The Link ranks PWHL team brandings

Women’s hockey league unveils team identities for second season

SportsOpinionJared Lackman-Mincoff & Alice Martin — Published September 17, 2024 2 minutes

Here’s how each team fared in our opinion, from worst to best:

Ottawa Charge

Grade: D-

The name itself is fine, but it’s not strong enough to make up for the complete lack of reference to the city of Ottawa. The bland “C” logo is overdone. Making it more unique, perhaps by including the Ottawa River or Parliament Hill in some capacity, would have bumped up its grade.

Toronto Sceptres

Grade: D

It was bold (in a bad way) to reference the monarchy in Toronto’s team name. Although we understand it’s a callback to the city’s well-known Queen St., Toronto has so much more going for it than that. Also, if you have to include the definition of the name in the reveal, it’s probably a bad idea. D for disappointing.

Minnesota Frost

Grade: B

Minnesota is definitely more than its cold weather, but it fares well on our list due to its decent logo and branding. Not to ruin the experience for you, but the wordmark is giving a low-budget Frozen knock-off. We love a reference to harsh weather as a reference to strength and power, but it feels overused and unoriginal.

New York Sirens

Grade: B+

The name is a clever hat tip to New York City’s constant high energy. The reverberations of both S’s in “Sirens” are a nice touch. The “NY” shape recalls the city’s architecture, but it would have been more effective to reference a specific landmark or building, which NYC has in spades.

Boston Fleet

Grade: A-

Now we’re talking about a good identity. A fleet represents power in unity, while simultaneously being a great reference to the history and culture of Boston. The sideways anchor as a “B” for Boston with the wave pattern is an absolute win. While successful, it is a little simple.

Victoire de Montréal

Grade: A

With a fleur-de-lis in the middle, a reference to Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, an “M” for Montreal, and a name that works in English and French—the name and logo are near perfect. The only thing holding it back from A+ is the inevitable memes that will arise when the team endures a losing streak.
 

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.