Boston Fleet

Boston Fleet
CityBoston, Massachusetts
LeaguePWHL
FoundedAugust 29, 2023 (2023-08-29)
Home arenaTsongas Center
ColorsForest green, aqua, navy and teal
       
Owner(s)Mark Walter Group
General managerDanielle Marmer
Head coachCourtney Birchard-Kessel
CaptainHilary Knight
Websiteboston.thepwhl.com
Championships
Walter Cups0
Current season

The Boston Fleet are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Tsongas Center.

History

Founding and inaugural season

On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Boston.[1][2] This ensured the continuation of professional women's hockey in the area after the folding of the Boston Pride and the Premier Hockey Federation earlier that summer; the Pride had been that league's most successful franchise, winning three Isobel Cup championships.[3] Danielle Marmer, a former scout and player development assistant for the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins, was named PWHL Boston's inaugural general manager.[4][5] On September 15, Boston University women's team associate head coach Courtney Birchard-Kessel was announced as the team's first head coach.[6]

The team's first three player signings were United States national team players Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, and Megan Keller, all signed to three-year deals.[7][8] Boston's first selection in the 2023 PWHL Draft, held on September 18, was Swiss forward Alina Müller, taken third overall.[9]

In November, it was revealed that the team's colors would be green, gray, and white.[10] It was also revealed that the team would host home games at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.[11]

Boston's Aerin Frankel makes a save in 2024.

Ahead of the start of the inaugural 2024 season, former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron introduced Knight as Boston's captain; Keller and Jamie Lee Rattray were introduced as alternate captains.[12] The team hosted its inaugural game against Minnesota Frost on January 3, 2024.[13] The team's first ever goal was scored by Theresa Schafzahl, 7:59 into the 2nd period.[14] Minnesota ultimately won the game by a score of 3–2.[15] Boston's first victory came in a 3–2 overtime decision against Montreal Victoire on January 13.[16] Boston went on to finish third in the league standings, clinching a playoff spot in their final regular season game.[17]

In the first round of the playoffs, Boston faced Montreal. Boston went on to defeat Montreal in three straight games, with all three victories coming in overtime.[18] Boston advanced to the championship series, where they faced Minnesota. Goaltender Aerin Frankel led the playoffs in saves.[19] However, Boston lost a close five-game series, with Minnesota clinching the Walter Cup championship in Lowell on May 29.[20]

Team identity

Inaugural season logo for PWHL Boston.

Boston operated without unique branding for the league's inaugural season, like all charter franchises. The team was known as PWHL Boston and wore a league-wide jersey template that featured the city's name diagonally on the front.[21] The team did have its own colour scheme, featuring green and black. In October 2023, the league registered a trademark for the name Boston Wicked, which proved unpopular with fans when leaked.[22][23] In September 2024, the team was instead given the name Fleet, in reference to Boston's maritime tradition, with a logo featuring a stylized letter 'B' doubling as an anchor.[23][24] The team retained its color scheme, adding additional shades of green. The Hockey News reported that other names in contention for Boston, before settling on Fleet, included Emeralds and Blitz.[25]

Players and personnel

Current roster

As of November 29, 2024[26][27]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
88 Canada Lexie Adzija F L 24 2024 St. Thomas, Ontario
19 United States Hannah Bilka F L 23 2024 Coppell, Texas
20 United States Hannah Brandt F R 31 2023 Vadnais Heights, Minnesota
2 United States Emily Brown D L 25 2023 Blaine, Minnesota
22 Canada Jessica DiGirolamo D L 25 2023 Mississauga, Ontario
31 United States Aerin Frankel G L 25 2023 New York City, New York
36 Canada Loren Gabel F L 27 2023 Kitchener, Ontario
17 United States Taylor Girard F L 26 2023 Macomb, Michigan
25 Canada Emma Greco D L 29 2024 Burlington, Ontario
6 United States Hadley Hartmetz Injured Reserve D R 23 2024 Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
5 United States Megan Keller (A) D L 28 2023 Farmington, Michigan
21 United States Hilary Knight (C) F R 35 2023 Palo Alto, California
27 United States Shay Maloney F R 25 2024 McHenry, Illinois
7 United States Sidney Morin D R 29 2023 Minnetonka, Minnesota
11 Switzerland Alina Müller F L 26 2023 Lengnau, Switzerland
55 Czech Republic Daniela Pejšová D L 22 2024 Teplice, Czech Republic
16 United States Amanda Pelkey F R 31 2023 Montpelier, Vermont
29 Czech Republic Klára Peslarová G L 28 2024 Ostrava, Czech Republic
47 Canada Jamie Lee Rattray (A) F L 32 2023 Kanata, Ontario
37 Austria Theresa Schafzahl F L 24 2023 Weiz, Austria
9 Canada Sophie Shirley F R 25 2023 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
30 Sweden Emma Söderberg G L 26 2023 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
77 Finland Susanna Tapani F L 31 2024 Laitila, Finland

Reserves

As of November 29, 2024[26][27]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
8 Canada Kelly Babstock F R 32 2023 Mississauga, Ontario
14 United States Jillian Dempsey F L 33 2024 Winthrop, Massachusetts
3 United States Olivia Zafuto D L 27 2024 Niagara Falls, New York

Team captains

Head coaches

First-round draft picks

Main article: List of Boston Fleet draft picks

References

  1. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (August 29, 2023). "Six inaugural franchises revealed for new PWHL". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Dachman, Jason (January 30, 2024). "Inside the Whirlwind Launch of the Professional Women's Hockey League's Broadcast Operations". sportsvideo.org. Sports Video Group. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  3. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (June 29, 2023). "Sources: Premier Hockey Federation sale could unite women's hockey". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "PWHL names six general managers as teams begin roster construction". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. September 1, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "Danielle Marmer, Bruins scouting assistant, named GM of Boston's PWHL team". WBZ News. CBS Interactive Inc. September 4, 2023. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ryan, MacLeod headline PWHL coaches". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. September 15, 2023. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 7, 2023). "Knight, Frankel, Keller Sign With PWHL's Boston". The Hockey News. Brantford, Ontario. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Healy, Emma (September 7, 2023). "Boston's PWHL team signs Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller, and Hilary Knight to free agent contracts". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 18, 2023). "Alina Muller Picked Third Overall By PWHL Boston". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. Brantford, Ontario. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Ryan, Conor (January 2, 2024). "Here's everything you need to know about Boston's new professional hockey team". Boston.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Detwiler, Christopher (January 2, 2024). "Bergeron welcomes Hilary Knight as inaugural team captain for PWHL Boston". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Porter, Matt (January 4, 2024). "'This has never been done before': Behind the scenes at the PWHL's triumphant Boston debut". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "No. 1 overall pick Heise leads the way as Minnesota tops Boston in PWHL debut for both teams". CBC Sports. Associated Press. January 3, 2024. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Cornetta, Kat (January 4, 2024). "A new team is off and skating, but first game for PWHL Boston doesn't go quite as planned". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  16. ^ Rainbird, Daniel (January 13, 2024). "Boston's Pelkey spoils Montreal's PWHL home opener in OT after Poulin's disallowed goal". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Crowley, Tim (May 4, 2024). "PWHL Boston Wrap: Boston Clinches Playoff Spot In Regular-Season Finale". NESN. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  18. ^ "Boston knocks Montreal out of playoffs in PWHL semifinal". Montreal Gazette. May 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  19. ^ Salvian, Hailey. "How PWHL Boston's 'small but mighty' goalie is fueling their surprising playoff run". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Cox, Peter (May 30, 2024). "Minnesota Frost fans cheer on the team in Boston and at home as they win inaugural Walter Cup". MPR News. St. Paul: Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 2, 2024). "PWHL sorting out missing pieces like team names and logos as it goes along". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024. However there are some missing pieces, such as names and logos for the six teams. "I don't, I don't," PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten said Monday on whether he has a timeline for those key elements to be included.
  22. ^ Salvian, Hailey (October 26, 2023). "Potential names for PWHL's original 6 franchises revealed". The Athletic. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  23. ^ a b Bustillos, Esteban (September 9, 2024). "PWHL Boston finally gets a name: the Fleet". GBH. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Wawrow, John (September 9, 2024). "PWHL reveals names, logos for all 6 franchises ahead of second season". CBC Sports. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  25. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 9, 2024). "These Were The Final Four Names In Contention For Each Of The PWHL's Six Teams". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Sportsnet Staff (November 29, 2024). "PWHL teams unveil opening day rosters ahead of regular season opener". SportsNet.ca. Rogers Media. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Boston Fleet Roster". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.