PWHL Team Names and Logos Ranking: Which of the Six New Combos is Our #1?
By Hailey Salvian, Shayna Goldman and Sean Gentille
We’ve waited over a year for proper PWHL nicknames and logos. Now that we have them, thanks to Monday’s official unveiling, we’re not going to waste any more time.
Which of the six new combos — the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres — is our #1? How do the rest fare?
GALLING DEEPER
PWHL Unveils Team Names, Logos: ‘We Couldn’t Be More Excited’
The Athletics Hailey Salvian, Shayna Goldman and Sean Gentille teamed up for the final rankings.
1. Montreal Victoire
Hailey rank: 1
Sean Rank: 3
Shayna Rank: 1
Shayna: Everything about Montreal’s look and branding just clicks. Victoire just feels fresh compared to other names associated with Montreal hockey in the past (and actually now). It’s something that works for both French and English speakers. The maroon color scheme feels big enough to match the energy of the name, and the use of cream over white adds a classic touch. The navy completes the look and accentuates the logo. I have some criticisms of the rest of the teams here and there, so the combination of the name and logo makes this an easy #1 for me.
Hailey: I was surprised at how much I liked Montreal, since I wanted the league to go back to the Les Canadiennes of the CWHL days. Regardless, Montreal has the best name/logo combination, which is why it has the edge over New York and Toronto for me. There are more details to appreciate in Montreal’s logo, most notably the fleur-de-lis and the hidden M at the bottom. “Victoire” is also just a cool name for a team with the clutchest player in the history of the women’s game.
Sailor: I almost feel guilty that they’re #3. Shayna and Hailey are right about everything. I really appreciate the freshness of the packaging — if it’s not groundbreaking, it’s pretty darn close. And the logo looks like a diamond! No one else said that!
2. Toronto Scepters
Hailey rank: 3
Sean Rank: 2
Shayna Rank: 2
Hailey: If you were to ask me right after the PWHL was announced, I’d probably have “Sceptres” lower than #3 and maybe I’m just a picky local since I can see Coca-Cola Coliseum from my apartment. But Toronto’s logo might be my favorite of the six and I’m really starting to like the name – if only it was unique. The colors look great and I think a team like Toronto – whose fans dressed up as spoons and nurses last season – could have a lot of fun with this. Sarah Nurse literally has a brand with the motto “Queen Energy Only.”
Shayna: Absolutely yes for the logo and the color scheme. The name is just… I need a minute for this. The Toronto teaser tweeted from the other day made me think “Royals” or “Monarchs” was the way to go here, and I think either would have taken a hit. Sceptres isn’t a bad name and it’s unique for a sports team, it just doesn’t roll off the tongue yet.
Sailor: I didn’t like the nickname at first — not at all — but I quickly grew attached to it … speaking of a curve. I don’t like monarchies; Canadian money bothers me for that reason. Still, points for creativity, originality of a navy-light blue-gold combo, and the best logo of the group. It’ll sell well with Taylor Swift fans.
Hailey: I hadn’t even thought about that. Sean might be the biggest Swiftie of the group!
3. New York Sirens
Hailey rank: 2
Sean Rank: 1
Shayna Rank: 6
Sailor: I’m hard to please when it comes to team names. I don’t like collective nouns (e.g. “Kraken”), but I’m also not looking for more Panthers or Vikings. That’s a bit of a sweet spot, and no one hits it more directly than the Sirens. The logo isn’t my favorite — something about the way the wordmark halves the Y — but I think it would stand out as a central emblem.
The main reason they’re in my #1 spot: I don’t think a name-logo combo is more cohesive. “Sirens” works as a hockey nod, yes, but also the Long Island Sound, and I continue to love that shade of teal, especially when paired with New York Liberty and Gotham FC. It’s the total package.
Hailey: I was Team New York Sirens until I jumped on the Montreal bandwagon at the last minute. I think the Sirens name is my favorite, but the Montreal logo was the deciding factor in my ranking. The colors are great and the synergy with women’s sports in the tri-state area is a nice touch. This team also has a lot of potential with in-arena activations. Can we get a giant siren?
Shayna: I love that New York is leaning toward teal to stay consistent with Liberty and Gotham FC. But the name is a no from me. I know it’s probably a reference to the water, but my first thought was “We get it, New York is loud with a lot of sirens.” I’d actually prefer the Sound, one of those original trademarks that leaked last year. It made sense for a team that bounced between New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. As for the logo – remember the Superman S you probably sketched in your high school notebook? This feels like a dressed-up version of that.
4. Boston Fleet
Hailey rank: 4
Sean Rank: 4
Shayna Rank: 3
Sailor: I had a pretty defined top three and bottom three — half the brands seem to go for one, half for the other — and Boston was the best of the second batch, largely based on the logo. It helps that the letter “B” looks so much like a fishhook, but credit where credit is due. I also see a bit of a Hartford Whalers reference, if you look at it from the side. Am I projecting? Maybe. Either way, it’s fine. A little uninspired, but fine. As for the name, I don’t like “Fleet,” but I also find it less annoying than the other (Anglo) collective nouns.
Hailey: While Boston is a tier below Montreal, New York, and Toronto, it’s also the best of the rest for me. The logo is much better than Ottawa and Minnesota—the detail in the B and the anchor shape—though I like the name “Charge” better than “Fleet.” I can’t imagine it’s easy to develop a sports brand in a city with the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics, but this is a nice entry.
Shayna: Boston has perhaps one of the coolest logos here, which really boosts its ranking. The anchor-like B is just so sharp. If the W is an intentional reference to the Whalers, I like it even more as a way to celebrate New England hockey in the post-Connecticut Whale era. The name I initially hated, but it’s not that bad. It’s a nice nod to Boston’s history and the fact that it’s a major seaport in general.
5. Minnesota Frost
Hailey rank: 5
Sean Rank: 5
Shayna Rank: 5
Shayna: I was really into the “Reign” here with the purple scheme as a nod to Prince, but this isn’t a bad direction. The Minnesota Frost is honestly a pretty sick name that makes a lot of sense for a hockey team without being too cheesy and literal. The reason they aren’t higher in the rankings isn’t because the other teams are all so great that it was a process of elimination. The logo just falls short and brings the entire branding down. The “F” is a promising start, but feels so incomplete.
Sailor: This feels more like a template for creating a team than the others. I think the negative space creates a mountain, which… it’s something. Points for purple.
Hailey: Minnesota, more than most teams, feels like a victim of the legal process when it comes to naming its sports teams in 2024. The Ontario Reign already exists in the AHL, and the league clearly wanted new names that it could fully own. I honestly don’t hate the Frost — or any other name — and I love the colors, but I can’t stop thinking about the F on a cartoon superhero. I thought it was Frozone, but he doesn’t wear purple.
6. Ottawa Indictment
Hailey rank: 6
Sean Rank: 6
Shayna Rank: 4
Shayna: Ottawa is a middle ground for me. I think the more I look at it, the more flaws I find. The color scheme isn’t groundbreaking, but the red-yellow-white is bright and flashy on the ice, which I can appreciate. But I agree with what Sean said earlier about collective nouns for team names. And the logo (plus the color scheme) is a knockoff of the Calgary Flames. I love the Flames look and logo, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just not my favorite!
Hailey: I honestly don’t have strong feelings about Ottawa: The name works well enough for me, and the logo is fine. The whole electric charge vibe would have been cool if Daryl Watts was still on the team. Too soon! Sorry!
Sailor: “Go Charge Go” is going to be a great arena chant, but the rest of it sounds way too much like a software company logo from, say, 1997 for my taste. Sorry.
(Images courtesy of PWHL)
