With just three more sleeps until opening day, the Boston Fleet announced who will be donning the bold “B” when they take on the Montreal Victoire at Tsongas Center on Sunday afternoon.
Here is the official list of 13 forwards, seven defenders and three goaltenders, along with an additional three reserve players to begin the 2025-26 season, per the team.
Forwards: Hannah Brandt, Ella Huber, Laura Kluge, Shay Maloney, Olivia Mobley, Alina Müller, Abby Newhook, Jamie Lee Rattray, Jill Saulnier, Theresa Schafzahl, Liz Schepers, Sophie Shirley, Susanna Tapani
Defenders: Zoe Boyd, Riley Brengman, Hadley Hartmetz, Megan Keller, Rylind MacKinnon, Daniela Pejšová, Haley Winn
Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel, Abbey Levy, Amanda Thiele
Reserves: Mia Biotti, Loren Gabel, Olivia Zafuto
Prior to the release general manager Danielle Marmer, head coach Kris Sparre and captain Megan Keller held a season preview virtual media availability.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the availabilities:
Reason for Chloé Aurard-Bushee’s release revealed
Marmer explained the challenges surrounding the club this offseason with the expansion draft and free agency coming before the league’s entry draft.
“We were in a challenge spot with expansion, losing a lot of players, free agency happening and players going off the board really quickly,” Marmer said. “Chloe was someone who wanted to be in Boston. She had connections to the city. The thing that I remember about Chloe and how she played that stood out to me was her relentlessness on the forecheck and winning pucks back and just sort of being a pest. And I knew losing players through that expansion process, that was going to be the type of player that we were going to need. So we decided to make that decision (of signing her before the draft).
“Then a week later you have the entry draft, and I was really excited about what we did in the draft. (…) I didn’t actually necessarily anticipate signing all of our drafted players, but coming to camp, those (drafted) players really stood out and I had to make a really difficult decision and felt like that was the one, (cutting Aurard-Bushee), was best for the team.”
Even though Aurard-Bushee had played five outstanding seasons of collegiate hockey at Northeastern with Fleet star forward Alina Müller, Marmer explained they had a different role in mind for the French national.
“Yeah, look, I think no doubt her and Alina had a ton of chemistry in college,” Marmer said. “We’ve invested a lot in Alina and want to do everything that we can to surround her with people who are going to help her make plays. I thought if there’s a chance that those two can play together and connect and find that chemistry again, great, but that was not the thought process to bring in Chloe.
“I think that was sort of the narrative that came up elsewhere. But, that wasn’t really where we saw her. We saw her as a bottom-six player, like a really gritty forechecking forward who could create some havoc on the forecheck and turn pucks over and create some scoring chances that way. (…) It wasn’t so much about what she did or didn’t do, it was that we had some real surprises in camp and had to make a hard decision.”
How Kris Sparre envisions the Fleet generating offense compared to last season
In the 2024-25 campaign, Boston lost eight games by a goal because the team had difficulty generating offense in front of strong defense and goaltending.
New bench boss Kris Sparre believes strong defense can, in fact, translate into offense.
“For me, offense comes from a few different things,” he said. “I think everybody kind of talks about it in a sentence where, you have the puck on your stick and you’re trying to find that great play to score a goal. And there’s some truth to that, but I think a lot of it comes off of the way you play without the puck.
“We’re going to rely a lot on our forecheck to get us pucks back in the fun area of the ice, which is the offensive zone. I think that’s an area of focus for us to help drive and generate offense,”
The Fleet’s style of hockey will be familiar to Boston hockey fans
Megan Keller has been a staple on the Fleet’s blue line for the franchise’s first two PWHL seasons.
Entering the new season, Keller will not only be the new captain of the inaugural six franchise, but will be adjusting to the new system implemented by the new head coach. She is very excited for what the new era brings to Boston.
“Just a lot of confidence,” Keller said of her feelings entering the season. “I love the style of play that (coach Sparre) wants us to play. Kind of in-your-face hockey.
“He wants us to be aggressive and take away time and space for the other team. And, we want to be a hard team to play against. I think that shows throughout our system and throughout our practices — and it’ll show up in the game for sure.”
That “hard to play against” mentality is the same motto for the other professional hockey team in Boston — the Bruins.
What’s on tap for the Fleet?
Boston has two more practices before opening its third season in Lowell, Mass., on Sunday against Montreal. Puck drop from Tsongas Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on NESN and the league’s YouTube channel.
Other key games feature the Fleet as 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.
Boston 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. The Fleet will be the visiting team when they face off against Vancouver in Edmonton at Rogers Place on April 7.
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