The National Hockey League will celebrate its hundredth year of including American teams in 2024. The Boston Bruins were first introduced into the league in 1924, a point of pride for Massachusetts. However, until last year, the American hockey scene lacked adequate opportunities and representation for female players. 

In August 2023, the Professional Women’s Hockey League began its mission to rectify this lack of space for women’s professional hockey when it was announced that foundations were being put in place to launch an inaugural season. The board of directors notably includes female sports icons, such as tennis legend Billie Jean King, the Los Angeles Dodgers President, Stan Kasten and Dodgers Senior Vice President of Business Strategy, Royce Cohen. Thanks in large part to philanthropists Mark and Kimbra Walter, financial backing was noticeable. To honor the Walters and thank them for their instrumental support, the PWHL named the Walter Cup as the championship trophy. 

It would have six markets across the United States in Canada — Minneapolis, Boston, New York City, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. A free agency period commenced on Sept. 1 2023, and a roster began to form with the majority of play- ers being signed during the PWHL draft on Sept. 18. Each of the league’s six teams signed three players during the free agency period, including Olympian Kendall Coyne Schonfield of United States Hockey. Schonfield was instrumental in delivering the players’ collective bargaining agreement as salaries were being discussed. Schonfield remarked that the PWHL in its singularity “is something that everyone in hockey has wanted to see for a very long time,” as it becomes a true standard for professional women's hockey. 

The 2023 PWHL draft was streamed live on YouTube, and included 15 rounds of 90 picks. Minnesota, now the Minnesota Frost, won the lottery and was able to select their homegrown first round pick, Taylor Heise, fittingly from Lake City, Minnesota. 

Heise went on to win the Illana Kloss Playoff Most Valuable Player award after her performance in the inaugural PWHL Finals. A collegiate star of the University of Minnesota, she was the 2022 women’s college player of the year. Upon being drafted she stated that she was “honored ... to be able to play and to show little girls that anything is possible if you keep working hard.” Other draftees, of which 28 were Americans, echoed her sentiments. Many felt proud in being part of the inaugural season of the PWHL after tumultuous years participating in the now defunct leagues organized by the Premier Hockey Federation and Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
Boston picked tenth in the first round, selecting Hannah Brandt of Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. Boston went on to select four more mid- westerners in the first round: Emily Brown and Taylor Girad of Minnesota, Shiann Darkangelo of Michigan and Tatum Skaggs of Wisconsin. Filling out the Boston team are six Canadians and players from Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Finland. 

The PWHL was founded with the long-term goal of establishing a lasting version of professional women’s hockey in North America. They were also successful in pulling in the best women’s players from around the world. Besides the 28 Americans, 47 Candians, five members of the Czech Republic National Team and a handful of players from Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Fin- land, France, and Germany were also signed. 

During the 2024 draft, more recent collegiate players were nabbed by the six established PWHL teams. New York, who finished last in league standings last year, secured Sarah Filler, a Canadian hailing from Princeton University. Boston got the fourth pick and selected Hannah Bilika from Ohio State University. 

After a successful first season, which saw Minnesota and Boston battle for the first ever Walter Cup on May 29, 2024 at a sold-out Tsongas Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the PWHL decided to ramp up its branding and give its teams the real official mark of a professional sports team — names and logos. 

Boston is now dubbed The Fleet and other teams are now known as the Montreal Victoire, the New York Sirens, the Ottawa Charge and the Toronto Sceptres. According to the Fleet’s new website, their name and logo “pays homage to the unified spirit of our people, players, and dans, who move together with speed, strength, and a relentless might to add new legacy to Boston’s storied history of resilience.” 

The Boston Fleet looks forward to redemption this season after a thrilling five game finals in which they were beaten by the Minnesota Frost 3-0 in game five. Along with a solidified name and logo, the team added Boston native Courtney Kennedy, an Olympian and collegiate All-American, to their staff as a skills coach. Kennedy was previously the Associate Head Coach at Boston College for 17 years, during which the Eagles received seven Hockey East Best Defenseman awards and also coached the U.S. Olympic team to silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

Another Massachusetts native Lenny Mosca joined the team as a goalie coach. 

Amy Scheer, the PWHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations gave a rousing call to Boston to embrace the Fleet. She said, “a fleet stands for strength in numbers ... [and] that’s what Boston sports fans represent. They turn out, show up, and support their teams.” As the hockey community celebrates the success of its female athletes, the potential for the PWHL is promising. Now, with names and logos, the teams and their athletes are set for what hopes to be another history making season.