When the Boston Fleet hit the ice this season, their roster will look awfully different than last year. Their defense underwent the most drastic change, with just three out of last year’s ten returning. However, their offense will suffer more despite losing just four of its 14 members. Most problematically for the Fleet, Alina Müller signed with PWHL Hamilton during the expansion process. In addition, Jessie Eldridge, Boston’s midseason acquisition from last year, signed with the Montréal Victoire during free agency. General manager Danielle Marmer plugged the defense holes via the entry draft and free agency, but she did not meaningfully replace Müller and Eldridge’s offense. Considering Boston already had precious little offense to spare, that could spell trouble. However, they have a few breakout candidates returning from last year’s roster who could fill some of the void.
Olivia Mobley
Mobley may not have played much last season, but she made her presence felt when she did. She started the season as a healthy scratch in four of the first five games, but once she returned to the lineup on December 19, she didn’t look back. She’s a buzzsaw on the ice, and she earned five points in the next nine games to show for it.
However, Mobley suffered an upper-body injury during an Olympic break practice that cost her the rest of the regular season. She returned for the playoffs, but understandably, she didn’t look fully up to speed after not playing a game for three months. However, if Mobley stays healthy this season, she could surprise people. She’s not afraid to throw her body around and go to the dirty areas of the ice, and that’s where the Fleet must go if they hope to score more this year.
Ella Huber
Huber is a player the Fleet have invested a lot in. For starters, they drafted her in the second round of the 2025 entry draft. Then, after she signed with PWHL Detroit during the expansion process, Boston traded their 2026 second- and third-round picks to Detroit to get Huber back, along with Detroit’s third-round pick. She only put up six points last season (four goals, two assists), but Marmer clearly sees a higher ceiling.
Huber is a speedy forward who showed flashes of clutch play with her three game-winning goals. It took her a little while to adjust to the PWHL, but she settled in as the season went on. She’s not afraid to get a little gritty, and she’s extremely versatile. However, Boston needs her to translate that to more points this season. Luckily for the Fleet, that shouldn’t be too hard now that she’s had an offseason to train and adjust her play more to the PWHL.
Loren Gabel
Gabel is perhaps the most interesting player on this list. She’s a three-year PWHL veteran, but her career hasn’t been smooth sailing. An injury derailed her first season. Season two brought numerous healthy scratches and limited minutes. Then, last season, after signing a full contract in the offseason, she was bumped down to the reserves to start the year. She still appeared in 16 games due to numerous main roster injuries, but she never found her groove. In total, Gabel has produced 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 53 career games. Seven of those points (four goals, three assists) came in 17 games in the inaugural season.
However, Gabel is no stranger to scoring in droves. Gabel was the 2023 PHF MVP after producing 40 points in 22 games in her lone PHF season. Her 20 goals and 20 assists each led the league, as did her 40 points. She was also a two-time NCAA champion at Clarkson University, where she lit it up with 213 points in 160 games, culminating in a Patty Kazmaier win in her senior season after a top-three finish the year prior. Her shot remains lethal, but she needs to be put in the right situations to unleash it. That hasn’t happened much in the PWHL.
In season one, Gabel fired 46 shots on goal across 17 games. However, that number plummeted to 19 shots in 20 games in season 2. It then bumped up a bit to 24 shots in 16 games last season. If she can be deployed in more offensive situations this season, it’s not hard to imagine her shooting more, which will almost certainly lead to more goals. It also wouldn’t hurt to pair her with a high-end playmaker to guarantee she gets the puck more. A chance on the first power-play unit, which could use another heavy shooter, should also be under consideration.
All of this said, new head coach François Méthot is the third bench boss the Fleet have had. It’s highly unlikely that usage is the only problem if three coaches can’t figure out a player. So, more than perhaps anyone else on the Fleet’s roster, this season feels like a make-or-break for Gabel. If she doesn’t at least make a step in the right direction this year, her high-scoring days are likely over for good.
