Let the scrimmages begin: PWHL gathers in Upstate New York with final cuts on horizon

When the six teams in the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) take to the ice at the Utica University Nexus Center in Utica, N.Y., on Monday, it will be the first time coaches and general managers get to see how their teams stack up to the others.

For players, it will be a long-awaited return to the intensity of game action, a feeling some players haven't had since the spring.

The league will hold a five-day pre-season evaluation camp in the small New York city, which will also play host to the Women's World Championship next spring.

By the end of the camp, general managers will have to make some tough decisions, as they move toward the Dec. 11 deadline to finalize rosters.

The pre-season camp gives the league an opportunity to test things out when it comes to hockey operations and game presentation, according to Jayna Hefford, the PWHL's senior vice president of hockey operations.

"We have an opportunity to try some things and make sure that when we launch in January, we're ready to go," Hefford said last month.

"So it can be a little bit experimental for us in certain ways, but also it's going to provide a really great evaluation process for the GMs and the head coaches."

Teams will practice in Utica on Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning before three scrimmages later on Monday: Boston vs. Toronto, Minnesota vs. Ottawa and New York vs. Montreal.

On Tuesday, Toronto will face Minnesota before Montreal takes on Boston in what will be a preview of Montreal's Jan. 13 home opener at Verdun Auditorium.

The final scrimmage of the day (Ottawa vs. New York) will be open to the public in Utica, marking the first time members of the public can watch PWHL teams on the ice. There will also be a fan event where people can meet players on each team.

Players will be off the ice on Wednesday for several meetings, one of the benefits of having everyone in one place, Hefford said.

"I think we all believe it's a really unique opportunity to bring all of the teams together," Hefford said last month.

"And certainly in year one, it gives us a chance to work through a lot of things that we're working through, whether it be various educational pieces we want to talk to the players with around concussions or doping or many of those big issues that are really important."

The camp wraps up on Thursday with three more scrimmages, which includes Toronto taking on New York, a preview of what's to come on New Year's day.