It’s no secret: There are a lot of things on the Toronto Sceptres’ wishlist right now. They’re looking for scoring, a perfect fit with their new head coach, power-play improvements, and a guaranteed playoff run — just to name a few.
And although some of these items might have to wait until the puck is dropped in Ottawa on Dec. 6, it’s likely some of Toronto’s new draftees might be able to help.
The Sceptres selected Kirsten Simms with the eighth pick in the draft, not just because she will be undeniably entertaining — although putting on a show is something she’s excited about — but because she has the potential to fill in some of the gaps.
Simms comes to the PWHL from the University of Wisconsin, where she played for four years. The 22-year-old has earned All-WCHA First Team honours twice and Second Team honours once over her career. She has also competed at the IIHF Women’s World Championships twice, earning both silver and gold medals.
As we gear up for the busiest year of PWHL action yet, let’s look at one of the young stars looking to add to that excitement.
Scoring
Simms knows how to score.
In 2025-26, while Toronto struggled through game after game without enough pucks in the back of the net, this youngster was showing her college opponents how to get the job done.
Throughout her college career, Simms added up 238 points. She played in 152 regular-season games, scoring 100 goals across that span. During her sophomore year, she had a career-high 33 goals and totalled 75 points. In that season, she was named both WHCA Player of the Year and Forward of the Year.
To put her potential for impact simply, Simms might be the best option the Sceptres have for replacing Daryl Watts. Last season, Watts monopolized the score sheet, and not because she was inherently a selfish player. She just happened to be one of the few Sceptres who had figured out how to light up the scoreboard consistently. In 2026-27, Toronto needs another player who can do just that.
Simms is known for her creativity on the ice. She doesn’t just want to score — it’s as if she wants to turn point-getting into an epic affair. She’s just the eighth member of Wisconsin’s 200-point club for a reason.
Fresh perspective
Simms’ newness might be her strength on a Sceptres roster laden with veteran experience.
The rookie is fresh blood on a PWHL team still waiting for their breakout year. In some ways, Toronto’s last two seasons have been underwhelming. Simms has the potential to help change that.
One thing that stands out is that she’s not from the Canadian national team. When Troy Ryan was at the helm of the Sceptres, he pulled a lot of talent from Canada’s team — or vice versa. This often meant that players got used to working with the same people all year long, even outside of the PWHL season. Though this format can be useful for chemistry building, it also gets in the way of potentially needed change. As a young rookie American, Simms is the antithesis to this pattern.
Even though she is new to Toronto, Simms is still finding ways to get involved. During the offseason, she attended a Tempo game and started to get to know her community.
Alongside a fresh perspective, Simms brings an ability to fill many roles. In the last eight months alone, she has jumped from veteran leader to young rookie and back again as she went from playing her final year of college to joining Team USA in Milano Cortina 2026 and then back to university ice — all in the same month. This adaptability will be a strength. As a rising star on this team, she will likely take on some leadership, but as a young’un, she will also need to learn from her peers.
Clutchness
How do you recruit for clutch? How do you find a player who can show up in big moments? What does it look like to achieve consistency at the times it is needed most?
Clutchness is a rare quality — unless you are Marie-Philip Poulin — that is difficult to predict or replicate. New environments and stages have the potential to shake up clutch ability, but how a player has risen in past situations of pressure can help inform how they might respond in the future.
In the NCAA 2025 National Championship game, Simms stepped up in two of the biggest moments. With 18 seconds remaining, her Badgers trailed Ohio State, but Wisconsin had a penalty shot opportunity. Simms volunteered to take on the pressure and tied the game. She stayed ready for the moment even into extra time as she netted the game-winner and secured the title.
Simms’ clutchness still needs to be tested at the PWHL level, but she may be the one to meet Toronto’s need for on-demand scoring in high-pressure moments.
