Five Thoughts from the Toronto Sceptres' Season Opener

The Toronto Sceptres opened the 2025-2026 PWHL season with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Frost on Friday night, kicking off the 30-game schedule on a high note. Both of Toronto's goals came from newcomers to the team, while Raygan Kirk didn't miss a beat in the win.

It's only one game, but what can we take away from this win? Here are some of my far-too-early thoughts:

Kiara Zanon: it's a yes from me.

I'll admit, I was pretty surprised when Kiara Zanon went into training camp without a contract. She's got a good offensive upside and though there's already a lot of offensive talent in the PWHL, I thought she deserved a chance.

Gratefully, Gina Kingsbury and Troy Ryan saw something during camp and agreed. She had two goals and an assist in the preseason and, rightfully so, earned herself a deal entering the regular season. It wasn't surprising to see her continue that offense in her debut, potting the game-winning goal.

Zanon played the left side on Toronto's third line, alongside center Emma Gentry and right winger Emma Woods. She finished the game with two shots, including the goal, and played 9:43. I don't think you can ask for much more from a player in their first pro game.

"The play itself was a very good breakout," Zanon said of her goal. "Emma [Maltais] was in the middle of the ice helping me out, calling for it, so I knew where she was. I was able to break it to her in the middle and she made a great play to send me. I just shot it — just a quick break from a breakout, a good play up ice and I’m looking forward to getting that going some more."

Good starts are important, but not everything.

Having a strong start to a game can definitely be important: it lays the groundwork for the 60+ minutes ahead. At the same time, it's not everything. It's not just about how you start, but it's also about how you finish—granted, if you completely collapse early on, that can make it a lot harder.

The Sceptres did not have a great start to Friday's game. The Frost held them without a shot for the first roughly seven minutes and didn't let Toronto get any momentum or sustained zone time. But once the Sceptres started to find their rhythm and push back, it worked out in their favor, starting with Shelton's goal to tie it late in the first period. They then had a much stronger second period and, eventually, won it in the third.

Speaking of Ella Shelton...

Ella Shelton showed exactly why she's type of player you want to have on your team, making an immediate impact in her Sceptres debut. She played alongside Savannah Harmon on the top pairing and led all skaters (from both teams!) in time on ice, playing 24:45. As Ryan said after the game, with the absence of Renata Fast, there were a lot of minutes to be eaten up.

On the offensive side, she potted the first-period goal and had two shots.

Natalie Spooner isn't missing a beat.

Earlier this week, I read a piece from the IIHF that highlighted pre-Olympic PWHL storylines to watch, and a particular bit stood out to me, as they said that Natalie Spooner had an 'underwhelming' season last year. Spooner had five points in 14 games last season, but they didn't mention that she was recovering from a torn ACL and surgery, was on long-term injured reserve, and wasn’t in the lineup till mid-February!

That said, she is back, baby, and wasted no time making a contribution. Spooner registered the primary assist on Shelton's game-tying goal and the secondary assist on Zanon's game-winning goal. It's the first multi-assist game of her PWHL career and it leaves me feeling optimistic about the offense she'll bring in the season ahead.

I may be underestimating Raygan Kirk.

When the Sceptres signed Elaine Chuli, it felt (to me!) like she was set to be their starting goaltender. But I may be underestimating Raygan Kirk, and if the first game is any indication, Raygan Kirk is absolutely going to compete for that top spot.

Kirk made 30 saves in Friday's win, allowing just the one goal in the first period. She also had a nice stop on a penalty shot opportunity by Kelly Pannek at 15:49 of the first period, keeping it a one-goal game. The Sceptres tied it just 1:16 later. She had 1.635 goals saved above average and was named the third star of the game.

Hey, having two goalies at the top of their game is never a bad thing.

The Sceptres return to action on Saturday, November 29 as they host the Boston Fleet at 2 pm.