2025-26 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 6 (12/26-01/01)

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.

Happy New Year, power rankings readers! It’s equally as hard to believe that the PWHL is already two years old as it is that it’s only two years old. So much has happened over the past two years, and things look like they’re only going up from here with the league’s first Olympics and another expansion on the horizon. The last week of 2025 was a busier one, with every team in action across six games in five days. Most of the basement teams showed signs of life, while some of the top teams took a hit, and the mushy middle continued to be, well, mushy. So, let’s get to it!

Unless you live under a rock, chances are you’ve at least heard of Netflix’s Stranger Things series. There’s also a good chance you’re aware that the series finale premiered Wednesday night after an over nine-year, five-season run. Considering it is one of the most popular shows in the world, and yours truly has been binging the new season this week (and has the finale waiting for her on the other side of this column), it’s only right to commemorate its end with a theme based on quotes from the show. It just so happens that despite my exhaustive search, Dustin and Eddie make up the majority of the theme, but rest assured, I took my job seriously and considered everyone else too. In the interest of not spoiling recent things, no quotes or references to Season 5 will be included, but Seasons 1-4 are fair game. So, proceed at your own risk if you don’t know what happens in those.

#1. Boston Fleet (6-0-1-1, 19 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Dec 27 @ OTT- 3-2 SOL

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sat, Jan 3 vs VAN- 7 p.m. ET, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Wed, Jan 7 vs SEA- 7 p.m. ET, Agganis Arena, Boston, MA (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “We all die, my strange little child friend. It’s just a matter of how, and when,” Robin Buckley (S3, E7)

Every team loses in this strange little league. But the matter of how is important, with loser points playing a pivotal factor in the end-of-season standings.

For the first time, this is a somewhat reluctant ranking for the Fleet. They shot themselves in the foot in a big way this week, allowing Ottawa to tie the game in the final three minutes and then take it in the shootout. It’s going to happen to every team over the course of the season, but that doesn’t make it any better. They learned a hard lesson last year about what happens when you let points slip away, so they need to make sure this doesn't become a habit again. Still, they played well for most of the game, got a point, and hold a 79.2% points percentage on the season. The Minnesota Frost sit a distant second at 62.5%. Therefore, Boston gets to keep this spot another week. But they’re skating on increasingly thin ice at Power Rankings HQ.

#2. Minnesota Frost (4-1-1-2, 15 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (+1)

This Week’s Results: 

• Sat, Dec 27 @ VAN- 2-1 OTW
• Tue, Dec 30 @ TOR- 5-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sat, Jan 3 @ OTT- 12 p.m. CT, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sun, Jan 4 @ MTL- 1 p.m. CT, Place Bell, Laval, QC (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, CBC TV, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “I’m missing collarbones, not eyes”- Dustin Henderson (S4, E3)

They’re missing defense, not scoring or goaltending.

The Frost had themselves a week, starting with a big Takeover Tour win in Edmonton, followed by a beatdown of Toronto. This team certainly has no trouble scoring, and Nicole Hensley continued her resurgent season while Maddie Rooney got into the win column for the first time this season this week. They still frequently let up an alarming number of grade-A chances, but their goaltending has been good enough that it hasn’t often mattered. It would do them well to clean it up, but that’s really all I have to pick at with this squad right now. They're cruising.

#3. Montréal Victoire (3-1-0-3, 11 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-1)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Dec 27 vs TOR- 2-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Fri, Jan 2 @ NYS- 1 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NY (Sportsnet, RDS, MSG, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sun, Jan 4 vs MIN- 2 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Sportsnet, CBC TV, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “It’s gonna be okay. Remember, Bob Newby, superhero,” -Bob Newby (S2, E8)

The Victoire have lost two straight, scoring just two goals in that span, but it’s going to be ok. Remember, Marie-Philip Poulin: Superhero.

The Victoire faced off against the Sceptres for the third time in their last five games this week. They suffered their first loss of the series, but it was a pretty evenly matched game, so it’s hard to make too much out of it. That said, Montréal does need to pick the scoring back up, because two goals in their last two games is not good enough. They’ve had remarkably balanced goal-scoring so far, which is great, but they also need their superstars to start finding the back of the net more. They’re getting assists, just not a lot of goals. Abby Roque leads the team with three, while Poulin and Natálie Mlýnková are the only other players with multiple goals. Luckily for them, this has happened before, so it should be just a matter of time before it seems silly that this was ever a problem. But, on the other hand, they need that time to come soon before they find themselves slipping down the standings.

#4. Toronto Sceptres (4-0-2-3, 14 points)

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

This Week’s Results: 

• Sat, Dec 27 @ MTL- 2-1 W
• Tue, Dec 30 vs MIN- 5-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sat, Jan 3 vs SEA- 2 p.m. ET, TD Coliseum, Hamilton, ON (CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Tue, Jan 6 vs NYS- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (Amazon Prime, MSG, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “I mean, look at us, we’re not heroes” - Eddie Munson (S4, E9)

I mean, look at the Sceptres. They’re not consistent. However, much like Eddie shows his heroic side later in the episode, they have the potential to be.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Sceptres had an up-and-down week. They kicked it off with a bang with a big win over Montréal at the famed Bell Centre, which they followed up with a dud at home versus Minnesota. Sure, they got a fair amount of grade-A chances, but they let up way too many in their own end, and the score reflects that. Toronto’s goaltenders are solid, but as I’ve said before, they’re not often going to be gamebreakers like Aerin Frankel in Boston or Ann-Renée Desbiens in Montréal. They need to stop treating them like they should be, or this season-opening inconsistency spell will keep spiralling. Oh, and it would be swell if they’d actually find a way to bury some of those grade-A chances they get.

#5. Seattle Torrent (3-0-1-3, 10 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for fifth (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sun, Dec 28 @ NYS- 4-3 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sat, Jan 3 @ TOR- 11 a.m. PT, TD Coliseum, Hamilton, ON (CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Wed, Jan 7 @ BOS- 4 p.m. PT, Agganis Arena, Boston, MA (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “MIKE, I FOUND THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING,” Dustin Henderson (S1, E8) 

FOLKS, THE TORRENT FOUND DEPTH SCORING (at least briefly).

In their seventh game of the season, the Torrent finally got a goal from outside of their top six. Multiple goals, in fact, with Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Lexie Adzija both finding the back of the net. Top-sixer Danielle Serdachny also scored for the first time this season. It’s just one game of depth scoring, but it's a start. The Torrent need their depth to keep stepping up this week, and perhaps clean up their defense a bit, as it’s been more porous than usual lately. This isn’t a team built to win many high-scoring games, so the puck has to stay out of their net first for any scoring they get to matter. They'll kick the week off against an inconsistent Toronto squad before heading to Boston to face an excellent-at-home Fleet squad in former Fleet captain Hilary Knight's first game back in the city since the expansion draft.

#6. New York Sirens (4-0-0-5, 12 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (+2)

This Week’s Results:

• Sun, Dec 28 vs SEA- 4-3 W
• Wed, Dec 31 vs VAN- 2-0 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Fri, Jan 2 vs MTL- 1 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSG, Sportsnet, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Tue, Jan 6 @ TOR- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (MSG, Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “How do I know it’s not a lizard?...Because it’s face opened up and it ate my cat!” - Dustin Henderson (S2, E6)

How do I know the Sirens don’t belong in the basement again? Because the offensive floodgates opened up and they doubled their regulation win total this week.

It’s not a great thing for the Sirens that they've needed a player to score a hat trick in half of their wins this season. However, it is a great thing that they finally got back in the win column not once, but twice this week, and both were in regulation. That rocketed them up from eighth to fourth in the standings. It’s also a good thing that their third overall pick not only tallied her first PWHL point against Seattle, but scored a hat trick in that game. There’s plenty of work still to be done in Sirens land, but this was an encouraging week for them.

One thing they might want to consider sooner rather than later, though, is giving Kayle Osborne a rest. They’re the only team that has yet to play a backup goalie this season, and up until Wednesday’s shutout of Vancouver, she was starting to show signs of fatigue. Behind her are rookies Callie Shanahan and Kaley Doyle, and while they're both quality goaltenders, they're unproven in the PWHL. New York cannot afford to lose Osborne, so it's time to give her a rest before she gets avoidably hurt.

#7. Ottawa Charge (1-3-0-5, 9 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Dec 27 vs BOS- 3-2 SOW

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sat, Jan 3 vs MIN- 1 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (Sportsnet, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “Why do we even need weapons anyway? We have her [Eleven]!” - Dustin Henderson (S1, E3)

Why does Ottawa need consistent scoring anyway? They have Gwyneth Phillips!

Are the Charge…back? Kind of? That’s three wins in a row for Ottawa after losing five of their first six. Sure, they’ve all been past regulation, and sure, they didn’t really come close to a 60-minute effort in any of them, but points are points. The next order of business is finding a way to get all three out of a game, and then maybe not torturing the always-brilliant Phillips for once.

#8. Vancouver Goldeneyes (2-1-1-5, 9 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-2)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Dec 27 vs MIN- 2-1 OTL
• Wed, Dec 31 @ NYS- 2-0 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sat, Jan 3 @ BOS- 4 p.m. PT, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI (TSN, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Quote: “Chrissy, wake up! I don’t like this! Chrissy, wake up!”- Eddie Munson (S4, E1)

Vancouver, wake up! You’re near the bottom of the standings and your fans don’t like this! Vancouver, wake uuuupp!

It might be time to start sounding the alarm in Vancouver. This team has shown that they’re good at home, but they have managed just one point across five games away from Pacific Coliseum. That is not a recipe for success. They just can’t seem to get it together on the road, and it’s why they are tied for last place with Ottawa. Another reason is that some of their highly-touted players– namely Tereza Vanišová, Michelle Karvinen, and Hannah Miller– have yet to find the back of the net this season. Plus, just four players, two of whom are defenders, have found the back of the net multiple times. I don’t know what the solution is in Vancouver, but something has to change, and soon, or they will not be seeing the postseason this year.