Women’s Hockey in Ottawa

Women’s hockey in Ottawa has moved from a strong local participation scene into one of the most visible women’s hockey markets in the world. The city has long been connected to Canadian hockey culture, but the arrival of the Ottawa Charge in the Professional Women’s Hockey League gave women’s hockey a clearer professional center. Ottawa now has a women’s hockey identity built around youth development, elite players, major crowds, and national-team connections. The Charge play at TD Place Arena and are one of the PWHL’s original franchises.

Women’s Hockey History in Ottawa

Women’s hockey in Ottawa grew from the same community hockey base that shaped the broader sport in the city. Girls and women played through local rinks, school teams, community clubs, university programs, and adult leagues before professional women’s hockey became more stable. Ottawa’s importance increased as women’s hockey in Canada gained more formal pathways, from youth hockey into university competition, national team programs, and professional leagues.

The PWHL era changed the city’s place in the sport. Ottawa became a true professional women’s hockey market, not just a city that produced players or hosted games. The Charge gave local fans a regular team to follow and gave younger players a visible example of elite women’s hockey close to home.

Teams, Leagues, and Competitions

The Ottawa Charge are the center of women’s hockey in the city’s current landscape. Their presence connects Ottawa directly to the top professional women’s hockey league in North America. The team has also given the city regular high-level games against other major women’s hockey markets, including Montréal, Toronto, Boston, Minnesota, and New York. In 2026, Ottawa was competing in the Walter Cup Final against Montréal, which further raised the city’s profile in the women’s game.

Below the professional level, Ottawa’s women’s hockey structure depends on youth associations, girls’ teams, school hockey, university-level opportunities, and adult leagues. The city benefits from being in Ontario, one of the deepest hockey provinces in the world. That gives Ottawa players access to strong regional competition and a broader development system that can lead toward junior, university, professional, or national-team hockey.

Notable Women’s Hockey Players from Ottawa

Ottawa’s professional team has made the city closely associated with major women’s hockey names. Brianne Jenner, the Charge captain, has been one of the defining players of the franchise and remained an elite PWHL forward in 2026. Reuters reported that she was a finalist for the 2026 PWHL Forward of the Year after finishing fourth in regular-season scoring with 26 points.

Emily Clark has also been central to Ottawa’s women’s hockey identity. She has been a key Charge forward and an alternate captain, and her international résumé includes Olympic gold with Canada in 2022 and Olympic silver in 2018. Ottawa extended Clark through the 2027–28 season, reflecting her importance to the club on and off the ice.

Girls’ Hockey and the Future of the Sport

Girls’ hockey in Ottawa benefits from a strong rink culture and the visibility of professional women’s hockey. Young players in the city can now watch elite women compete locally, which matters for long-term participation. Instead of seeing women’s hockey as distant or occasional, Ottawa players can connect the sport to a real team, real crowds, and a possible future pathway.

The future of women’s hockey in Ottawa looks strong because the city now has both grassroots depth and professional visibility. Continued growth will depend on ice time, affordability, coaching, and keeping girls in the sport through the teenage years. With the Charge giving Ottawa a top-level women’s team, the city has become one of Canada’s more important women’s hockey markets.