Competing ideologies regarding the significance of offensive skills versus physical toughness culminated in a landmark trade between the Toronto Sceptres and the Ottawa Charge in the second season of the PWHL. This notable transaction, finalized on Monday night, featured three accomplished players with a collective experience of five appearances in the Winter Olympics, alongside a swap of 2023 first-round draft picks.
In this trade, Ottawa welcomed physical defenseman Jocelyn Larocque from Toronto, while Toronto gained play-making blue-liner Savannah Harmon. Additionally, the teams exchanged forwards—Ottawa obtained Victoria Bach, and Toronto secured the all-around attributes and resilience of Hayley Scamurra. Harmon, 29, and Scamurra, 30, are both active members of the U.S. national team and earned silver medals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Larocque, aged 36, is a three-time Olympian and has been a cornerstone of Canada’s defense for the past 14 years. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Bach played a vital role in Canada’s gold medal-winning efforts in the world championships in 2021 and 2022, before taking a year off to pursue a teaching degree.
Gina Kingsbury, the general manager of the Sceptres, expressed a blend of emotions during a Zoom call on Tuesday, acknowledging the difficulty in parting with familiar players she knows well from her role as Team Canada GM. She expressed optimism about the future, stating, “But I’m excited for what’s to come, so I have a positive outlook right now.”
Although losing two key figures posed a challenge for the Charge, Ottawa’s GM Mike Hirshfeld was enthusiastic about acquiring Larocque’s leadership qualities and physical playstyle, as well as Bach’s untapped offensive potential from her time in Toronto. “For us, it was a really tough trade… but one we think moves our organization forward as a whole,” Hirshfeld noted.
This pivotal trade took place while both teams held identical records of 2-3 with an overtime defeat, and it was anticipated that all four players involved would take to the ice when Toronto hosted Ottawa later that week. The previous significant trade in the PWHL involved a three-player deal on February 11, where Boston acquired Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook in exchange for 2023 women’s college player of the year Sophie Jaques, who was sent to Minnesota.
Harmon, a product of Illinois, is expected to play a crucial role for the Sceptres as a play-making defenseman, relieving some pressure off fellow blueliner Renata Fast. The two defensewomen previously played alongside each other at Clarkson University, and Harmon led Charge defensemen last season with 12 points, contributing three goals and nine assists, though she has yet to register a point this season.
Kingsbury clarified that the timing of this trade was not influenced by the Sceptres’ slow start, but rather a strategic opportunity to bring Harmon into the fold, particularly since she was the fifth overall pick in the inaugural PWHL draft. “We’re constantly trying to look at it with a critical eye of how can we perform better, how can we be a more threatening team,” Kingsbury remarked. She highlighted that Harmon’s puck-handling skills align well with the Sceptres’ aggressive playstyle, especially with the team awaiting the return of 2024 season MVP Natalie Spooner, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Scamurra, originally from Buffalo, New York, has also struggled to find her scoring touch this year after finishing the previous season with five goals and a total of 10 points. Larocque, drafted second overall in 2023, was a crucial addition to an Ottawa team that sought to bolster its size and physicality during the offseason. Hirshfeld emphasized that tightening their defense was a priority, saying, “We wanted to make it harder for opponents to operate in front of our net. And so Jocelyn is the ultimate competitor.” Additionally, he noted that Larocque’s veteran presence would aid in the development of Ottawa’s younger defensive players like Ashton Bell and Stephanie Markowski.
Improving in one-goal games has been an area of concern for Ottawa, which has not scored four or more goals in a single game this season and holds a record of 1-2-1 in such close contests. Last season, the Charge faced elimination from playoff contention on the final day, having an abysmal record of 1-6 in games decided in overtime or shootouts.
As for Bach, Hirshfeld is optimistic about her ability to regain her scoring prowess after contributing three goals and six points over the past two seasons. With Brian Durocher, who previously coached her at Boston University, as part of the scouting staff, the Charge are confident in her potential moving forward. Durocher had noted her offensive capabilities, and Hirshfeld indicated that the foray into Ottawa could provide her with the opportunity she might have lacked in Toronto.
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The article has been updated to confirm that only three Olympians were included in this trade, excluding Bach from the 2022 Olympic team.
