Ottawa Charge Defy the Odds
The Ottawa Charge have done something few expected after one of the toughest offseasons in the young history of the Professional Women's Hockey League: they're back in the final.
After losing key pieces to the expansion draft ahead of the 2025-26 season, many observers wondered whether Ottawa could remain competitive. Instead, general manager Mike Hirshfeld and his staff engineered a rebuild-on-the-fly that's now the talk of women's hockey.
The Expansion Draft Wound
Expansion drafts are brutal by design. The incoming franchise gets to cherry-pick from existing rosters, and protection rules mean no team walks away unscathed. For the Charge, the losses were significant — proven contributors departed, and the roster depth that had been carefully built suddenly had visible gaps.
In most sports, that kind of roster disruption signals a step backward. A transition year. A "wait till next year" season.
Ottawa had other plans.
Hirshfeld's Draft-Class Gamble
Rather than scrambling to plug holes through trades or free agency, Hirshfeld leaned hard into the draft. The 2025 PWHL draft class he assembled turned out to be exceptional — players who came in ready to contribute immediately, not developmental projects who needed a year or two to find their footing.
"We believed in the depth of this draft class," Hirshfeld has said, reflecting on the decision. "We stayed patient and trusted the process."
That patience paid off. Multiple draft picks stepped into starting roles and delivered. The Charge didn't just replace what they lost — in some areas, they upgraded.
A City That Showed Up
Ottawa fans, for their part, never wavered. Canadian Tire Centre crowds stayed loud even when the roster questions were loudest. There's something about this city and its relationship with women's hockey — Ottawa was an early and enthusiastic backer of the PWHL from the moment the league launched, and that support has only grown.
The Charge's run to the final has energized the capital again. Social media lit up after each playoff win, and the buzz around the team has been a genuine bright spot in Ottawa's spring sports calendar.
What It Means for the League
The Charge's story also matters beyond Ottawa. It sends a message to every PWHL franchise that an expansion draft hit doesn't have to mean a lost season. Good scouting, smart drafting, and organizational continuity can overcome roster disruption faster than anyone expects.
For a league still proving its model to skeptics, watching a team bounce back this quickly — and this convincingly — is exactly the kind of narrative that builds credibility and grows the fan base.
Eyes on the Final
The Charge are back where they want to be, playing for the biggest prize in women's professional hockey. Ottawa's riding the wave, and if Hirshfeld's draft class keeps delivering, this team could be a perennial contender for years to come.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
