ANALYSIS – The 2025 Toronto Sceptres season was almost identical to the previous season. In both seasons, the Sceptres did not start the season strong, but started to gather wins in the latter part of both seasons.
This was the case with the Sceptres in the 2024-25 PWHL season, where their performance from January-March, but particularly in February-March, helped them earn a second-straight PWHL playoff spot. However, just like the previous edition of the playoffs, they were unable to get past the Minnesota Frost.
2024-25 Toronto Sceptres – Similar to the Previous Season
Positives
Daryl Watts and Hannah Miller Stepped Up
With Natalie Spooner injured to begin the season, the offence needed to come from somewhere. The offence ended up coming from many different players, including Watts and Miller.
One of Watts’ most notable games, as seen above, is scoring the Sceptres’ two goals in a win over the New York Sirens. She also scored a late goal against the Montreal Victoire in regulation, but unfortunately still lost in a penalty shoot-out.
Even the Sceptres and Team Canada head coach, Troy Ryan, was impressed with Hannah Miller’s play as he said this about her when trying to get her to play for the Canadian national team, which was unsuccessful (Source: Canadian Press):
“She’s having a great year and deserves the recognition,” Ryan said. “We named Hannah to the roster in the hopes that she could potentially be eligible.”
Unfortunately, Miller was not able to be named as part of the Canadian women’s national team.
As of right now, Watts will be expected to play for the Sceptres for the upcoming season. Watts was one of the first three protected players for Toronto (Source: Toronto Sceptres X Account). Unfortunately, for Miller, it was announced that she has signed with the PWHL Vancouver team, as reported by Hailey Salvian of The Athletic (Source: PWHL Report).
The Toronto Sceptres Got Some Key Wins to Make the 2025 PWHL Playoffs
The Sceptres, like their first season, did not start the 2024-25 PWHL season well. They started November-December with only two wins in seven games played, with both wins coming against the Boston Fleet. However, much like their inaugural season in the league, the Sceptres bounced back.
READ MORE: Toronto Sceptres Powerplay Was Clinical Against the Boston Fleet
The most successful months for the Sceptres were February and March. In particular, the two wins they had against the Montreal Victoire, which included a 4-1 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum to start off the month of March, were two of four wins the Sceptres had in just six games in the month of March.
Negatives
Natalie Spooner and Sarah Nurse Did Not Play Much Together
READ MORE: Natalie Spooner: A Vital Player for the Toronto Sceptres
In the inaugural 2023-24 PWHL season, it could be said that Natalie Spooner and Sarah Nurse were the two best players on the team. In that season, Spooner led the league with 20 goals and 27 points. This was while Sarah Nurse was tied second in the league with total points, along with Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin and New York’s Alex Carpenter.
Unfortunately, in the 2024-25 PWHL season, the players did not play much together. The moment Spooner returned from injury, Nurse had just been sidelined with an injury. Even though both players played together in the 2025 PWHL playoffs, they did not get enough time to play with each other in the regular season.
Both players were surprisingly not protected by the Sceptres. As a result, Nurse will be playing for the PWHL Vancouver team. This is what Nurse had to say about leaving her hometown team, the Toronto Sceptres (Source: Sarah Nurse on Toronto Life):
“I never thought I would leave Toronto. To me, this has always been home, and when we set out to start a league, it’s the place I wanted to play forever. I’m just as shocked as anyone, but this decision was ultimately what made the most sense for my career on the ice.”
Nurse, who was born in Burlington and brought up in Stoney Creek (Hamilton), Ontario, had always played for a Toronto-based team. This was also the case when the CWHL existed, where she played one year with the Toronto Furies.
READ MORE: Sarah Nurse: Toronto Sceptres’ Star Player
Toronto Sceptres Could Not Get Past The Minnesota Frost
Just like with the Sceptres in last year’s playoffs, they were unable to get the job done against the Frost. Toronto won its first game against Minnesota in the 2025 PWHL playoffs. However, after that win, the Sceptres lost three straight games.
The Sceptres had trouble with their goaltending, as Kristen Campbell gave up five goals in game two and seven goals in game three.
What the Sceptres might feel most hard done by was probably game four. It was a game that they never trailed as they held a 2-0 and 3-2 lead at certain times of the game. Unfortunately for Toronto, Minnesota’s Taylor Heise scored the game-winner early in the first overtime to advance to the 2025 PWHL Final and eventually win their second-straight Walter Cup.
Toronto Sceptres Player of the Year: Renata Fast
Renata Fast was the only Sceptres player to be nominated for the PWHL Billie Jean King MVP award. She had an exceptional year, as she led the team with 16 assists. Fast was also third on the team with 22 points.
A player who can play at both ends of the ice, Fast is a player who deserves her accolades. This is what Fast said about being nominated for the PWHL Billie Jean King MVP award (Source: CBC):
“I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates for the competition that they’ve shown every day in practice to push me to be better, as well as my coaches. I think they’ve put a big investment in me as a person and a player to see how far my game can go.”
Fast will continue to have a role with the Sceptres, as she was one of the three players initially protected by the Sceptres.
READ MORE: Renata Fast: Versatile Toronto Sceptres Defender
The Year-End Review and What To Look Forward To
Grade: B-
The Sceptres’ 2024-25 season started and ended eerily like the 2023-24 PWHL season. The team struggled to start the season but got in the groove later in the season. Also, in both years, they had home ice advantage against the Minnesota Frost and both times they lost.
While this year was not a disaster, there was some disappointment that the Sceptres did not make the 2025 PWHL Final. Saying that, the Toronto Sceptres became one of only three teams to make the PWHL playoffs in both years, with the other two teams being the Minnesota Frost and the Montreal Victoire.
The 2024-25 PWHL season will also be the last year of the inaugural six era, with the PWHL Vancouver and the PWHL Seattle teams set to become the first-ever expansion teams in the league’s young history.
As a result, an expansion draft has made some major changes to the rosters of the inaugural six teams. This is what Fast said about it (Source: CBC of Yahoo! Sports):
The inaugural six era is now officially over, and fans can now get excited for the PWHL season coming up for the Sceptres.
Photo Credit: PWHL Toronto X Account on March 7, 2025.
