THW’s Guide to the 2026 PWHL Playoffs – The Hockey Writers – PWHL

As the NHL Playoffs are off and running, there is even more hockey on the way. The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) Walter Cup Playoffs are set to kick off on April 30, with the four teams settled into their matchups. As puck drop approaches on the third edition of the league’s postseason, let’s take a closer look at who is playing who, the stars to watch, and the schedule for the first round of play.

The first-place Montreal Victoire won the right to choose their first round opponent, and they went big. They’ll see the back-to-back, reigning Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost to start things off. They swept the season series against Minnesota, which is what likely prompted their choice. On the other side, it’ll be the second-ranked Boston Fleet and the fourth-place Ottawa Charge. Ottawa took the season series three games to one. Let’s start by meeting the teams to understand how they might match up.

Montreal Victoire

The PWHL’s best team is back with a vengeance. Montreal finished first in the league last season as well and were able to choose their opponent, the Ottawa Charge; however, they lost in four games. It was a surprising exit, and falling in back-to-back seasons in the same position would be ugly. This season’s Victoire squad looks different, though, with some new players and some of the same from last season.

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin had another strong season and has been the face of the franchise since day one. She missed 10 games due to injury this season, so Montreal had some different faces that had to step up. It starts with offseason trade acquisition Abby Roque and star forward Laura Stacey. The two of them played alongside Poulin when she was healthy, but when she was absent, they carried the load and kept the ship steady. They tied for the team lead with 22 points apiece.

Another huge boost for this team was the impact of the defensive side. First-round pick Nicole Gosling posted 19 points as a rookie and has turned into a shutdown defender who can be relied on more and more. She’s joined a blue line that already has great players like Kati Tabin and Erin Ambrose. The Victoire’s goaltending is also first-class in Ann-Renée Desbiens, who leads the league in multiple categories. She can easily steal a game for the team if she keeps up her play into the postseason. Watch out for Montreal.

Boston Fleet

The Fleet are back after missing last year’s playoffs in a rebuilding season. They had an incredible draft and made some strong moves to quickly vault them into contention. They still have some remaining pieces from the inaugural season Walter Cup finalist team as well.

Like the Victoire, this team is backstopped by an elite goaltender. Aerin Frankel will be neck-and-neck with Desbiens for Goaltender of the Year as she has taken over many games this season and could very easily carry her team the whole way. She has plenty of help in front of her, though, as arguably the best defence pair in the PWHL plays a lot of minutes around her in captain Megan Keller and rookie sensation Haley Winn. They play a near-perfect 200-foot game that has terrorized teams all season.

On the forward front, it’s a very underrated group in my opinion. Despite that, they get the job done and will give the Charge all they can handle. Jessie Eldridge has emerged as a leader after coming over in a late-season trade from the Seattle Torrent. She has recorded 11 points in 10 games with Boston and leads the team in points this season. We’ve also seen big seasons from veterans Alina Müller and Susanna Tapani, as well as another rookie stud in Abby Newhook, who ranked third among rookies in goals.

If the Fleet can get every group firing at once, they will be nearly impossible to stop.

Minnesota Frost

The defending champions have seen some change, but they are still up to their old tricks. They finished with 50 points, which is somehow their highest regular season point total yet. Until they are dethroned, the Frost should always be considered the most dangerous team this time of year.

Everything comes from up top with the high-powered offence. Kelly Pannek broke out this season, leading the PWHL with 16 goals and 33 points. She was closely followed by players like Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, and league assists leader Britta Curl-Salemme. It’s a heavy attack that is complemented by a lot of youth that has really shone this season as well.

On the back end, the blue line is anchored by world-class defender Lee Stecklein. She’s able to lock down any player that comes her way. The defence has seen a shakeup overall, but young defenders Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper have stepped up big time. The goaltending is the centrepiece of the backend, with two star-caliber keepers holding it down. Overall, it’s a fairly balanced squad in Minnesota, but they will still have their work cut out for them facing the top seed to start things out.

Ottawa Charge

It was a fight right until the finish for the Charge, but they are back in the postseason for the second season in a row. After a heartbreaker to lose the Walter Cup Final in 2025, this revamped Ottawa team is back for more. They have an extremely balanced squad that could do anything despite coming out of the fourth spot.

It all starts in net for the Charge. Gwyneth Philips had another outstanding season and will be heavily relied on going forward. She did have a couple of stretches, both early on and mid-season, that were less than ideal, but she’s a gamer and showed it in last year’s Final. It’s also a plus having a defence core with players like Jocelyne Larocque, Rory Guilday, and Ronja Savolainen clearing the way. This defence core is less offensive than others, but their play in their own zone proves more valuable than anything else.

Ottawa has a couple of star forwards in Brianne Jenner and Rebecca Leslie who have had career-defining seasons, and they also have strong depth backing them up. A player like Fanuza Kadirova, for example, burst onto the scene in her rookie season with 10 goals and plays a hard-checking game. Another rookie in Sarah Wozniewicz produced 13 points and saw her ice time increase game over game. The Charge may be the lowest-ranked, but they’ll be intriguing to watch, and anything can happen.

Players to Watch

There are a number of players to watch and storylines that follow them into the Walter Cup Playoffs. Frost stars Heise and Stecklein paved the way for their team last time around with a couple surprises, like Katy Knoll and Michela Cava (now with the Charge), giving them a huge boost as well. It will be interesting to see who emerges for them in this postseason. Cava is one to still watch with Ottawa. Despite a down season for her, she still clearly has that playoff touch and could be important for the Charge.

A couple others players to watch for the Charge, other than the obvious big-time scorers, are Emily Clark and Philips. Clark had a team-leading five points in eight playoff games in 2025, so she’s a veteran who could elevate her game again. As for Philips, she was a massive reason for Ottawa having a chance at the title. She led the 2025 Walter Cup Playoffs with a 1.23 goals-against average (GAA).

The Victoire didn’t have any standouts in last season’s playoffs, so they’ll be relying on a full effort. This definitely feels like a Poulin, Stacey, and Roque breakout opportunity. It could be their time to take over. Desbiens’ dominance also has to make them feel good, so she is another goalie to watch. Finally, for the Fleet, it was Keller, Müller, and Tapani that showed out in their first postseason, so they likely will again. Liz Schepers also has great experience playing with the Frost, scoring some big goals for the team.

There are many more players to keep our eyes on and a few surprises likely coming; these are just some highlights.

First Round Schedule

Here is the schedule for the Victoire-Frost series. All times for both schedules are listed in Mountain Daylight Time. Both schedules are subject to change pending NHL playoff scheduling.

Here is the schedule for the Fleet-Charge series.

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