Theresa Schafzahl spent the PWHL offseason at home in Austria, her longest stretch there since she moved away before college. The Seattle Torrent forward returns for training camp Nov. 18 hoping to build on the 11 games she played for the team last season.
The Torrent acquired Schafzahl, age 26, from the Boston Fleet on March 16 in a trade for forward Jessie Eldridge. She had spent her whole PWHL career in Boston, where she scored the first goal in the franchise’s history. She finished 2025-26 with 4 goals and 11 assists and re-signed with Seattle on June 17 through the 2027-28 season.
At home, she found ice time in familiar places. “[I] got to skate with a boys’ team here that I used to play on growing up, which has actually been super fun,” Schafzahl told The Ice Garden.
A trade out of the blue
“It was just after practice day. I got the call from the GM in Boston, and it really came out of the blue for me,” Schafzahl recalled. “I didn’t expect it at all, so I was just super shocked, and I didn’t even really know how to process it at all.”
Five days before the trade, Schafzahl scored for Boston in Seattle, when the last-place Torrent beat the first-place Fleet 3-2.
“You’re a little bit scared of how the vibes are gonna be, maybe,” she said of joining a team at the bottom of the standings. But the energy in the room did not match that fear.
“Even though results-wise on the ice it obviously didn’t go the way we all wanted it to, it was still super fun to play with the girls there, and we had a great time off the ice as well,” Schafzahl said. She played 11 games with the Torrent before their season ended.
Torrent general manager Meghan Turner said in the trade announcement that she sees Schafzahl as a reliable veteran who plays steadily in every situation. The two spoke soon after the trade.
“It made me excited about joining Seattle because it just seemed like she really valued me as a player, and I was gonna get some chances in Seattle, which I ended up getting,” Schafzahl said.
The move itself took more work than the conversation. “It was kind of crazy, getting all of my things to Seattle and living in a hotel at first,” she said. “So, yeah, it was definitely a lot, but overall it was a good experience.”
First few games for the Torrent
She had played at Climate Pledge Arena as a visitor, and she liked it even before she wore the Torrent jersey. “[Climate Pledge Arena] is definitely one of the cooler places to play in the league,” Schafzahl said. “Just the facility itself is super nice and obviously big as well. And the fans are awesome. The building is always packed and [it’s] just a great atmosphere.”
Seattle put her on a line with Danielle Serdachny, centered by Alex Carpenter, and that line produced 8 points in a March 25 win over New York.
“Especially as a center, to have Carpenter there, she does everything so well,” Schafzahl said. “She’s one of the smartest players, I would say. I think it’s pretty easy to play with her, and then Serdachny as well. She’s one of the most skilled players in the league, and she’s super tall and fast.”
The choice to stay in Seattle
Her reasons for staying started with the room. “I really like the group of women we have there. I think [they’re] super fun, good people. So, it makes it fun to come to the rink every day,” Schafzahl said. “I also just think we have a lot of potential as a team. I think we can really do well this year.”
Seattle lost Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, and other key players in the league’s expansion process before Schafzahl re-signed. “It’s honestly super weird,” she said. “[It] just kind of feels wrong that now you have those players who have played on a team for three years and you really associate them with that team.”
But she understands it’s a sacrifice that teams and players need to make: “We want the league to grow, so [we] just have to deal with it.”
The staff also changed. Christine Bumstead became head coach in June after serving as an assistant, and Stefanie McKeough joined the staff in July after spending the first three PWHL seasons as a Fleet assistant — the same three seasons Schafzahl played in Boston. “With the coaching changes now, I really like those people as well,” Schafzahl said. “The staff is great, and the facilities.”
A heavier game
Turner said in June that she wants the Torrent to play a heavier game. Asked what a heavy game looks like for her, Schafzahl pointed first to pace.
“I feel like it comes down a lot to really playing a fast-paced game,” she said. “I think if you’re fast and you can really apply pressure in every situation, in the O zone, in the D zone, that’s what really allows you to get close to the opponents and then be able to hit them a little bit.”
She said the hitting side takes work. “I think that’s still something that a lot of us can learn to do, just because we kind of grew up not playing with hitting,” Schafzahl said. “That’s still [a habit] that a lot of players, including myself, are maybe lacking from time to time.”
And the netfront matters as much. “I feel like [it’s] key to really not make it a fun place for the other team to go in front of our net, but then also really working hard to get in front of the other goalie’s eyes,” she said.
A bigger role
Schafzahl sees room for her in a roster that changed over the summer. “I just think with the league expanding, it just opens up the opportunities for players to step up into even bigger roles,” she said. “So, I just really want to build off at the end of last year and be able to be a player who really makes an impact.”
The forward group has competition. The Torrent scored 64 goals in 30 games during their inaugural season. They retained both Carpenter and Julia Gosling, who tied for the team lead with 20 points, but the Torrent will need more power to ensure they don’t finish last again.
“I know we have a lot of other great forwards, especially now with [Abbey] Murphy coming in as well, who will be great. So, there will be some competition,” Schafzahl said. “But I’m confident in myself that I can really contribute as well.”
Murphy, whom Seattle selected second overall in June, signed a two-year contract in September.
On the power play, Schafzahl’s approach is simple. “I don’t think you necessarily need to pull off the craziest passes or the craziest moves,” she said. “I think if you just execute a few good, fast passes in a row, that’s what opens up the space.”
And for Schafzahl, points are not the only way to measure a season. “I just want to be able to have some sort of impact [in] every game I play,” Schafzahl said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean I need to score or get an assist, but I just want to be able to create offense for the team.”
She wants to take on more of a leadership role as well. “I really want to challenge myself to be a little bit more of a leader this year and just be a good teammate all around,” she said.
Looking forward to year 2
The Torrent open the season Dec. 5 at Vancouver, then play their home opener Dec. 20 at Climate Pledge Arena. The schedule has received loud criticism from media and fans due to the massive breaks between home games, among other issues, but Schafzahl sees a possible upside in the schedule.
“I think it’s a little bit challenging to open up the year with a lot of road games. But it is what it is,” she said. “And personally, for me, usually, unfortunately, it takes a few games to really find my game, so I guess we can see it as a positive that the first time we’re gonna play at home, we’re already gonna really have it figured out and hopefully put on a good show for the fans.”
She said the crowd registers for her most before games. “It’s always more special if it’s your home rink and your own fans,” Schafzahl said. “Usually, during the game, I feel like I’m so locked in. I don’t even necessarily notice it that much. So, honestly, when I notice it the most is usually during warmups because I’m still a little bit more loose.
“Then, I really enjoy just skating around and seeing all the people with their posters and stuff like that in the stands. That’s just really special,” she said. “Especially if it’s younger fans, seeing them look up to us, that’s something I’ve definitely missed in the offseason.”
Seattle off the ice
Away from hockey, she wants to see more of the city. “Honestly, just exploring Seattle a little bit more,” she said. “I wasn’t there for that long last year, so I feel like there’s still so much I haven’t seen.”
A hike tops the list, though the timing may not work. “I really want to go on a hike, but now it might already be too late again,” she said. “At the end of last year, I wanted to go to Mount Rainier National Park, but there was still a lot of snow. I think now the timing might be bad again. So, that’s something I would want to do, but I might have to wait until after the season again.”
