Troiani Rink Report

The Boston Fleet kicked off training camp Monday at Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley, Mass. on Monday with the franchise’s first practice under new head coach Kris Sparre.

Following nearly two-hours of on-ice drills, Sparre and several Fleet players met with members of the media to discuss the upcoming PWHL season.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the first day of camp:

Sparre reiterated the identity he expects the Fleet to have this season
In is introductory press conference at the end of July, Sparre “promised” that Boston would be a “very, very difficult team to play against” with a “suffocating” system all over the ice.

Now that Sparre has had a chance to meet all the players and see them on the ice, his thought process has not changed.

“I think we want to embody the city that we’re in, Boston, which is a tough, gritty style of play through all the professional sports,” Sparre explained. “Not only that, I think the players feel that they want to be a very difficult team to play against as well. So, when we’re aligned like that, it’s a good thing.”

Boston has more than one priority heading into the rest of camp and the season
While the ultimate goal is to not only make the playoffs, but win the franchise’s first Walter Cup, Sparre is holding no illusions when it comes to the future of the club.

“I’d say three things,” he said. “We want to build in pace to our team right away. Perfection is not the priority right now. It’s too early to be able to establish perfection in a game that’s not perfect anyway.

“The second thing is for us to get connected as a team. This is a quick season. There’s 30 games and the teams that start off running, it’s a good thing. And so we want to get connected in terms of team identity.”

The third priority on tap is evaluating the players to ensure the Fleet is putting the best team on the ice when the season starts.

“There’s 32 players at camp, 26 get a job,” he said. “We have to figure out who fits where and how to put this thing together.”

It may be day one, but Sparre does have a vision when it comes to the lineup
“I think I’d be lying to you if I said that I haven’t thought about that,” Sparre mused when asked about lines and defensive pairings. “Of course as coaches, all we do is drink coffee and talk about lineups. And so we’ve talked about certain things — positions ad where players are going to play.”

When asked about the Fleet’s most offensively skilled forward, Sparre was a bit more transparent than expected.

“If you’re asking about Alina (Müller) specifically, I see her as a centerman,” he said. “She’s wonderful in the middle of the ice. She can see both sides. She’s very smart at both ends of the ice and she likes to play there, so I’m not going to fight that.”

Müller spent her first two professional seasons playing on the wing, after playing center before being drafted by Boston in the PWHL’s inaugural draft. She is looking forward to getting back to her natural position.

“Yes, super excited,” Müller said. “I think I’ve played center my whole life really. That’s where I feel most natural on the ice and feel like I have my instincts in the middle of the ice.

“But, I really felt comfortable towards the end of last season. Playing on the wing was a great challenge for me and in the end, I’m just doing whatever it takes for the team to win games. Whereever the coach puts me, I’m going to give my 100% effort.”

Müller could be reunited with her Northeastern line-mate
After spending the first two PWHL seasons with the New York Sirens, forward Chloé Aurard-Bushee signed a one-year standard player contract with Boston, reuniting her with her Husky line-mate.

Müller and Aurard-Bushee were a force to be reckoned with during their five Northeastern seasons. Müller finished her collegiate career as the Huskies’ all-time leader in points with 254, while Aurard-Bushee ranks fourth in school history with 204. The pair have combined for 44 game-winning goals. Sparre, like the duo, is looking forward to seeing if the chemistry is still there.

“I wouldn’t say that nothing’s set in stone,” the first-year coach said. “But, they obviously had a lot of chemistry in college together, and we need to explore that.”

Müller is thrilled to have her longtime line-mate in Boston after playing against her for the past two seasons.

“Honestly, one of the best feelings I’ve had in a while just being out there again with Chloé,” Müller said. “I think we have a lot of history together and just feels natural playing with her, being on the ice with her. Super happy when I realized we picked her up in the summer and finally time to be on the ice again.”

Aurard-Bushee echoed her center’s thoughts.

“We played together at Northeastern for five years, so I think we’ve built a lot of chemistry,” she said. “We’re also friends off the ice so that helps. (We) never argue. (We) never have bad problems together, so I think that says alot. Just excited to be together again and then build that chemistry even more over the years.”

What’s on tap for Boston?

The Fleet have two more days of training camp before heading north of the border to Montréal, where Boston will play two preseason scrimmages against the Victoire on Nov. 15 and Nov. 17 at Verdun Auditorium in Canada.

Boston opens its third PWHL season at Tsongas Center on Nov. 23 against Montreal. The Fleet will be the home team in two of the team’s three neutral-site games as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour for the 2025-26 season.

The Fleet will host the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Jan. 3, followed by their matchup with the Ottawa Charge at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Jan. 11. Boston will be the visiting team when they face off against Vancouver in Edmonton at Rogers Place on April 7.

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