Episode Details

The PWHL is going to its first-ever All-Star Weekend — and Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner have a lot to say about it. March 7th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the format mirrors the World Cup of Hockey: Team USA, Team Canada, Team International, and a Rookies team playing 3-on-3. Erica and Rachel break down why the rookie angle is the most exciting part, what the broadcast will need to do to make it land, and why 12 teams is exactly the right moment for the league to pull this off.

Then it's Hockey Canada news: Corey Cheverie is the new head coach, elevated from an assistant role under Troy Ryan. Danièle Sauvageau is the new GM, with Ottawa's Mike Hirschfeld and Detroit's Manon Rhéaume joining as assistant GMs and Kris Sparre — fresh off Coach of the Year honors in the PWHL — coming on as an assistant coach. 

Erica and Rachel dig into whether promoting from within is the right call, what Bruce Cassidy's role as special advisor actually means, and the ongoing overlap between Hockey Canada and PWHL front offices.

Then the Seattle Torrent deep dive. A team that allowed 92 goals — the most in the league by a significant margin — lost Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Kayla Barnes, and Kareem Schroeder to expansion, and moved on from their first head coach. Christine Bumstead steps up from the assistant role, Abby Murphy comes in as the number two overall pick, and CJ Jackson returns with something to prove. Is this a team with a real path forward — or is Year 2 going to look a lot like Year 1?

Finally: the Mark Walter update everyone needs to hear. PWHL trademarks have been put up as collateral in connection with Walter's ongoing loan fraud investigation. Erica and Rachel break down what that actually means, why it's getting closer to the league, and why they're watching — but not panicking yet.

0:00 — Intro: PWHL All-Star Weekend announced, Hockey Canada news, Seattle deep dive, and Mark Walter update
2:30 — PWHL's first-ever All-Star Weekend: March 7th at Scotiabank Arena, the 3-on-3 format, and why the Rookies team is going to steal the show
9:00 — Hockey Canada coaching staff: Corey Cheverie as head coach, Kris Sparre as assistant, and what promoting from within signals
13:00 — Danièle Sauvageau as Team Canada GM: the Hockey Canada front office overhaul and Bruce Cassidy's advisory role explained
18:30 — Seattle Torrent Season 3 review: 92 goals allowed, even-strength scoring problems, and what went wrong
22:00 — Expansion losses: Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes, Corrine Schroeder — and whether Seattle's reset makes sense
27:30 — Abbey Murphy at #2 overall, CJ Jackson returning, and how Christine Bumstead might fix the goaltending question
33:00 — Seattle's path forward: Alex Carpenter, Julia Gosling, Sydney Morrow on the blue line, and what the top line could look like
40:00 — Mark Walter update: PWHL trademarks used as loan collateral — what it means and why AES is watching closely

At Even Strength is a PWHL-focused podcast from Black Rosie Media, hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. New episodes drop on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.

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