In the 2025 offseason, one of the PWHL’s original six teams needed a new captain for the first time in league history.
The Boston Fleet had left then-captain Hilary Knight exposed in the expansion draft. PWHL Seattle soon signed her to a one-year contract, leaving the Fleet captainless. They stayed that way through the summer, but there was little doubt who the new captain would be. Finally, on November 15, the Fleet made it official: Megan Keller was the second captain in team history.
It was the first time since her senior season at Boston College that Keller served as a team captain. However, she co-captained that team with two other players, making the Fleet the first senior-level team Keller ever solo-captained. That said, she’s no stranger to leadership since leaving college. She was a Fleet alternate captain for two years, and has worn an “A” for Team USA since 2023. But, wearing the “C” comes with extra weight. However, Keller embraced the extra responsibility after learning from so many others through the years.
“I’ve been so fortunate to get the chance and the opportunity to play with a lot of great players and be coached by a lot of great coaches who are tremendous leaders,” Keller told reporters during Boston’s breakup day on Tuesday. “So I’ve taken a lot from them over the years, and I think I stepped into that role. I was ready for it. It’s obviously such a huge honor to not only be part of this team in this organization in this city, but to be able to lead our group each and every night was one of the biggest honors of my life.”
Big shoes to fill
One of those leaders is none other than Knight. In addition to their two seasons together with the Fleet, the pair has played together on Team USA since Keller made her senior national team debut in the 2014-15 season. Since leaving college, Knight was the only captain Keller wore an “A” under. One of the biggest lessons Keller has taken from her time with Knight is how to bring a group together.
“One thing about Hil that I feel like not many people would think or know… the moment that you pull on the same jersey as her and you’re on her team, she immediately makes you feel welcome and comfortable and that you’re a big part of the group,” Keller said. “We’ve been a part of a lot of successful teams together. I think both of us would say it takes every single person in the room to do something special. And she was always great at that, bringing the whole group together, making sure everybody was valued.”
Adored by the Fleet front office…
Keller wasted no time making her mark on the Fleet as their top leader this season. Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer called it “uncanny” how seamlessly Keller took the reins.
“It’s uncanny her ability to step into a leadership role,” Marmer told reporters on breakup day. “I know she was a captain at BC in college, but it’s so different than being a captain in pro hockey. For her first time being a captain, it’s incredible how she was able to lead. It’s like she’s been doing it her whole life… She’s a leader in every area you could ask, on the ice, off the ice, in the locker room, in the community, it’s really impressive… And then to have the season on the ice that she had, I’m honestly lost for words for how impressive that is… It’s wild the year she had and what she was able to accomplish, and it couldn’t happen to a better person. Just really lucky she was representing Boston.”
Sparre, a first-year head coach at any level, also felt Keller’s impact. Before joining the PWHL, Sparre spent ten seasons coaching across various men’s development leagues. However, he called Keller “one of the best [leaders] I’ve ever coached.”
“Megan Keller, I think, is [not only] one of the greatest leaders in the league, but one of the best I’ve ever coached,” Sparre told reporters on breakup day. “Just being able to work with her through things like travel and practice days, and trying to figure out where the group was at emotionally from day to day, [she] was someone who was a great liaison for me.”
… And by her fellow players
Meanwhile, the Fleet’s players had glowing reviews of Keller’s first season as a captain. Forward Shay Maloney echoed Marmer’s sentiments when asked to describe Keller’s captaincy.
“You wouldn’t have guessed that it’s been a bit since she’s had the ‘C,’” Maloney told reporters on breakup day. “She immediately stepped in and took that position. She’s been such a great leader for us. She’s really the heart of the team. She leads us in every direction, so we couldn’t be more thankful that she’s the one guiding us.”
Meanwhile, forward Jamie Lee Rattray has been an alternate captain with the Fleet all three seasons. She and Keller were opponents for a long time on Team Canada and Team USA, respectively, and Rattray said she always saw how Keller led the U.S. on the ice. But, after spending the past three years as Keller’s teammate, Rattray appreciates how far that leadership continues beyond the ice.
“She just leads with such kindness,” Rattray told reporters on breakup day. “She’s genuine but she also is probably one of the most competitive people. You see it on the ice, her intensity and how she carries herself on the ice. I think it’s just such a good package to have as your captain. It’s been super fun kind of doing it with her. I think we’re all kind of very similar in the way we think and how we approach the game, and it’s been really cool to see her grow into it. She did a hell of a job this year.”
Forward Liz Schepers summed Keller up a bit more simply: as an integral part of Boston’s hockey culture, while just being somebody her teammates want to play for.
“You can’t think about Boston hockey without thinking about Megan Keller,” forward Liz Schepers told reporters on breakup day. “She’s somebody you want to continue to give your all for, because she’s doing that and then some for everybody else.”