montréal players dot the zone. The Sceptres are wearing blue home uniforms, while the Victoire are in cream away ones.
Toronto celebrates their goal against Montréal. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Wed., Dec. 17 vs MON: 2-1 SOL

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun., Dec. 21 @ NYS: 12 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (TSN, MSG, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Tue., Dec. 23 vs OTT: 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene/Quote: “Y-Yesterday’s today and today is tomorrow, and it’s gonna be the same thing, day in and day out, day in and day out”—Huey (Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas)

Year in and year out, the Sceptres struggle to string together wins early in the season. They’ve figured it out past two years, and they likely will again, but perhaps they should try a different approach in the future.

Another week, another game that the Sceptres probably deserved to win but found a way to lose. They did a decent job of generating quality shots, but they have got to find a way to start burying them more often. Sure, Desbiens was brilliant, but this is a multi-game problem for Toronto. They have some offensive talent, but someone needs to step up and start finishing their chances. Toronto doesn't have the defensive structure or otherworldly goaltending that some other teams do to make up for a lack of offense.

#5 (tied). Vancouver Goldeneyes (2-1-0-3, 8 points)

Chan raises her leg and pumps her fist in celebrate as one of her teammates skates toward her, smiling and arms raised. They are wearing blue home uniforms.
Katie Chan celebrates her first PWHL goal. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for sixth (+1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Tue., Dec. 16 vs OTT: 2-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sat., Dec. 20 vs MTL: 12 p.m. PT, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (CBC, CBC TV, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene: Rizzo vs the Fence (The Muppets Christmas Carol)

Skip to 0:48 for the good stuff.

God did not save the little broken Goldeneyes on their road trip, but winning at home has been as easy as slipping through the fenceposts.

Again, what a difference going home can make. The Goldeneyes are still trying to find a sustainable offensive groove, but they’re finding ways to win games now that they’ve gotten to sleep in their own beds again and get some practice in. Their building is going to consistently be one of the toughest to play in around the league, so it’s vital that they continue to bank points there. They have a couple more games at home before heading back out on the road, and that’ll be the real test of how this team has improved over the past couple of weeks.

#5 (tied). Seattle Torrent (2-0-1-1, 7 points)

The Torrent raise their sticks as they come together for a tight group hug at center ice. They are all wearing teal home uniforms.
The Seattle Torrent celebrate their win at center ice. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for sixth (+1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Wed., Dec. 17 vs OTT: 4-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun., Dec. 21 vs BOS: 2 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Sportsnet, NESN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Tue., Dec. 23 vs MTL: 7 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene: “He did it all, and infinitely more, and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father.”—Gonzo aka Charles Dickens (The Muppets Christmas Carol)

And the Seattle Torrent, who did NOT struggle to score, finally controlled a game for the first time in their history.

Let’s play another game of good news, bad news, shall we? Good news: the Torrent’s top players are performing. Hannah Bilka leads the league with six points, while Alex Carpenter, Julia Gosling, and Hilary Knight are all part of a nine-way(!) tie for second with five points. Bad news: no other player has scored a goal or tallied multiple points this season, and only four others have one point, three of whom are defenders. Good news: their power play is humming, converting on 30.8% of their chances, which is good for first in the league. Bad news: they have just five even-strength goals this season, one of which was an empty-netter, and three of which came in their first game. It’s been a rocky road for the Torrent this season, but as was the hope, they are getting better as this long homestand goes on. They’re going to need that to continue, with the red-hot Fleet visiting next game.

#7. New York Sirens (2-0-0-4, 6 points)

O'Neill looks down as she skates into the offensive zone with the puck in front of her. She is wearing a teal away uniform.
Kristin O'Neill skates with the puck against Boston. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for sixth (-1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Wed., Dec. 17 vs BOS: 2-0 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun., Dec. 21 vs TOR: 12 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSG, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene: “It’s Christmas and we’re all in misery”—Ellen Griswold (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)

Six games in, and the Sirens are in misery again.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Sirens deserve better than they're getting results-wise. But the fact of the matter is, they’ve been shut out in consecutive games for the first time in PWHL history, and across four losses this season, they’ve managed just one goal. They’ve outshot their opponent in each game this season, but the finish just isn’t there. They don’t lack talent, but the learning curve is proving steep for many of their hopeful stars. However, they need them to figure it out sooner rather than later, or they'll find themselves in another Gold Plan battle come spring.

#8. Ottawa Charge (1-0-0-5, 3 points)

Jenner stands in front of Kristen Campbell's crease with her stick in her hands. She's looking toward the corner at a play unfolding out of frame. Several Vancouver players are in the frame defending. Jenner is wearing a white away uniform, while the Vancouver players are in a blue home one..
Brianne Jenner watches a play unfold in the corner. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Tue., Dec. 16 @ VAN: 2-1 L
  • Wed., Dec. 17 @ SEA: 4-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun., Dec. 21 @ MIN: 2 p.m. ET, Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL (Sportsnet, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL YouTube Channel)
  • Tue., Dec. 23 @ TOR: 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)

Scene: Marv gets pelted with bricks (Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

One, two, three, four bricks to the he…er, regulation losses in a row. Ouchie.

To be fair to the Charge, making them immediately head west and play a back-to-back with travel coming out of the international break was just plain cruel. But wow, does this team need to learn how to score goals. They put up five in their lone win, which is a league-high this season, but they’ve managed just four in their five other games. They're also not particularly adept at defending and helping their goalies. They outshot both Seattle and Vancouver, so that’s a baby step in the right direction. But there is a lot of work to be done if they want to stay out of the Gold Plan race.

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