In 2024–25, the two most common defensive pairings across the league were in Toronto—Allie Munroe and Kali Flanagan, with 32 games played together, and Savannah Harmon and Renata Fast, with 28.

Head coach Troy Ryan has demonstrated consistency in his defensive lineups; Munroe and Flanagan played together for most of the first season, and Fast and Jocelyne Larocque were a mainstay pair before the latter was traded for Harmon at the end of 2024.

It’s hard to imagine one of Munroe, Flanagan, or Harmon being relegated to the third pairing once Ella Shelton enters the lineup. Where will Shelton slot into place?

The 2024–25 top-four

Harmon–Fast

Fast is the reigning Defender of the Year and led all skaters in time on ice by a large margin. She plays on Toronto’s power play and penalty kill (when she’s not in the box herself) and was third in team scoring this past season. She’s not moving from the top pair.

Harmon didn’t play for Toronto in Season One—the Sceptres traded for her (and forward Hayley Scamurra) in December 2024. General manager Gina Kingsbury, when speaking of the trade, called Harmon “a dynamic offensive-minded defender.” Fast herself has spoken about their built-in chemistry from their two seasons playing (and living) together at Clarkson University. As well, Ryan recently noted in an interview that the chemistry and comfort between Harmon and Fast “allowed [Fast] to shine” this past season.

While Harmon had a quieter season with the Sceptres, playing alongside Fast meant she was sixth in time on ice per games played in the regular season, at 22:39. She also got some time on the second power play unit alongside Flanagan, so we could see her keep that role regardless of who she pairs up with during 5v5 play.

Munroe–Flanagan

Munroe and Flanagan have played together for a significant portion of the league’s existence, so they have almost two full seasons of experience together. Ryan and Kingsbury clearly value their play—Munroe was named alternate captain near the end of last season, and Flanagan’s ice time in the playoffs eclipsed even Fast’s.

Munroe and Flanagan had a strong 2025 playoffs offensively, playing alongside one another for all three of their combined even-strength points.

Scenario: Shelton–Fast & Munroe–Flanagan

Shelton’s numbers speak for themselves. This past season, she led defenders in goals (8) and ranked fourth among defenders in both overall points (16) and points per game (0.67). In shooting percentage, removing the outlier of Jess Kondas’s 100%, Shelton ranked tenth among all skaters at 16%.

Shelton missed the November leg of the Rivalry Series with an injury, but she’s been playing alongside Fast for Team Canada recently. Pairing them up for the Sceptres makes sense in terms of chemistry, especially leading up to an Olympic year. They would be hard to play against and would ideally contribute offensively 5v5 and on the power play.

In this scenario, Munroe and Flanagan continue what they’ve been doing for two seasons, and Harmon moves to the third pair.

Scenario: Moving Munroe to the third pair

While handedness is not the be-all and end-all when crafting a lineup, it’s a consideration. Assuming Ryan wants to maintain left–right combinations for the top-two pairs, Flanagan is a lock for right D on the second pair.

Shelton–Fast & Harmon–Flanagan

Harmon and Flanagan played together on the second power play unit last season. Flanagan assisted Harmon’s power play goal in game three of the playoffs. They’re both on the smaller side (Harmon is 5’3”; Flanagan is 5’4”), though, and ranked pretty low on total hits, so the Sceptres might not be at their best with two smaller and less physical defenders on the same pair.

Harmon–Fast & Shelton–Flanagan

Shelton, a left shot, could line up with Flanagan. They’re both offensive and move their feet well along the blue line. We’ve yet to see them play together, so it’s hard to know what their chemistry might be. But this combination could be intriguing.  

The 2025–26 third pair

Toronto’s blue line this season will sorely miss Megan Carter, who got plucked by Seattle in the expansion process. The two other currently signed defenders for the Sceptres, Anna Kjellbin and Jess Kondas, are both right shots, and the drafted-but-as-yet-unsigned Hanna Baskin is a left shot.

Kjellbin is the captain of Sweden’s national team with experience in the SDHL (Sweden’s top division), at the World Championships, and at the Olympics. Her regular season was quiet after a trade from Montréal at the deadline, but she put up one goal and one assist in four playoff games.

Kondas was a reserve player for the last two seasons but made headlines by scoring a goal on her first shot of her first shift of her first game. We haven’t yet seen how she fits in this league.

Baskin recorded 22 points in 38 games in her final season with the University of Minnesota Duluth and was an alternate captain. At 5’9”, she could bring height to Toronto’s blue line.

If either Munroe or Harmon moves to the third pair, they could line up with one of Kjellbin or Kondas to maintain a left–right combination. Or, if Baskin earns herself a standard player agreement, we might see two left shots together on this pair.

What would I do?

I’m not Troy Ryan, but my inclination is to keep Munroe and Flanagan together after two strong seasons as a pair. A top pair of Shelton and Fast is powerful and has the bonus of giving them a chance to build chemistry leading up to the 2026 Olympics. In this scenario, Harmon is on the third pair, but she could still get some time on PP2.

That said, Ryan recently noted that the addition of Shelton allows him to “mix and match a little bit more,” so we may not see the same consistency in pairings that we saw over the first two seasons.

In any formation, Toronto’s defence is looking solid and relatively stable after the expansion process and ideally can continue to provide offence for a team that lost Hannah Miller, Sarah Nurse, Julia Gosling, Izzy Daniel, and Hayley Scamurra up front.