On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Ottawa.[1] Michael Hirshfeld, former executive director of the National Hockey League Coaches' Association, was named the team's general manager, and the Arena at TD Place, its home venue.[2][3] On September 15, Carla MacLeod, a former member of the Canadian national team and the head coach of the Czech women's national team, was named Ottawa’s first head coach.[4] Each PWHL team was permitted three signings during the free-agency period, ahead of the 2023 PWHL Draft. Ottawa signed Canadian national team players Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner, and Emerance Maschmeyer on September 5, 2023.[5] Each signed a three-year deal lasting through to the 2025–26 season.[6] Next, 15 players were selected in the league’s September 18 draft, with Ottawa's first pick being American national team member Savannah Harmon.[7] On October 17, it was announced that Haley Irwin and Cassea Schols would be assistant coaches and Pierre Groulx would be the goaltending coach.[8]
The team colours—and jerseys—were officially revealed on November 14, 2023 as red, dark 'storm' blue, and white.[9]
Ahead of the start of the inaugural 2023–24 season, Ottawa announced that Jenner would serve as team captain, with Clark and Jincy Roese serving as alternate captains.[10] The first game in franchise history took place on January 2, 2024, when Ottawa hosted PWHL Montreal at the TD Place Arena. The game set a new attendance record for a professional women's hockey game at 8,318.[11]Hayley Scamurra scored the first goal in franchise history to give the hosts a 1–0 lead; however, Montreal would go on to win in overtime with a 3–2 score.[11] Ottawa secured its first win at its second game, a 5–1 win against PWHL Toronto on January 13.[12] Its first win at home came on January 23, also against Toronto.[13] Ottawa would go on to miss the inaugural PWHL playoffs, eliminated from contention with a 5–2 loss against Toronto in the last game of the season.[14] However, despite missing the playoffs, Ottawa led the PWHL in attendance during its inaugural season.[15] Ottawa's finish meant they were awarded the second overall selection in the 2024 PWHL draft.[16]
^Wyshynski, Greg (August 29, 2023). "Six inaugural franchises revealed for new PWHL". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
^Donkin, Karissa (November 16, 2023). "How PWHL Ottawa was built from scratch in less than 80 days". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
^"Ottawa's pro women's hockey team to share TD Place Arena with junior 67's". Ottawa Citizen. September 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
^"Carla MacLeod named head coach of Ottawa's PWHL team". CityNews. September 16, 2023. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
^"Jenner, Clark, Maschmeyer become PWHL's first players after signing with Ottawa". Sportsnet. September 5, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
^Kennedy, Ian (September 5, 2023). "Jenner, Maschmeyer, Clark Sign With PWHL Ottawa". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
^Kennedy, Ian (September 18, 2023). "Savannah Harmon Chosen 5th Overall By Ottawa". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^Kennedy, Ian (October 17, 2023). "PWHL Ottawa Hires Assistant Coaches, Goalie Coach". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
^Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
^Donkin, Karissa (December 29, 2023). "Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner named captains of PWHL Montreal, Ottawa". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
^ a bBrennan, Don (January 2, 2024). "A Night to Remember: Montreal scores OT win in Ottawa's historic PWHL opener". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
^Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 13, 2024). "Ottawa rides fast start, 2 power-play goals to 1st-ever PWHL win". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^"Ottawa finally wins PWHL game at home, beats Toronto". TSN. The Canadian Press. January 23, 2024. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^Adams, Alex (May 6, 2024). "'It Hurts' - PWHL Ottawa Misses The Playoffs". The Hockey News. Brantford, Ontario: Roustan Media. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
^Pringle, Josh (May 6, 2024). "Ottawa now a destination for PWHL players following inaugural season, GM says". CTV News Ottawa. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
^Brennan, Don (May 6, 2024). "Shuffling the deck: PWHL Ottawa to make '7 or 8' player changes after missing playoffs". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
^ a bDonkin, Karissa (December 12, 2023). "PWHL teams release final 23-player rosters ahead of Jan. 1 season opener". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
^ a b"PWHL Ottawa Roster 2024 Regular Season". ThePWHL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
^ a b"Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Roster Updates". March 22, 2024.