2025-26 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 7 (01/02-01/08)

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.

Apparently, several PWHL teams really wanted to make yours truly’s life difficult this week. The only clubs to have good weeks were in the bottom half of the rankings last week, while last week’s top four had a rocky week at best and outright terrible at worst. While unpleasant for those of us trying to rank these teams, it’s good news for the PWHL as a whole, because the more parity there is, the more exciting the playoff push is. Anyway, given the chaos of the results, there’s a three-way tie in the rankings for the first time this season, while a couple of other teams were perhaps unfairly placed. There are only a few weeks left for teams to get themselves in a good spot heading into the Olympic break, so expect the competition to stay fierce in the week ahead.

Many of my past musical power rankings have focused on pre-2000s music. Therefore, I felt it was about time to do another modern one. So, I headed to the 2010s to give some of the decade’s big hits to each PWHL team. With numerous teams having weird weeks, the overall vibe of the song and team were considered more heavily than direct lyrical connections, although a few of those were made too.

#1. Boston Fleet (7-0-1-2, 22 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 3 vs VAN- 4-3 L
• Wed, Jan 7 vs SEA- 2-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sun, Jan 11 vs OTT- 12 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Wed, Jan 14 vs TOR- 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Titanium- David Guetta featuring Sia (2011)

The Fleet were shot down to start this week, but they haven’t fallen. They might not be bulletproof, but they’re sure looking tough to seriously hurt.

If any of the teams around them in last week’s power rankings had had a decent week, the Fleet would not still be sitting here. Even still, I almost just went without a number one because the Fleet don’t quite deserve it. However, given they wouldn’t have been tied with anyone, that felt pointless. So, here we are. The Fleet remain atop the league’s standings, but their loss to Vancouver on Saturday was ugly. They rebounded okay with a gritty home win against Seattle, but they only mustered 23 shots on goal, including just a couple from high-danger areas, which is far from ideal. Sunday will be a big game for the league’s leaders after they let Ottawa crawl back into their last meeting in the final minutes and then win in a shootout. The chances of winning a game against Gwyneth Philips without sustained offensive pressure are slim, and they need to prove that they can put together a full 60-minute effort outside of Massachusetts. Otherwise, they’re going to keep seeing their standings lead shrink.

#3 (tied). Minnesota Frost (4-1-2-3, 16 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-1)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 3 @ OTT- 5-2 L
• Sun, Jan 4 @ MTL- 3-2 OTL

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sun, Jan 11 vs SEA- 1 p.m. CT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Shake It Off- Taylor Swift (2014)

The Frost didn’t get the results they wanted this week, but they need to take a page out of Taylor Swift’s handbook and simply Shake It Off instead of dwelling on it.

This was not Minnesota’s finest week. They kicked it off with just their second multi-goal defeat of the season in Ottawa before forgetting that Poulin and her linemates are people you should stick to like glue. However, it was a back-to-back with travel, which is never easy, and they’re without Nicole Hensley, who has been stellar this season. This is just their first losing streak of the season, which isn't too shabby. They get to return home this weekend to face one of the league’s worst offenses, so that should give them a good chance to get back on track.

#3 (tied). Montréal Victoire (3-2-0-4, 13 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Fri, Jan 2 @ NYS- 4-3 L
• Sun, Jan 4 vs MIN- 3-2 OTW

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sun, Jan 11 vs VAN- 2 p.m. ET, Vidéotron Centre, Québec City, QC (CBC, CBC TV, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Tue, Jan 13 vs OTT- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Uptown Funk- Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2014)

It was an (Uptown) Funky week for Montréal, but as I said last week … Marie-Philip Poulin, superhero. Don’t believe me? Just watch.

Anyway, the Victoire’s top line was buzzing this week, and while they still lost to the red-hot Sirens, it was enough to get them back in the win column against the Frost. Montréal poured shots on both goaltenders they faced this week, tallying 45 against New York and 38 against Minnesota. There was a bit of a quality issue against Minnesota, particularly compared to Friday, but when the best player in the world and her also-outstanding linemates decide they’re sick of losing, they’re not going to lose. Now, it’s time for them to find a way to finish more of their offensive chances, as well as get a full team offensive effort in a game, instead of just the top line or the depth finding the back of the net. If they can ever do those things with a crumb of consistency, this should be a scary team.

#3 (tied). New York Sirens (6-0-0-5, 18 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (+3)

This Week’s Results:

• Fri, Jan 2 vs MTL- 4-3 W
• Tue, Jan 6 @ TOR- 2-0 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• No games this week.

Song: Happy- Pharrell Williams (2013)

It might seem crazy, what I’m ‘bout to say, but the Sirens are on a four-game win streak that has catapulted them to second place in the standings. Clap along (or wee-woo, if you’d rather) if this is also happiness for you.

And just like that, the Sirens have belief again. What a turnaround it has been for this squad, from a four-game regulation loss streak to a four-game regulation win one. They finally got some puck luck to back up the fact that they were playing better than their record. Their first overall pick this year, Kristýna Kaltounková, is hitting her stride and now sits second in league goal scoring with seven. Plus, goaltender Kayle Osborne has been outstanding despite the heavy workload. That said, some results regression is likely, as they were significantly outshot this week (including by over double against Montréal), and their defense has been a bit suspect. Still, even if they regress a bit, it’s reasonable to think they’ll settle into a groove that sees them fighting to get into the playoffs instead of being the first ones activating the Gold Plan again.

#5. Seattle Torrent (3-1-1-4, 12 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 3 @ TOR- 3-2 SOW
• Wed, Jan 7 @ BOS- 2-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Sun, Jan 11 @ MIN- 11 a.m. PT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Just Give Me A Reason- P!nk featuring Nate Ruess (2012)

Just give me a reason to believe that this offense might break through once and for all. Just a little bit’s enough.

The Torrent had perhaps their best offensive performance of the season on Saturday, peppering Toronto netminder Raygan Kirk with 39 shots, including a fair amount of quality ones, while getting a goal from both their top-six and bottom-six. It built on what was also a solid offensive performance in Dallas the previous week, and provided a glimmer of hope that they might finally have figured this offense thing out. However, they followed that up with a big stinker in Boston, landing just 15 shots on goal, very few of which were quality. Sure, Boston blocked 13 others, but good teams find a way to get more shots through. They need to figure out how to bring legitimate offensive pressure for more than just a game or two at a time, or they’re going to continue to find themselves struggling to stay out of the bottom half of the standings.

#6. Toronto Sceptres (4-0-3-4, 15 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-2)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 3 vs SEA- 3-2 SOL
• Tue, Jan 6 vs NYS- 2-0 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Wed, Jan 14 @ BOS- 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (TSN, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Story of My Life- One Direction (2013)

Struggles to generate offense. No finishing touch. This week was a perfect addition to the Story of Toronto’s Life this season.

Ay caramba, was this a rough week for Toronto. There really isn’t much to say that I haven’t been saying for weeks now. Until this team figures out how to generate more consistent offense and then actually bury their chances, they’re not going far. No winning streaks but two losing ones through a third of the season is not a good way to go about securing a third straight playoff berth.

#7. Ottawa Charge (2-3-0-5, 12 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 3 vs MIN- 5-2 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Fri, Jan 9 vs VAN- 7 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sun, Jan 11 @ BOS- 12 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS (TSN, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Tue, Jan 13 @ MTL- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Royals- Lorde (2013)

Ottawa might never be the fanciest team, but right now, they don’t care. With a four-game win streak under their belt, they’re feeling pretty royal anyway.

The Charge made it four wins in a row in style by finally taking one in regulation. This win streak has been a confidence builder for Ottawa and brought some belief back into the team. It’s perhaps a little mean to rank them so low because of that, but the reality is there’s still a lot of work to be done. They're still tied for last place with Seattle and Vancouver, albeit now just three points behind fourth-place Toronto. That said, their offense has been better lately, and while the defense still has cleaning up to do, they actually gave Phillips a bit of a break for once this week (although that might have been more due to Minnesota’s poor play than Ottawa’s strong defense). The week ahead will be a huge test for Ottawa, with three games in five days with travel between each. If they can even get half the points available, it should be considered a success.

#8. Vancouver Goldeneyes (3-1-1-5, 12 points)

Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (-)

This Week’s Results:

• Sat, Jan 3 @ BOS- 4-3 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Fri, Jan 9 @ OTT- 4 p.m. PT, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
• Sun, Jan 11 @ MTL- 11 a.m. PT, Vidéotron Centre, Québec City, QC (CBC, CBC TV, PWHL Youtube Channel)

Song: Hello- Adele (2015)

Hello from the other side of Vancouver’s season-opening road losing streak. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done if they want to erase the pain of that streak, and they’re already running out of time to do it.

There’s good news and bad news from this week in Goldeneyesville. The good news is they finally won a game on the road. The bad news is it took a miraculous third-period comeback to get it, and they’re still tied for last place in the standings. They’ve yet to play a completely solid game on the road, and the trip doesn’t get much easier this week as they visit a hot Ottawa squad and a Montréal team that has had offensive struggles, but is difficult to count out. They need to pull off at least another win or two before they return home in a few weeks, or it’s going to be increasingly difficult to take this talented-on-paper roster seriously.