GANTER: Charge returns as a major force in Ottawa

No. 4 in a series of six pre-season training camp previews of the six PWHL teams. The Ottawa Charge missed the playoffs in Year 1 of the league but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The Charge arrived on the doorstep of the Nation’s Capital and promptly became a major presence on a sports scene crying out for a team to get behind. The Charge averaged a league-best 7,496 per game in 12 home contests. Despite outscoring every team in the league but one, the Charge couldn’t turn that offensive power into wins. They also allowed more goals than any team but one in the league. It all added up to an early end to what was an otherwise promising season. Here’s a look at how the Charge stack up heading into Year 2. LAST YEAR: Nine wins and 15 losses sealed Ottawa’s fate but don’t discount the league-worst six overtime losses as a major reason. A little overtime luck and things could have been very different. RETURNING CORE: Brianne Jenner, Katerina Mrazova, Emily Clark, Gabbie Hughes, Savannah Harmon, Ashton Bell, Emerance Maschmeyer NEWCOMERS: Danielle Serdachny was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and she arrives with plenty or promise, not to mention expectations.  Serdachny, if she wasn’t already there, put herself on the women’s hockey map with a game-winning OT goal in last year’s World Championship gold-medal match with the U.S. The Edmonton native is a goal-scorer pure and simple with the size and the skill to get where she needs to get to be productive.  Ronja Savolainen is a 26-year-old Finnish defender who has already made her name internationally and now arrives in North America to put those skills to work in the PWHL. A two-way defender, Savolainen should immediately jump into Ottawa’s top two pairings. Gwyneth Philips, the 2023 WHCA National goaltender of the year while at Northeastern, arrives to perhaps cut down on the massive workload carried by starting goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer. Philips is a recent addition to the U.S. Women’s program but at just 24, she’s really only getting started. The Charge also welcomed home one of their own in Rebecca Leslie who spent her first year in the PWHL with Toronto. The Ottawa native makes the trip east along with former Toronto teammate Alexa Vasko. NOT RETURNING: Free agency wasn’t ideal for Ottawa as they lost leading goal scorer Daryl Watts, a Toronto native who took the chance to go home. Watts had 10 goals playing alongside captain Brianne Jenner in Year 1. The hope is Serdachny can step right in and fill that void. Popular Japanese forward Akane Shiga will not be back nor will forward Becca Gilmore who is heading back to Boston to make use of her economics degree from Harvard. Forward Kristin Della Rovere has signed to play in Italy while backup goalkeeper Sandra Abstreiter is now one of five goalies in Montreal’s camp. Also not returning are forward Rosalie Demers and Emma Buckles. BIGGEST QUESTION: Ottawa had a solid year if you don’t look too closely at the win/loss column. The issue has been a lack of defence and head coach Carla MacLeod is planning on making that a focus of training camp. Replacing Watts’ offence will also be an issue. TEAM STRENGTH: This is an offensive team and even with the loss of Watts, it should be that way again. Serdachny at 5-foot-9 is a powerful forward with an eye for the net and has proven at the International level that she can score with the best of them. Emily Clark and captain Brianne Jenner can both score and create while American Gabbie Hughes fit in seamlessly with this group in Year 1 and only projects to be better. The mid-season trade for Tereza Vanisova only added to Ottawa’s offensive excellence. TEAM WEAKNESS: There were questions in Year 1 about how tough this team plays and that too will be addressed in training camp, according to MacLeod. Serdachny is a physically robust player who doesn’t shy away from contact, while camp invite Taylor House thrives in those conditions and could answer that need if she can make the team. Vasko will help there too. But there’s little question Ottawa has to be more willing to play a physical brand of hockey than they did in Year 1 if they are to improve. PRIMED FOR A BREAKOUT: We would be ignoring the obvious here if we didn’t go with Serdachny. She is coming off a pair of 60-plus point seasons in her final two years at Colgate and has the body type and skillset built for this league. A rookie-of-the-year candidate for sure and a potential winner although fellow Canadian Sarah Fillier in New York might have something to say about that. THE MOTIVATION: The despair when they lost that final game in Toronto and missed the playoffs was heartwrenching to watch. Player after player talked about their stellar fan base and wanting to give them more. Year 2 provides that opportunity. TRAINING CAMP ROSTER   FORWARDS (16) Samantha Isbell (Camp Invite) Natalie Snodgrass (Signed) Alexa Vasko (Signed) Tereza Vanisova (Signed)...