Think back to February 2024. Just over one month into PWHL history, there was a massive trade. Boston sent Sophie Jaques to Minnesota in exchange for Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook. It wasn’t just the first PWHL trade; it was an absolute blockbuster.

Fast-forward to Year 2, and the Toronto Sceptres and Ottawa Charge made their own headlines with another whopper of a deal a month into the season. The Charge acquired Victoria Bach and Jocelyne Larocque. In return, the Sceptres brought back Hayley Scamurra and Savannah Harmon.

The PWHL has been nothing short of bold in its short existence. These early-season trades are just another example of that.

Teams aren’t afraid to make a statement trade

Toronto had drafted Larocque with the No. 2 pick a year earlier in the inaugural PWHL draft. Instead of picking an up-and-coming franchise cornerstone like Taylor Heise in Minnesota or Alina Müller in Boston, the team went for the Hockey Canada staple, who brings experience and stability to the blue line.

On paper, that’s what the Charge need right now as the team giving up the highest rate of shots per game in the league. Emerance Maschmeyer may be thriving despite her workload, with an impressive 0.938 save percentage through six games, but this team needs some defensive support.

At her best, Larocque is a shutdown defender who can help stop the bleeding in Ottawa. But her game has been declining and she has looked uncharacteristically over-leveraged in Toronto this season. Maybe the Charge can better manage her workload thanks to their depth — she played a season-low 19:16 against her former club on New Year’s Eve, but it’s possible the team was easing her into her new surroundings. She was already back up to 22 minutes in Game 2 with Ottawa.

The decision to move on from a puck-moving defender like Harmon was more suspect since Ottawa still needs more offensive oomph. That’s been a theme throughout its short existence. Adding Bach should help accomplish that — she should have a lot more opportunity to show off her speed and chance creation with her new team after playing a more minimal role in Toronto.

Scamurra played top-six minutes in Ottawa and should now get a more fitting middle-six deployment with the Sceptres. Her two-way game and forechecking ability should shine in Toronto. Harmon, on the other hand, can absorb big minutes and bring offense from the back end. That will help give this team more offensive pop from the blue line outside of Renata Fast’s minutes. The Sceptres miss Natalie Spooner’s MVP-caliber production, and while Harmon and Scamurra won’t replace that, they should still help boost scoring.

The Fillier Effect in New York

Speaking of teams needing a scoring boost, New York desperately needed help after last season. With the No. 1 pick in 2024, the Sirens drafted Sarah Fillier, who instantly transformed this franchise.

Between her time at Princeton and with Team Canada, Fillier has emerged as a game-changer in women’s hockey. She’s a dynamic goal scorer and skilled playmaker, and now she has developed her defensive game to become more of a two-way threat.

Fillier has jumped right to the top of the depth chart in New York and shifted Alex Carpenter into a more fitting No. 2 role. Together, they’re an elite one-two punch that can stack up to some of the league’s best. Carpenter’s in a familiar place at the top of the scoring charts with 10 points through eight games, all but one of which are primary. Fillier is just behind her with nine points, seven of which are primary. The two are fueling the Sirens offense through the first quarter of action.

Even so, New York needs some secondary scoring to solidify its attack. The return of Ella Shelton should help, but the team needs to find the right combination for the second line. The coaches have already moved Jessie Eldridge off the top line to try to find a spark.

Suspensions are on the rise

It’s been a busy week for the PWHL’s Player Safety Committee.

There was an early suspension on Dec. 6, when Maggie Flaherty of the Minnesota Frost was suspended two games for an illegal check to the head of the Boston Fleet’s Alina Müller. But then there were a few quiet weeks until everything started to ramp up.

Rylind MacKinnon of the Sceptres was suspended one game after picking up a major penalty and game misconduct for an illegal check to the head of Montreal’s Amanda Boulier. Shortly after, Catherine Dubois of the Victoire was suspended for one game for a similar infraction. Two more one-game suspensions were handed out the next day to the Fleet’s Kelly Babstock for cross-checking and the Frost’s Britta Curl-Salemme for high-sticking. Each infraction was called a minor penalty in the game.

While there have been a lot of suspensions over a short period, it may actually be for the best.

The PWHL allows bodychecking, and while the wording of the rule is similar to that of the IIHF, its interpretation isn’t as stringent. This allows for a more physical game, with more hitting and scrums along the boards when battling for possession.

The players advocated for a more physical style of play in the PWHL. The one problem is many of these players aren’t exactly familiar with throwing legal checks or absorbing them. There’s a learning curve for officials, too.

Players were criticized for throwing dangerous hits last season, while the league’s inconsistent officiating came under fire. The PWHL probably should have had better systems in place ahead of Year 1 and better anticipated what was to come. At least those changes are coming now.

Former Ottawa Senator Marc Methot worked with the Charge last spring to help educate players. The PWHL made tweaks to the rules ahead of Year 2 and ran a hitting clinic run by Ryan Getzlaf, who has experience playing physically in Anaheim and now works in the NHL’s department of player safety. During the season, PWHL Player Safety is releasing video breakdowns of each suspension.

There is still room for improvement, but increased suspensions are one way to educate players on the fly and push for a safer game. A one-game suspension may not seem like much, but it’s much more impactful in a shorter 30-game season. By setting the standard now, the PWHL should have an easier time walking the line between policing physicality and embracing it.

Thompson stepping up in Minnesota

After taking the 2024 season off, Claire Thompson hasn’t missed a step. Her skill, which shined with Team Canada and at Princeton, is translating to the professional level with the Frost in her first PWHL season.

Thompson’s a dynamic defender who makes an impact on both ends of the ice. She’s a strong skater who can disrupt opponents with her positioning and ability to anticipate plays. She can also help lead the breakout and drive play from the blue line. That’s exactly what Minnesota has needed, especially with rover and first-pair defender Sophie Jaques sidelined.

The defender’s dominance shined in the same game in which Jaques was injured. Thompson netted her first goal and put up four points while playing her highest ice time to date at 22:55.

She has been tasked with top-pair minutes since then (including a ridiculous 33:28 against New York in late December) and excels on both ends of the ice. That’s made her an early favorite for the Defender of the Year award.

With Thompson thriving, Jaques’ return is all the more exciting because the Frost’s blue line will be a nightmare to match up against. If Thompson and Jaques play together on the top pair, the loaded duo will likely control play in their minutes. The second pair won’t be an easy matchup either, with Lee Stecklein anchoring it. Or Minnesota could split its three best defenders up to make the matchup game even more challenging for opponents.

Bilka is hitting her stride

Shifting from the NCAA to the next level will always be an adjustment. Players have to learn the pace, high-end skill and physicality of the professional game on the fly. So it’s all the more impressive when someone can jump into PWHL action and make an instant impact, as Hannah Bilka has in Boston.

The Fleet may have reached the Walter Cup Final last year, but their offense — or lack thereof — was a conversation throughout the regular season. Drafting Bilka helped address that. She brings skill, creativity and power to the lineup. Bilka’s strong skating is a highlight of her game and helps her drive pucks right to the net. She can be counted on to wear down opponents with her forechecking ability, too.

Bilka’s been paired with Hilary Knight to start the season — that seems to agree with the veteran, who got off to a surprisingly slow start last season. The rookie has two goals and six points in eight games while primarily playing a top-line role.

Sunday’s Seattle Takeover game may have been her best of the season — she played over 25 minutes, put up a goal and an assist and scored in the shootout while matching up with the best team in the league.

The Fleet are getting consistent production from Knight and Megan Keller, but the rest of the team needs to start picking up the pace. That makes Bilka’s emergence as a difference-maker huge for Boston in the season’s first quarter.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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