The Ottawa Charge enter the 2025-26 PWHL season with a renewed sense of purpose and a significantly altered lineup, following a substantial roster overhaul during the off-season. After coming agonizingly close to capturing the Walter Cup last spring, the team now faces the challenge of integrating new talent while maintaining their status as a top contender.
Motivation from Heartbreak
Defender Jocelyne Larocque, a veteran leader on the team, carries a tangible reminder of last season's narrow defeat. "I still have a playoff puck in my toiletry bag, in the (dressing) room," Larocque revealed at the opening of training camp. "I look at that and I'm like, you know what? I want that Walter Cup."
This motivation is deeply personal for Larocque, a decorated athlete with two Olympic gold medals and multiple world championship titles. Despite her extensive winning history, she has experienced defeat in two PWHL finals—one with Toronto and the heart-wrenching 2-1 series loss to Minnesota Frost in last spring's best-of-five championship, where every game ended with an identical 2-1 score.
"Any time you lose a big game, it just gives you that extra motivation," said the 37-year-old from Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, Man. "I use it as a positive. (Looking at the puck) makes me a little bit sad, of course, but it gives me more motivation. I think (losing the final) is going to make me and the players that are returning come out even harder this season."
Significant Roster Changes
The Charge's lineup has undergone a dramatic transformation since that final game. Seven players from the championship series roster have departed, along with an eighth key contributor.
The recent PWHL expansion draft proved particularly costly for Ottawa. The Seattle Torrent selected defender Aneta Tejralova and forward Danielle Serdachny, while the Vancouver Goldeneyes claimed defender Ashton Bell and goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who was the team's starting goalie before a season-ending injury in March.
Free agency further depleted the roster. Forward Tereza Vanisova, who finished tied for second in league goals with 15 and led the PWHL in penalty minutes last season, signed with Vancouver. Centre Shiann Darkangelo joined Montreal, while defender Zoe Boyd also departed via free agency. Additionally, forward Victoria Bach, who came to Ottawa in a trade with Toronto last winter, has retired from professional hockey.
The Path Forward
These departures represent significant challenges for the Charge, particularly on defense where they lost three key contributors. The team must now rely on returning veterans like Larocque to provide stability and leadership while integrating new acquisitions who will need to adapt quickly to the team's systems and culture.
The question looming over training camp is whether the remaining core players, fueled by the memory of their recent near-miss, can elevate their game sufficiently to compensate for the substantial talent drain. With Larocque's playoff puck serving as a daily reminder of what they almost achieved, the Charge are determined to turn last season's heartbreak into this season's triumph.
As the PWHL enters its third season, the Ottawa Charge face their greatest test yet: proving that a team can lose significant pieces and still remain among the league's elite contenders for the Walter Cup.
