5 takeaways from Week 13 of the PWHL: Winnipeg shows up while Minnesota shows out
We’re rounding the corner on the final third of the PWHL’s 2025-26 regular season, and last week we saw a shift in the league standings, as well as our first notable trade ahead of next week’s Trade Deadline.
Here are five takeaways from week 13 of the PWHL season.
That’s it, back to Winnipeg!
The Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge played in front of a sold-out crowd at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on the 12th stop in the PWHL’s Takeover Tour. The Charge defeated the Victoire in overtime, thanks to Rebecca Leslie’s third OT winner of the season and Gwyneth Philips stopping 20 of 21 shots.
Ottawa defender Jocelyne Larocque, a small town about 40 minutes from Winnipeg, had nearly 300 friends and families in attendance. She said a team in Winnipeg would make a lot of sense.
“We’re right central in Canada, but I think this city just loves hockey and the fact that the city doesn’t have a pro women’s sports team at all, hockey would be a great first one and the city would really rally behind it,” she told reporters after the game.
“Growing up, I wasn’t sure if this day would come,” she said. “I looked up to NHL players and I looked up to Team Canada, but a pro women’s hockey league, and to be able to be a part of it, it’s pretty special. All Manitobans, it’s great people can watch us on TV, but to see us live is definitely something different.”
The game highlighted how the league could create another Canadian franchise, one that would be able to sell tickets with ease. It should also be noted that apart from the Minnesota Frost, there’s a massive chunk of empty space between five of the league’s teams and the two Pacific Northwest franchises in the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent.
If the PWHL is going to expand, they will need to grow beyond the typical hockey hotbeds of Ontario, Quebec and the American northeast.
Frost offense dominates PWHL
The Frost earned two more regulation wins last week, improving their record to 11-3-3-4 with 42 points, putting them first in the PWHL. It’s been an impressive stretch for Minnesota since the Olympic break, as they’ve now won five straight and jumped to the top of the league standings.
Taylor Heise recently passed the 20-point mark and scored in her fourth straight game last week, a streak that ended after their win over the Goldeneyes last weekend. Britta Curl-Salemme has points in all five of Minnesota’s wins, and Kelly Pannek is tied for the league lead in goals with 12.
But what’s really stood out is how all three players are tied for the league lead in points with 22, not to mention are the only players so far who have hit the 20-point mark. It’s a display of dominance that’s even more impressive when you consider we haven’t seen this in the last two seasons — y’know, the two seasons Minnesota has won the Walter Cup.
What’s funny to think back on is the Frost were the No. 4 ranked team for both their 2024 and 2025 playoff runs. Does their chance at three-peating diminish now that they could be the top-ranked team going into the playoffs? Uhhh, not likely. But maybe this is a league that favors the underdog.
PWHL Trade Deadline upcoming
The league’s Trade Deadline of March 30 is fast approaching, and we already saw some movement last week with the Boston Fleet acquiring Jessie Eldridge from the Torrent for Theresa Schafzahl. While not exactly a barnburner of a deal, Eldridge was a key pickup for Seattle in the Expansion Draft and has posted a respectable 13 points in 19 games in 2025-26. She’ll be a pivotal depth option for a Fleet squad looking to make a deep playoff run.
With the top of the league standings separated by just two points with nine games to go, not to mention the final playoff spot also being fought over by three teams, we will likely see teams try to improve their lineups. Would the league’s two expansion teams in Vancouver and Seattle be willing to part with more assets? The Goldeneyes have lots of high-quality players who have struggled to produce with their new club, but would another change of scenery make a difference?
Stay up to date with Daily Faceoff on the latest trade rumors, and read Tyler Kuehl’s list of 10 players to watch as the deadline fast approaches.
Caroline Harvey wins Patty Kaz, Wisconsin takes home Natty
Wisconsin Badgers’ defender Caroline Harvey shined for the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and now she’s been rewarded for her efforts at the collegiate level. Last week, Harvey was named the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Award winner as the best player in women’s college hockey.
She led all NCAA defenders weith 63 points in just 32 games, and was fourth in points among all skaters. She also finished second in assists (45) and points per game (1.97). She was also a Patty Kaz finalist in 2025, but lost to fellow Badger Casey O’Brien.
Harvey’s award win came just days before Wisconsin defeated rival Ohio State 3-2 in the NCAA National Championship. It was their second of back-to-back championships and their record ninth national title. Wisconsin finished the season with a 35-4-2 record, chasing the Buckeyes in the standings for most of the season but coming out on top when it mattered most.
“We came together when it all mattered,” Harvey said on the ESPN broadcast after the win. “Couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
Harvey is the No. 1 draft-eligible NCAA prospect, according to Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl, and that sentiment is shared by numerous observers around the game. After her performance at last February’s Olympic Games, there was a case to be made that she was the best player in the world, regardless of professional status. She was named Olympic MVP and carried that dominance to the end of the NCAA season.
If you’re the Goldeneyes or Torrent, why wouldn’t you just try to lose the last remaining nine games and wind up with the top pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft? I’m never an advocate for outright tanking, but if there was ever a player to do it for, it’s Harvey.
Fan engagement still at fever pitch
I was in attendance for the Toronto Sceptres’ game against the Seattle Torrent last week, and one thing stood out:
I’ve attended nearly a dozen NHL, AHL, OHL and Junior B games during the 2025-26 hockey season, both as a media member and as a fan, and the PWHL outclasses all of them when it comes to the in-game experience. And it’s not even close.
Perhaps the league benefits from its age, and that it’s invulnerable to the cynicism that comes with rooting for a success-starved franchise. Or maybe the fact that women make the majority of decisions when it comes to fan experience gives the PWHL a unique perspective. Or maybe it’s just a more fun league.
Either way, the Sceptres-Torrent game wasn’t exactly the most exciting contest in recent memory, but at no point would the average in-person fan be bored.