# Boston Fleet

The Boston Fleet are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Tsongas Center.

## History
### Founding and inaugural season

On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Boston. This ensured the continuation of professional women's hockey in the area after the folding of the Boston Pride and the Premier Hockey Federation earlier that summer; the Pride had been that league's most successful franchise, winning three Isobel Cup championships. Danielle Marmer, a former scout and player development assistant for the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins, was named PWHL Boston's inaugural general manager. On September 15, Boston University women's team associate head coach Courtney Birchard-Kessel was announced as the team's first head coach.
The team's first three player signings were United States national team players Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, and Megan Keller, all signed to three-year deals. Boston's first selection in the 2023 PWHL Draft, held on September 18, was Swiss forward Alina Müller, taken third overall.
In November, it was revealed that the team's colors would be green, gray, and white. It was also revealed that the team would host home games at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.
Ahead of the start of the inaugural 2024 season, former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron introduced Knight as Boston's captain; Keller and Jamie Lee Rattray were introduced as alternate captains. The team hosted its inaugural game against Minnesota Frost on January 3, 2024. The team's first ever goal was scored by Theresa Schafzahl, 7:59 into the 2nd period. Minnesota ultimately won the game by a score of 3–2. Boston's first victory came in a 3–2 overtime decision against Montreal Victoire on January 13. Boston went on to finish third in the league standings, clinching a playoff spot in their final regular season game.
In the first round of the playoffs, Boston faced Montreal. Boston went on to defeat Montreal in three straight games, with all three victories coming in overtime. Boston advanced to the championship series, where they faced Minnesota. Goaltender Aerin Frankel led the playoffs in saves. However, Boston lost a close five-game series, with Minnesota clinching the Walter Cup championship in Lowell on May 29.

## Season-by-season record

Key of colors and symbols :
| Color/symbol | Explanation |
| † | Indicates League Championship |
| * | Indicates regular Championship |
Year by year results :
| Season | GP | RW | OW | OL | RL | Pts | GF | GA | GD | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2023–24 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 35 | 50 | 57 | -7 | 3rd | Lost Walter Cup Finals, 2–3 (PWHL Minnesota) |

## Team identity

Boston operated without unique branding for the league's inaugural season, like all charter franchises. The team was known as PWHL Boston and wore a league-wide jersey template that featured the city's name diagonally on the front. The team did have its own colour scheme, featuring green and black. In October 2023, the league registered a trademark for the name Boston Wicked, which proved unpopular with fans when leaked. In September 2024, the team was instead given the name Fleet, in reference to Boston's maritime tradition; the team's logo features a stylized letter 'B' doubling as an anchor. The team retained its color scheme, adding additional shades of green. The Hockey News reported that other names in contention for Boston, before settling on Fleet, included Emeralds and Blitz.

## Players and personnel
### Current roster

    As of November 29, 2024
| No. | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
| 88 | Lexie Adzija | F | L | 24 | 2024 | St. Thomas, Ontario |
| 8 | Kelly Babstock | F | R | 32 | 2023 | Mississauga, Ontario |
| 19 | Hannah Bilka | F | L | 23 | 2024 | Coppell, Texas |
| 20 | Hannah Brandt | F | R | 31 | 2023 | Vadnais Heights, Minnesota |
| 2 | Emily Brown | D | L | 26 | 2023 | Blaine, Minnesota |
| 22 | Jessica DiGirolamo | D | L | 26 | 2023 | Mississauga, Ontario |
| 31 | Aerin Frankel | G | L | 25 | 2023 | New York City, New York |
| 36 | Loren Gabel | F | L | 27 | 2023 | Kitchener, Ontario |
| 25 | Emma Greco | D | L | 30 | 2024 | Burlington, Ontario |
| 6 | Hadley Hartmetz | D | R | 23 | 2024 | Phoenixville, Pennsylvania |
| 5 | Megan Keller (A) | D | L | 28 | 2023 | Farmington, Michigan |
| 21 | Hilary Knight (C) | F | R | 35 | 2023 | Palo Alto, California |
| 27 | Shay Maloney | F | R | 25 | 2024 | McHenry, Illinois |
| 7 | Sidney Morin | D | R | 29 | 2023 | Minnetonka, Minnesota |
| 11 | Alina Müller | F | L | 27 | 2023 | Lengnau, Switzerland |
| 55 | Daniela Pejšová | D | L | 22 | 2024 | Teplice, Czech Republic |
| 16 | Amanda Pelkey | F | R | 31 | 2023 | Montpelier, Vermont |
| 29 | Klára Peslarová | G | L | 28 | 2024 | Ostrava, Czech Republic |
| 47 | Jamie Lee Rattray (A) | F | L | 32 | 2023 | Kanata, Ontario |
| 44 | Jill Saulnier | F | L | 33 | 2023 | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| 37 | Theresa Schafzahl | F | L | 24 | 2023 | Weiz, Austria |
| 9 | Sophie Shirley | F | R | 25 | 2023 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| 30 | Emma Söderberg | G | L | 27 | 2023 | Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
| 77 | Susanna Tapani | F | L | 32 | 2024 | Laitila, Finland |

### Reserves

    As of November 29, 2024
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
| 14 | | Jillian Dempsey | F | L | 34 | 2024 | Winthrop, Massachusetts |
| 3 | | Olivia Zafuto | D | L | 28 | 2024 | Niagara Falls, New York |

### Team captains

* Hilary Knight, 2023–present

### Head coaches

* Courtney Birchard-Kessel, 2023–present

### First-round draft picks

* 2023: Alina Müller (3rd overall)
* 2024: Hannah Bilka (4th overall)