PREVIEW – The 2024-25 Toronto Sceptres season is all about redemption. In their inaugural season, they finished first in the league and had a 2-0 lead over the PWHL Minnesota team (now called the Minnesota Frost). However, the Toronto Sceptres (then called the Toronto PWHL team) blew a 2-0 playoff lead and lost in five games, with Natalie Spooner getting injured.
2024-25 Toronto Sceptres Season: Lots of Optimism for This Season
Players That Retired: Erica Howe, Lauriane Rougeau, Brittany Howard, and Jess Jones
Players That Came from Other Teams: Daryl Watts and Emma Woods
Four Players Have Retired
One of the biggest names not returning this year as a player is Lauriane Rougeau but will still be part as Manager of Hockey Operations. One of their goaltenders, Erica Howe has announced retirement, and, most notably also, the Toronto Six 2023 Isobel Cup champion, Brittany Howard. Additionally, Jess Jones has also retired after playing one year with the PWHL Toronto team, which has recently rebranded their name.
Some of these retirements have created spaces for roster spots with the Toronto Sceptres, most notably, Erica Howe has retired, meaning there are more spots available for that position.
Player to Watch: Sarah Nurse and Kristin Campbell
With Natalie Spooner still injured, the players to watch with the Toronto Sceptres include Sarah Nurse. Nurse had a stellar 2024 regular season, scoring 11 goals and dishing out 12 assists. Her ability to create and score at a high-level is second to none and is something that cannot be underestimated.
Another player to look at is Kristen Campbell. At the time of the article, this is what Graham Sceviour-Fraehlich said about the game (Source: Winnipeg Sun):
Campbell really played well in some of the playoff games against the PWHL Minnesota team (now known as the Minnesota Frost), including earning two shutouts in the first two games of the playoff series. She will be a key player for the Sceptres if they want to make a push and try to win their first-ever championship.
New Players for the Toronto Sceptres
READ MORE: The 2024 PWHL Toronto Draft: Forwards
One player to note is Daryl Watts. Watts was part of that Isobel Cup championship team with the Toronto Six last year and she played for the PWHL Ottawa (now known as the Ottawa Chargers) in the PWHL’s inaugural season. This is what the Sceptres head coach, Troy Ryan, said about the signing of Watts (Source: Kerry Gillespie, Sports Reporter of the Toronto Star):
“We had some conversations about some of the defensive aspects of the game and she was very open to making adjustments, and seemed really keen on actually growing her game,” Ryan says.
Watts was Ottawa’s leading goal-scorer, scoring ten goals in 24 games. Another notable player that signed with the Toronto Sceptres is Emma Woods, who played for the PWHL New York team (now known as the New York Sirens) in the 2024 PWHL season and grew up in Toronto. Woods seems excited to play in her hometown for the 2024-25 PWHL season (Source: Giselle Velazquez of The Ice Garden):
“This team proved last year they could be a championship team; no doubt and I think the whole team is gonna pick up where they left off,” Woods said. “There’s a lot of other positives. It’s a top organization, the people, the staff, we have an incredible thing going here and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
As for some of the other players, seven rookies are on the roster, with four of them already signed. This is what Toronto Sceptres forward, Blayre Turnbull, said about what this means for veterans like herself (Source: Canadian Press):
“I think it’s a huge responsibility on all the veterans on the team and the leaders on the team to make sure that our new players feel their best,” Turnbull said. “The biggest thing for me is, if you want to make sure your team is ready for gameplay, you have to practice the same way that you play.”
Some of these players that were drafted in the 2024 PWHL Draft have signed contract deals with the Toronto Sceptres like Megan Carter, Raygan Kirk, and Julia Gosling.
Information on Contracts and Retirement: PWHL Signings and Free Agency Tracker By Sydney Wolf
Toronto Sceptres and the PWHL Is Part of NHL 25
READ MORE: 2024 PWHL Draft: PWHL Toronto Defenders and Goaltenders
This might be the biggest plus for professional women’s ice hockey this year. Just before the league’s second season begins, it was announced that starting December 5, all six PWHL teams will be a part of NHL 25. Yes, there have been women’s national teams that can be played in previous NHL video games, but not club teams. This has never happened with any of the other women’s ice hockey leagues anywhere in the world, including the previous leagues that used to exist in Canada and the U.S.
A lot of people play video games, and the EA Sports NHL video game series is one of the most profitable sports video game franchises in the world. With this news and the Toronto WNBA team likely being in the NBA 2K video game series, there is a lot to look forward to.
READ MORE: AFC Toronto Logo and Stadium: York Lions Stadium
Also, there is AFC Toronto, which will begin playing as a pro women’s soccer team in 2025. This is what Natalie Spooner said about that (Source: Toronto Life):
“We set the stage for them,” Spooner said. “Now, our games are selling out, and I think as athletes, we will be excited to watch the women’s soccer and the women’s basketball, but also for them to see the market for women’s sports here in Toronto and that people love it and I think it is going to help grow our city and make our city the best sports city in the world.”
It seems like everything is coming together. The long-awaited and overdue NSL/SLN league will launch next year in six cities, including one in Toronto, and bringing a Toronto WNBA team has been a topic discussed for at least ten years, and it is something that fans in Toronto should celebrate and not take for granted.
The 2024-25 Toronto Sceptres Season Schedule Update and More
READ MORE: The Toronto Sceptres Logo, Venue, and History
The Toronto Sceptres first home game will be on November 30, where they take on the Boston Fleet at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. Their first road game will be against their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Charge on December 3 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The game against Boston will be at 2:00pm EST while the Ottawa game will be at 7:00pm EST. Ironically, in the National Lacrosse League, the Ottawa Black Bears will host the Toronto Rock, in their first-ever home game at 7:00pm EST, as the Toronto and the Ottawa sports teams will be meeting each other a lot for some of the early big games.
Both the Sceptres games will be televised live on CBC while the Rock and Black Bears game will be televised nationally on TSN.
Photo Credit: Toronto Sceptres Facebook Page on October 30, 2024.
