PWHL Notebook: Final Boston Fleet Roster Moves

The 2024-25 PWHL season has finally arrived! After a lot of waiting and wondering, the rosters are finally set, so I put together some thoughts on the final roster moves the Boston Fleet made in my latest notebook.

Main Roster Signings

The Fleet rounded out their main roster with forwards Amanda Pelkey and Shay Maloney, plus goaltender Klára Peslarová. Kicking things off with Pelkey, she is a veteran with a high hockey IQ. She moved up and down the Fleet lineup last season and found a new gear in playoffs, so it’s a no-brainer to bring her back into the mix. 

As for Maloney, I haven’t seen her play personally, but the Fleet love her. She’s a relentless power forward who’s not afraid to get to the dirty areas, which Boston needed to do more last season. Looking at the stat sheets, she did a great job of bringing that type of game to the preseason, with one goal, four shots, and twice as many hits as any other Fleet forward with eight. So, she should fit seamlessly into the lineup and bring a punishing game that allows the Fleet to use their depth more effectively.

Last by not least, Peslarová is a Czech national team stalwart who regularly posts great numbers despite not always playing on strong teams. Leading up to this season, she was widely considered the best goaltender outside of North America, and it’s great to see her get an opportunity in the PWHL. She will push Aerin Frankel and particularly Emma Söderberg more than perhaps Cami Kronish did last season, and it honestly would not be a surprise to see her in a game or two. The only potential hiccup the Fleet may encounter with her is how she handles not playing a lot. She’s used to being a starter with a heavy workload, so this will be a big transition. She should handle it fine, but it’s something to keep an eye on. 

Reserves

Kelly Babstock proved that not only can she handle stepping into the lineup and performing well after a long stretch between games, but it may be where she’s at her best. She made her presence felt as a reserve last season and even earned herself a full contract for playoffs, although she saw her ice time dip. Meanwhile, off the ice, she never seems to have a bad day at the rink and brings an infectious energy that makes her beloved in the locker room. She’s an easy player for the Fleet to keep around. 

Moving on to Jillian Dempsey, if you were around the women’s hockey scene in Boston before the PWHL, she needs no explanation. But for those of you who are just joining, Dempsey is a Boston hockey legend. Born and raised in Winthrop, Dempsey graduated from Harvard and played for the CWHL’s Boston Blades and the PHF’s Boston Pride, where she served as captain for five of their seven seasons. She was drafted by and played for PWHL Montréal last year, which was the only season she’s spent outside of Massachusetts. She spoke with the media after her first return to the city last season, and it was clear that while she was grateful to get the chance to play in Montréal, her heart was still in Boston. So, it’s nice to see her get a shot with the Fleet, even as a reserve. She’s not the flashiest player but is reliable anywhere in the lineup, and her attitude and leadership boost any locker room. It’s hard to imagine her not being ready to play if and when the time comes. 

Finally, Olivia Zafuto was the only player cut from her camp team and signed by another. Boston snapped her up before she could even hit waivers. A gritty, team-first defender, Zafuto won’t knock your socks off with flashy plays, but she’ll get the job done. She makes a good addition to the Fleet’s reserves, but the signing surprised me. The Fleet already have eight defenders under a full contract, although Hadley Hartmetz will start the season on LTIR and there is no timeline for her return. However, once she’s healthy, the Fleet will have nine defenders under some sort of contract, and something will almost certainly have to give. 

Barring any other moves, a defender from the main Fleet roster will likely be bumped down to the reserves from the main roster, which means a reserve will need to be cut. Right now, I can’t see a scenario where the cut player won’t be Zafuto. Even if she plays well, it’s a numbers game. Having three spare defenders and only two spare forwards doesn’t make much sense. So, this is a bit of a bewildering move. It’s extremely difficult for teams to bring in out-of-market players as reserves since they are only paid $15,000 and Zafuto is from Niagara Falls, NY. She doesn’t have any apparent connection to Boston outside of one season with the Pride.  It's a tough spot for her to be in, but it may be the only offer she received so she just decided to go for it, and credit to her for believing in herself. She’s capable of playing in this league and boosts the Fleet’s depth, so, if she plays well enough while someone else struggles, she may get to stick around or at least earn another job elsewhere. 

Cuts

As for the cut players, the Fleet opted to cut forward Ilona Markova, defender Maude Poulin-Labelle, and goaltender Cami Kronish. Starting with Markova, visa issues prevented her from playing in the preseason games in Montréal. She was aiming to make the biggest jump out of anyone attending training camps after coming over from Russia’s ZhHL with no international hockey experience since 2021 due to the IIHF ban and no other playing experience outside of Russia. She needed those preseason games more than anyone to show she belonged, so while it’s unfortunate, it’s not hard to see why she was cut. That said, she’ll almost certainly be back next year, and hopefully she gets to be a full participant in camp so the Fleet can really see what they have in her. 

As for Poulin-Labelle, there’s simply no room for her on the full roster, and it wasn't a surprise to see her get cut. She’s a left-shot (which the Fleet already have five of) and isn’t the type of gritty defender the Fleet needed more of to round out their depth.

Last but not least, Cami Kronish was mostly a victim of too many good goaltenders and not enough spots. The Fleet really seemed to like her as their third goaltender last season, but the opportunity to bring in Klará Peslarová was too good to pass up. Kronish may have more experience with intermittent playing time, but Peslarová is the better, more proven goaltender, so ever since she agreed to come to camp, it was her spot to lose.