PWHL Ottawa has finalized the roster that will take on Montréal in front of a record-setting crowd on Jan. 2nd, and general manager Mike Hirshfield has plenty of faith in his team.
On the same day single-game tickets went on sale, Ottawa general manager Mike Hirshfeld told The Ice Garden they were aiming to sell the capacity of the lower bowl – about 4000 seats. Within 10 days, the entire arena was sold out. Over 8000 fans have tickets to watch the opening game.
The team met for the first time in November for the initial weeks of training camp. After making a first round of roster cuts, the group travelled to Utica, NY where they played three games against other PWHL teams. Ottawa lost in all three of their preseason games in Utica, NY. “I don’t think the results are reflective of our team in any sense,” Hirshfeld told The Ice Garden in mid-December.
Other PWHL teams built lines and developed special team plays during their camps before the New York trip. Ottawa was slower to develop those systems. They focused first on team building and playing together.
The Ottawa leadership used the games in Utica as a continuing effort to evaluate their camp invites. Prioritizing the unsigned players’ ice time helped management come to their conclusion in the form of this finalized roster. “We wanted to make sure we got significant ice time for the players that were under consideration for the last spots,” Hirshfeld told The Ice Garden.
Hirshfeld said in his initial press conference after being hired that he wanted to build a “gritty and dynamic” team, one that was “skills-based.” According to him, that is exactly what Ottawa has done.
Hirshfeld told The Ice Garden that in Utica, “We saw a team that competes and is dogged in their competition. We’re going to roll four lines and come after you, wave after wave.”
He said he was struck by how mobile Ottawa’s defence corps is. “We’ve found some really exciting players through the try-out phase,” Hirshfeld said. “I think we’re more dynamic than we were coming out of the draft.”
The team will carry 13 forwards, seven defenders, and three goalies; effectively one reserve at each position.
Goalie Emerance Maschmeyer was a free agent signing for Ottawa before the draft and will be the starter. Hirshfeld said that keeping two backup goalies was the smartest long-term decision.
“We felt really good with both of our backups,” he said. “Sandra [Abstreiter] is someone we want to continue to work with and develop,” he said. She has high athletic talent but has yet to play at the top level.
“Rachel [McQuigge] is incredible in the clubhouse, and we really like her game,” Hirshfeld said. He thinks training with assistant coach Pierre Groulx, former goalie coach for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, is an investment that will pay off.
PWHL Ottawa has more players born outside of Canada and the USA than any other team. Their roster features players from six countries, including Akane Shiga from Japan. She will be one of Japan’s few ever players to play pro in North American hockey. Shiga is someone Ottawa’s fans should be excited to see play.
Hirshfeld said that the team didn’t know much about Shiga ahead of camp, but they are thrilled with what she brings to the team. “We love her skating ability but more important than anything, her hockey IQ,” he said marvelling at her ability to read the ice. “She’s tough in spite of her size and has a quick release.” At just 22 years old, there are a lot of qualities to be excited about.
Shiga’s teammates have opened their arms to her as she’s quickly become a team favourite. “She got pushed around in one incident in Utica, and everyone wanted to jump in and protect her,” Hirshfeld said. “We’ve really focused on building an environment where players are around to support each other.”
The team has also brought on a Japanese translator full time to help Shiga with the language. Hirshfeld said he’ll be a member of the organization able to help her on and off the ice.
The group’s first game will be against Marie-Philip Poulin and PWHL Montréal. The 8000 fans in attendance will watch Brianne Jenner stick to Poulin like glue as they try and shut down the star-studded Montreal offence. Ottawa’s flying forwards will attack the Montréal net with speed in what is guaranteed to be a thrilling game.
