The Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will host games at Climate Pledge Arena, the home of the Seattle Kraken of the NHL.
But as the Torrent’s general manager and communications director pointed out to us during a media session on Wednesday, although the Kraken’s logo will be at center ice, fans will definitely know they’re at a PWHL game.
One thing the Seattle men and women will have in common: High quality individuals in the dressing room and community and a feisty competitiveness on the ice.
“Culturally we wanted to get good people in the locker room,” Torrent General Manager Meghan Turner said in terms of the club’s identity. “In that first signing window, we felt like we got the right components from a playing perspective and also from a people standpoint.”
On the ice, the club will be hard to play against.
“‘Direct, fast, physical’ is something you’ll hear from (head coach) Steve (O’Rourke),” she added. “That’s how we constructed this roster and what we wanted going into it, so obviously from a playing style, yeah, we want to play fast and that’s how our practices have been going. That’s what we expect from this group. It’s going to be a physical game and I expect our opponents to feel it.”
What’s a hockey fan not to love about that statement?!
Coach O’Rourke later reiterated the ‘direct, fast, physical’ line, as did team captain and future Hockey Hall of Famer Hilary Knight, the 36-year-old icon for USA Women’s Hockey for much of the last two decades.
Aside from elite talent, she brings a wealth of experience in terms of team building.
“The strongest (locker) rooms I’ve been a part of have been ones that have a great level of trust and care for one another, and I just think that’s part of our process of getting to know each other in a very natural environment,” Knight said.
“We’re going to be on the road a lot together and we’re going to see each other, get to know one another pretty quickly here, but I think just having a room filled with love, and you get to know people on a different level. What communication looks like, and where you can push, where you need to dial back … the chemistry we develop off the ice is only going to benefit us on the ice as well.”
The Torrent will fire things up on Friday night in Vancouver at the Pacific Coliseum against their expansion sisters, the Goldeneyes. Seattle’s first home game will take place a week later against the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost.
Each of the eight PWHL teams play 30 regular season games.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Lose 4-2 To “Kraken East”; New Challenge Awaits
Of interest from the Canucks:
— Canucks Jiri Patera The Right Choice On Monday