Ottawa Charge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ottawa ChargeCharge d'Ottawa (French) |
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| City | Ottawa, Ontario |
| League | PWHL |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Home arena | Canadian Tire Centre & TD Place Arena |
| Colours | Red, gold, white, grey |
| Owner(s) | Mark Walter Group |
| General manager | Michael Hirshfeld |
| Head coach | Carla MacLeod |
| Captain | Brianne Jenner |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 0 |
| Walter Cups | 0 |
| Current uniform | |
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 Current season |
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The Ottawa Charge (called Charge d'Ottawa in French) is a professional ice hockey team. They are based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This team plays in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The Ottawa Charge was one of the first six teams to join the league. Their home games are played at TD Place Arena.
Contents
Team History and Early Seasons
How the Team Started
The Ottawa Charge team was officially announced on August 29, 2023. It was one of the first six teams in the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Michael Hirshfeld became the team's general manager. The TD Place Arena was chosen as their home rink.
On September 15, Carla MacLeod was named the first head coach. She used to play for the Canadian national team. She also coached the Czech women's national team.
First Players and Coaches
Before the first draft, each PWHL team could sign three players. Ottawa signed Canadian national team stars Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner, and Emerance Maschmeyer on September 5, 2023. These players signed three-year deals.
On September 18, 15 more players were chosen in the league's draft. Ottawa's first pick was American national team member Savannah Harmon. Later, Haley Irwin and Cassea Schols joined as assistant coaches. Pierre Groulx became the goaltending coach.
Team Colors and First Games
The team's colors and jerseys were shown on November 14, 2023. They were red, 'storm' grey, and white.
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Before the first season began, Brianne Jenner was named team captain. Emily Clark and Jincy Roese were named alternate captains.
The Ottawa Charge played their first game on January 2, 2024. They hosted PWHL Montreal at the TD Place Arena. This game set a new record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game with 8,318 fans. Hayley Scamurra scored the team's first-ever goal. Montreal won the game 3–2 in overtime.
Ottawa got its first win on January 13, beating PWHL Toronto 5–1. Their first home win was on January 23, also against Toronto. The team did not make the playoffs in their first season. However, they had the highest fan attendance in the PWHL. Because they finished fifth, Ottawa got the second pick in the 2024 PWHL draft.
A Strong Second Season (2024–25)
The 2024–25 season was a big success for the team. They finished third in the regular season. This earned them a spot in the playoffs. They surprised everyone by beating the top team, Montréal Victoire, in the semifinals. One game even went into four overtimes!
Rookie goalie Gwyneth Philips was amazing. She saved 95.2% of shots and was named the Playoff MVP. Ottawa reached their first Walter Cup Final. They won Game 1 but lost to the Minnesota Frost in four close games. All those final games went into overtime. This season showed that Ottawa is a tough and strong team with a bright future.
The 2025–26 Season
In the 2025–26 season, the Ottawa Charge finished fourth in the league. They made it to the 2026 Walter Cup Finals again. However, they lost to the Montreal Victoire in four games.
Home Arena Discussions
On November 7, 2025, the Ottawa City Council approved a plan to rebuild TD Place Arena. This plan is part of a bigger project called Lansdowne 2.0. The new arena would have fewer seats, going from 8,500 down to 5,850.
This plan caused concern for the Ottawa Charge and the PWHL. The team's average attendance in the 2024–25 season was 6,768 fans. For weekend games, it was even higher, at 8,348 fans. A smaller arena would not be able to hold all their supporters.
PWHL leaders Jayna Hefford and Amy Scheer spoke to the city council on October 29, 2025. They explained why they did not agree with the plan. They had been talking about the seating issue with the Mayor and OSEG for over a year.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said that making the new arena bigger would be too expensive. He thought the team would quickly need an even larger space. He suggested moving to a bigger arena like the Canadian Tire Centre. However, the league and fans want the team to stay in the city center.
Season Records
This table shows how the Ottawa Charge performed each season.
| Season | GP | RW | OW | OL | RL | Pts | GF | GA | GD | Finish | Playoffs |
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| 2023–24 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 32 | 62 | 63 | -1 | 5th | Did not qualify |
| 2024–25 | 30 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 44 | 71 | 80 | -9 | 3rd | Lost Walter Cup Final, 1–3 (Minnesota Frost) |
| 2025–26 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 44 | 71 | 73 | -2 | 4th | Lost Walter Cup Final, 1–3 (Montreal Victoire) |
Team Name and Look
In the first season, all PWHL teams, including Ottawa, used a simple design. Their jerseys had the city's name on the front. They were known as PWHL Ottawa. The team's colors were red and grey.
The league thought about naming the team "Ottawa Alert" in October 2023. This name would have honored an old women's hockey team from the early 1900s.
However, in September 2024, the league announced the official team names. Ottawa became the Ottawa Charge. The name "Charge" comes from Ottawa's city motto, which means "Advance—Ottawa—En Avant" (Forward—Ottawa—Go Forward). Other names considered were "Advance" and "Guard."
Along with the new name, the league showed the team's new logo. It's a circle that looks like it's moving, and it hints at the letters "OC" for Ottawa Charge. Yellow was also added to the team's colors.
Team Leaders
Team Captain
- Brianne Jenner, 2023–present
Head Coach
- Carla MacLeod, 2023–present
First-Round Draft Picks
- 2023: Savannah Harmon (5th overall)
- 2024: Danielle Serdachny (2nd overall)
- 2025: Rory Guilday (5th overall)
