PWHL Ottawa produced good memories, but not enough wins

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While spending time together in the early hours of their first offseason as professionals, the PWHL Ottawa players commiserated about missing the playoffs, but also had a good laugh as they remembered the special past six months.

Gabby Hughes shared her perspective with the outside world during locker cleanout day on Tuesday.

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“I would have rather lost with this team than won with any other team in the league,” the 24-year-old forward from Lino Lakes, Minnesota, told a dozen reporters outside TD Place. “These girls are my family. We’ve created a really great bond. I couldn’t pinpoint one memory or moment from this year that really sticks with me (because) there are too many to count. It has definitely been a year to remember, and the first year as a professional has been everything I could have dreamed of.”

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General manager Mike Hirshfeld and the rest of the hockey staff will begin working to get the team into the postseason tournament next year before this year’s playoffs begin.

With nine players under contract for the 2025 campaign, meetings will be held Wednesday to determine which of the unsigned players will be offered new deals.

The No. 1 priority should be forward Daryl Watts, the dynamic forward who was second on the team in scoring (12th in the league) with 17 points.

As much as he enjoyed his time in the nation’s capital, the Toronto product won’t be returning just for fun.

She will seek to be paid what she is worth, and rightly so.

“It was a tough season… I think it was a big struggle at first,” said the 2018 winner of the Patty Kazmaier award as the top player in the U.S. “I started on the third line and didn’t get any minutes. used to getting. That was a challenge. I’m proud of the way I moved up the lineup and to be honest, I didn’t expect to have to do that in my career at Wisconsin.

“Now I’m a free agent and this is the business of professional sports. It ended two days ago, so I’m processing the season, but I’m excited to work with my agent and the people who support me to negotiate with Ottawa and other teams, just to test the market and see what the best option will be for next year .

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“This is my job. This is how I support myself and, being a free agent now, of course, money is a really important factor when testing the market. It’s a huge factor. I was drafted pretty low (sixth round). considering the type of career I had (in college), so it was disappointing and unfortunate, but it is what it is. The amount of money you get depends on where you get selected. So we’ll see what my options are.

“It’s just hard that we couldn’t have done enough to make the playoffs,” Watts added. “Overall, the city of Ottawa was amazing. The fans were amazing. And yes, it was a really special locker room.”

Hirshfeld has several decisions to make.

Ottawa finished second in the league with 62 goals, but in the final three games, when a win would have clinched a playoff berth, the team scored only five goals.

There was a lack of depth on defense, which started out as a position of strength, after Hirshfeld traded Amanda Boulier to Montreal and days later lost Zoe Boyd to a season-ending injury.

And although goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer had a good season, she played a league-high 1,332:07, suggesting there was not enough confidence in her reserves.

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Next season, the schedule grows from 24 to 36 games.

“The reality is we missed the playoffs, so we need to improve across the board if we want to win a championship,” Hirshfeld said. “It’s not like we have a hole to fill.”

Some of the filling will be done through the draft, which Hirshfeld says will be “incredibly deep.”

Ottawa will have the second pick in each round.

And some of the additions will be made through free agency.

Teams have caps to work with and don’t release salary figures, but Hirshfeld says Ottawa is in good shape.

“I think we managed the salary cap very well in the first season, and the reality is that there are six teams in this league and they are all in a similar situation,” he said. “We believe Ottawa has a lot to offer. The players want to be here, they want to stay here. I think they really liked the coaching staff. “We are confident that we will be able to sign the players we want to sign.”

Hughes could make a good offer to free agents.

“I would tell them to prepare to have a lot of fun and laugh and to put in the hours and work hard,” he said. “I think that’s what our group is about, making the most of every moment, whether it’s bag skating or we’re in the weight room. No matter what we’re doing, we laugh, we have fun, we hang out as a whole group. So I would just tell them to prepare to be part of a family where they feel welcome and loved.”

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Captain Brianne Jenner would say something similar.

“There were a lot of really incredible moments this season… this is a season I will never forget,” he said. “Obviously we wanted a different ending, but I think there’s a lot to take away from this. This house here at TD Place is the best in the league. “We have amazing fans and I’m excited for this offseason to see what improvements we can make to come back here and have a great season next year.”

While emphasizing that she makes no such decisions, Jenner expects her linemate Watts to return in 2025.

“She’s a special player,” Jenner said. “I thought she was fantastic for us down the stretch, obviously a very talented player, a talented scorer. I really enjoyed playing with her. We chatted a lot about the x’s and o’s… I think she’s really exciting when you find that chemistry with other players, so yeah, she’s a great player and I think she’s going to be a great player for a long time in this league.

“I haven’t given it much thought, but obviously we would love to have Daryl wear the Ottawa jersey again. I would love that.”

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