It’s finally here! After months of waiting and seemingly no news, it’s finally time for the PWHL to kick off its third official season. The puck drops tonight at 7 PM EST with the season opening game between the Toronto Sceptres and Walter Cup–winning Minnesota Frost. Here’s what you need to know for this week’s PDub Preview.
Welcome to the PDub Preview! Every week, we’ll break down the biggest storylines, games to watch, and everything you need to know to get set for the week of hockey ahead.
How does this week shape up?
The season begins tonight with the Seattle Torrent taking on the Vancouver Goldeneyes as the other game.
It’s a surprisingly quiet first weekend, with just one game on each day.
There are no games on Mondays at all this season, but one game on Tuesday and one game on Wednesday round out the week.
Here’s the full schedule:
| Day of the week | Date | Time (EST) | Away team | Home team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | November 21st | 7 PM | Toronto Sceptres | Minnesota Frost |
| Friday | November 21st | 10 PM | Seattle Torrent | Vancouver Goldeneyes |
| Saturday | November 22nd | 7 PM | New York Sirens | Ottawa Charge |
| Sunday | November 23rd | 1 PM | Montréal Victoire | Boston Fleet |
| Tuesday | November 25th | 7 PM | New York Sirens | Montréal Victoire |
| Wednesday | November 26th | 7 PM | Vancouver Goldeneyes | Ottawa Charge |
Game of the week
While there are some good games on the docket, including the Toronto–Minnesota game, this week’s game of the week has to be the Seattle Torrent taking on the Vancouver Goldeneyes. This is a battle of the two newest teams in the league, and both look to be good teams this season.
Vancouver finished first in our pre-season power rankings, with the Torrent taking second spot. This is a mammoth clash on the first day of the season.
Seattle made waves this summer, bringing in Hilary Knight and taking basically the entire top half of the Montréal Victoire blueline as part of their expansion.
Despite that, somehow Vancouver looks even better. From Michelle Karvinen to Maddy Samoskevich to Claire Thompson, this team is built like an all-star team. There’s no other way to describe it: this team is legit.
A powerhouse clash on day one of the season is going to be one to watch.
Player to watch this week: Kristýna Kaltounková
The Czech first overall pick will make her debut with the New York Sirens this weekend, after finishing her NCAA career at the end of last season. She set the record for most goals all-time with 111 and finished second in all-time points with 233 in just 168 games.
The Sirens are going to be looking to Kaltounková to be a difference-maker on the ice, and hope that she is able to carry her point production from Colgate University last season right into the PWHL.
The Sirens will be counting on her this season as they look to finally make a playoff appearance. They missed the postseason in both of the last two years.
Fans will get their first look at the Czech star this weekend, as they take on the Ottawa Charge. However, they won’t be able to see her on home ice until next week, unfortunately, as the Sirens are on the road for both games.
Final thought of the week
Going into the third season on the ice, the league is going to look to grow its revenue and ticket sales. The expectation is that the Goldeneyes will sell out their opening night game, but how attendance looks league-wide in the first weekend will be important to watch.
The league will be going to 11 new markets for games in its PWHL Takeover Tour. With reports that the league is looking to expand again next season, how those tickets sell will likely point to where the league will go next season.
However, with goals to be here for a long time, not just a good time, bringing fans to the stands reliably is going to be critical. Fingers crossed, this is a great weekend both on and off the ice.
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