At the end of the 2024-25 season, the Boston Fleet found themselves in a tight race against the Ottawa Charge and Minnesota Frost for the final two playoff spots. Though all three teams tied with 44 points, the tiebreaker meant that the Fleet, who lost five of their last six games, wound up missing the playoffs by quite literally the narrowest of margins.
A large majority of the the Fleet’s core is only 18 months removed from the inaugural season’s PWHL Finals, and an extremely active offseason of acquisitions and re-signings executed by General Manager Danielle Marmer should have Boston right back in the thick of things this year.
Coach's corner: Kris Sparre
In July, the Fleet introduced Sparre as the organization’s second-ever head coach, replacing Courtney Kessel (who had left to become head coach at Princeton). Though this will be Sparre’s first tenure as head coach, Sparre spent the last three years working as an assistant coach for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls and also spent many years in Germany, where he holds dual citizenship. Sparre is well-versed in developing young talent and says his approach will center on working with the players to achieve a common goal. “I really like to keep the focus small,” Sparre told us in a recent interview. “I’m really process-oriented. Team development is going to be what we are all about, just keeping it small and making sure we are the best team at getting better.”
Veterans to lean on
Going into the expansion process, the Fleet notably kept MVP candidate Hilary Knight off their protection list, opting to build around the trio of Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller and Alina Müller, who represent some of the world’s most elite talents at every position. While Boston may have lost their former captain to Seattle, the Fleet will not hurt for leadership and experience in Sparre’s eyes.
“We have players that have played at the highest levels of hockey, whether that's the PWHL or the Olympics,” said Sparre.
In August, the Fleet announced contract extensions for Frankel, Keller and Müller.
Besides the star-studded trio who signed extensions in August, the return of forwards Shay Maloney, Jill Saulnier, Theresa Schafzahl, Loren Gabel and Susanna Tapani—who all inked new offseason deals—will help bolster the offensive attack.
Maloney could be poised for a breakout following an impressive rookie campaign. The 25-year-old went from a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft to earning the team’s fourth protection spot in the expansion draft, which speaks volumes to the confidence the Fleet have in her potential. She put up three goals and six assists in 30 games and showed major scoring prowess during her college career at Brown and then Quinnipiac. With a year under her belt at the PWHL level, and more opportunities up front, she could see a jump in production.
As for new signings that Fleet fans should be excited about, the team inked two-time Walter Cup hero Liz Schepers away from the Minnesota Frost and Chloé Aurard-Bushee from the Sirens. The Aurard-Bushee addition has particular resonance in Boston, given her history as a former star for the Northeastern Huskies, where she displayed dynamic chemistry alongside Müller.
Rookie to watch: Haley Winn
Selected second overall at the 2025 PWHL Draft, Winn is an elite defender with elite scoring abilities and extensive international experience.
“Haley Winn is a very dynamic player,” said Sparre. “She’s very mobile on the offensive blue line and she loves to join the rush … I think she’s going to be welcomed on our team and throughout the league as an offensive defender.”
Winn tallied 131 points in 151 games during her four-year tenure in the NCAA. In her final year at Clarkson University, Winn scored 14 goals and 32 assists in 38 games to lead the team in points. Winn has also represented the United States at three separate World Championship tournaments. In 21 games, she’s scored 11 points for Team USA on the way to winning a pair of gold medals and a silver medal.
She will undoubtedly log big blue line minutes alongside Keller, 2024 second-round pick Daniela Pejšová, and newly signed Zoe Boyd, sure to become a fan favorite thanks to her personality and TikTok skills.
Between the pipes: Aerin Frankel
Frankel’s first two years in the PWHL have been fantastic. She leads the league in saves (1046) over the past two seasons while putting up the second-most minutes between the pipes (2392). Based on those two stats, you could easily argue that no other goalie in the league has been leaned on more than Frankel.
“[Aerin] is a wonderful athlete and a wonderful person,” said Sparre. “She puts a lot of pride in protecting her craft and wanting to get better.”
This past season, Frankel became the first two-time finalist for the Goaltender of the Year award after leading the league in games played (23) and saves (591) while also finishing second in save percentage (.921). It should be expected that she will once again command the lion's share of time between the pipes this season.
The Fleet signed former Boston College star Abbey Levy away from the Sirens over the summer to take on the backup role behind Frankel.
Season Outlook
The goal for Boston will be simple: get back to the playoffs. The team was one win away from winning the Walter Cup at the end of the PWHL’s inaugural season and barely missed the playoffs last year. That’s a lot of success and resilience packed into two years that the players and coaching staff will want to build on going into year three.
“We’re going to limit what other teams are able to do on the ice against us and play a very aggressive style of hockey that is in your face,” Sparre said.
With the gritty, veteran-led team set to employ a style that suits the reputation of the city it plays in, fans will undoubtedly be excited to see their team hit the ice for the 2025-26 season. It’s safe to say the coaching staff and players feel the exact same way.
