The 2023–24 PWHL Toronto season was the team's inaugural season as a member of the newly created

Professional Women's Hockey League The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL; , LPHF) is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league comprises eight teams, four each from the United States and Canada. The teams play a Season (sports), regular season ...

(PWHL). They played the majority of their home games at the

Mattamy Athletic Centre Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hockey games. Consider ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, hosting one game at

Scotiabank Arena Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

and their playoff games at

Coca-Cola Coliseum Coca-Cola Coliseum (also or formerly known as CNE Coliseum, Royal Coliseum, Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto Coliseum, or Coliseum) is an arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, used for agricultural displays, ice hockey, and trade shows. ...

. Toronto topped the regular season standings, becoming the first team to clinch a playoff spot on April 22, 2024. On May 1, the team clinched first overall.

Natalie Spooner Natalie Marie Spooner (born October 17, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and a member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team, Canadian national wo ...

led the team and the league in goals, with 20, and points, with 27. By virtue of finishing first, Toronto had the option to select its semifinal opponent, and Toronto chose PWHL Minnesota. Despite winning the first two games of the series, Toronto would lose three straight and be eliminated from

Walter Cup The Walter Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) playoff champion. History Origins On April 4, 2024, the Professional Women's Hockey League announced in a press release the name of th ...

contention. After the season, Spooner was named the winner of the league's inaugural Billie Jean King MVP Award as most valuable player; she was also named the league's top forward, while

Kristen Campbell Kristen Campbell (born November 30, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for PWHL Vancouver of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team. She was the first woman to wi ...

was named the top goaltender and Troy Ryan the coach of the year.

Offseason

On September 1, 2023, PWHL Toronto hired

Gina Kingsbury Gina Kingsbury (born November 26, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current general manager for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Playing career Besides hockey, Kingsbury participa ...

as its first general manager. Troy Ryan was named as Toronto's first head coach on September 15, and Rachel Flanagan was hired as assistant coach on October 6. On November 28, it was revealed that Toronto would play their home games at the

. On September 6, Toronto announced the signings of their first three players, Canadian national team members

Sarah Nurse Sarah Nurse (born January 4, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for PWHL Vancouver of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and Canada women's national ice hockey team. She made her debut with the national team at the 2 ...

Renata Fast Renata Fast (born October 6, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and member of Canada women's national ice hockey team. She played college ice hockey at Cla ...

, and

Blayre Turnbull Blayre Turnbull (born July 15, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and captain for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She made her debut with the Canada women's national ice hockey team at the ...

. On December 29, Turnbull was named captain, with Fast and second overall draft pick

Jocelyne Larocque Jocelyne Dawn Marie Larocque (born May 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played in the PWHPA, with the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL, ...

named assistant captains.

Standings

Schedule and results

Regular season

Toronto hosted the first ever PWHL game at a sold-out Mattamy Athletic Centre on January 1, 2024.

PWHL New York The New York Sirens are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York metropolitan 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 gam ...

won the game by a score of 4–0. Toronto won its first game in a re-match against New York on January 5, winning by a score of 3–2. On January 25, it was announced that Toronto would host its February 16 match against

PWHL Montreal The Montreal Victoire () are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Montreal 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 game ...

, in a game dubbed by the league as "The Battle on Bay Street". The game set a league and women’s hockey attendance record with a sellout crowd of 19,285, beating the previous record of 18,013 set at the

2013 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 15th IIHF World Women's Championships, world championship sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and was the last world championship before the 2014 Winter Olympics. The tourn ...

. Despite losing four of its first five games and sitting last overall two weeks into the season, Toronto became the first team to clinch a playoff spot on April 22 after an 11-game win streak. The team went on to clinch first overall in the league standings.

Regular season schedule

The regular season schedule was published on November 30, 2023. , - , 1 , , January 1 , ,

, , 0–4 , , , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,537 , , 0–0–0–1 , , 0 , , , - , 2 , , January 5 , , @ PWHL New York , , 3–2 , , , , Campbell , ,

Total Mortgage Arena Total Mortgage Arena (formerly The Arena at Harbor Yard and Webster Bank Arena) is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It is the home venue of the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey Leag ...

, , 2,152 , , 1–0–0–1 , , 3 , , , - , 3 , , January 10 , , @

PWHL Minnesota The Minnesota Frost are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 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 Xc ...

, , 1–3 , , , , Campbell , ,

Xcel Energy Center Xcel Energy Center is a multipurpose arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Completed in 2000 and often called "The X" by fans, it is named for its locally based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 17,954, the arena ...

, , 4,707 , , 1–0–0–2 , , 3 , , , - , 4 , , January 13 , ,

PWHL Ottawa The Ottawa Charge (French: ''Charge d'Ottawa'') are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the league's six charter franchises. The Charge play home games at ...

, , 1–5 , , , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,417 , , 1–0–0–3 , , 3 , , , - , 5 , , January 17 , ,

PWHL Boston 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 Tso ...

, , 2–3 , , , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,491 , , 1–0–0–4 , , 3 , , , - , 6 , , January 20 , , @

, , 4–3 , , SO , , Campbell , ,

Verdun Auditorium Verdun Auditorium (Canadian French, French: ''Auditorium de Verdun'') is an arena located in the borough of Verdun, Quebec, Verdun, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The building opened on November 28, 1939 and holds 4,114 seats. It is the largest a ...

, , 3,232 , , 1–1–0–4 , , 5 , , , - , 7 , , January 23 , , @ PWHL Ottawa , , 1–3 , , , , Howe , ,

TD Place Arena TD Place Arena, originally the Ottawa Civic Centre, is an indoor arena located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Opened in December 1967, it is used primarily for sports, including curling, figure skating, ice hockey, and lacrosse. The arena has hos ...

, , 6,316 , , 1–1–0–5 , , 5 , , , - , 8 , , January 26 , , PWHL New York , , 2–0 , , , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,506 , , 2–1–0–5 , , 8 , , , - , - , 9 , , February 3 , ,

, , 4–1 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 2,470 , , 3–1–0–5 , , 11 , , , - , 10 , , February 14 , , @

, , 5–3 , , , , Campbell , ,

Tsongas Center Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell (formerly Tsongas Arena) is a multi-purpose facility owned by the University of Massachusetts Lowell and located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The arena was opened on January 27, 1998, and dedicated to the memory of the ...

, , 1,791 , , 4–1–0–5 , , 14 , , , - , 11 , , February 16 , ,

, , 3–0 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 19,285 , , 5–1–0–5 , , 17 , , , - , 12 , , February 23 , ,

, , 2–1 , , SO , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,494 , , 5–2–0–5 , , 19 , , , - , 13 , , February 27 , , @ PWHL Minnesota , , 4–3 , , OT , , Campbell , ,

3M Arena at Mariucci 3M Arena at Mariucci ( ) or 3M Arena is the home arena for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team of the University of Minnesota. The arena is located on the Minneapolis campus and seats approximately 10,000 fans (9,600 in the main b ...

, , 2,718 , , 5–3–0–5 , , 21 , , , - , - , 14 , , March 2 , , @

, , 5–2 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 8,447 , , 6–3–0–5 , , 24 , , , - , 15 , , March 6 , ,

, , 3–1 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 2,479 , , 7–3–0–5 , , 27 , , , - , 16 , , March 8 , ,

, , 3–0 , , , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,554 , , 8–3–0–5 , , 30 , , , - , 17 , , March 17 , , @ PWHL Montreal , , 2–1 , , , , Campbell , ,

PPG Paints Arena PPG Paints Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). It previously was the home of the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football Leagu ...

, , 8,850 , , 9–3–0–5 , , 33 , , , - , 18 , , March 20 , ,

, , 2–1 , , , , Howe , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,525 , , 10–3–0–5 , , 36 , , , - , 19 , , March 23 , , @ PWHL Ottawa , , 3–5 , , , , Campbell , , TD Place Arena , , 8,448 , , 10–3–0–6 , , 36 , , , - , - , 20 , , April 18 , , @

, , 1–2 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 4,084 , , 10–3–0–7 , , 36 , , , - , 21 , , April 20 , , @

, , 3–2 , , OT , , Campbell , ,

Bell Centre Bell Centre (French: ''Centre Bell)'', formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), ...

, , 21,105 , , 10–4–0–7 , , 38 , , , - , 22 , , April 28 , , @

, , 6–2 , , , , Campbell , ,

UBS Arena UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated directly adjacent to the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City. Opened in 2021, it is the home of the New York ...

, , 1,668 , , 11–4–0–7 , , 41 , , , - , - , 23 , , May 1 , ,

, , 4–1 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 2,571 , , 12–4–0–7 , , 44 , , , - , 24 , , May 5 , ,

, , 5–2 , , , , Campbell , , Mattamy Athletic Centre , , 2,620 , , 13–4–0–7 , , 47 , , , - style="text-align:center;" ,

Playoffs

On May 6, 2024,

elected to play

in the first round of the playoffs. Toronto announced that it would play its post-season home games at

, which offers more seating than Mattamay Athletic Centre. Toronto won the first two games of the series, both at home, without allowing a single goal against. However, leading scorer Natalie Spooner was injured in Game 3, and she would not return for the rest of the series. Toronto failed to score a goal in back-to-back losses in Minnesota, including a double-overtime defeat in Game 4. Minnesota completed its comeback in Game 5, securing a 4–1 victory and eliminating Toronto from the playoffs. , - , 1 , , May 8 , , Minnesota , , 4–0 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 8,473 , , 1–0 , , , - , 2 , , May 10 , , Minnesota , , 2–0 , , , , Campbell , , Coca-Cola Coliseum , , 8,581 , , 2–0 , , , - , 3 , , May 13 , , @ Minnesota , , 0–2 , , , , Campbell , ,

, , 3,344 , , 2–1 , , , - , 4 , , May 15 , , @ Minnesota , , 0–1 , , 2OT , , Campbell , , Xcel Energy Center , , 2,766 , , 2–2 , , , - , 5 , , May 17 , , Minnesota , , 1–4 , , , , Campbell , , Coca-Cola Coliseum , , 8,501 , , 2–3 , ,

Player statistics

Skaters

*Tied with Alex Carpenter (NY)

Goaltenders

Awards and honours

Milestones

League awards

Transactions

Signings

Draft picks

Below are the PWHL Toronto's selections at the 2023 PWHL draft held on September 18, 2023.

References

Recaps

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 PWHL Toronto season Toronto Sceptres seasons 2024 in sports in Ontario 2024 in Toronto

Toronto season 2023 in sports in Ontario PWHL Toronto season