Competing philosophies emphasizing the importance of offense versus toughness led to the Toronto Sceptres and Ottawa Charge completing the PWHL’s most significant trade a month into the league’s second season.
The trade completed Monday night involved four players with a combined six Winter Games appearances and featured a swap of 2023 first-round draft picks.
Physical defenseman Jocelyn Larocque was dealt to Ottawa for play-making blue-liner Savannah Harmon. The teams also traded forwards, with Ottawa landing Victoria Bach, and Toronto acquiring the versatility and grit of Hayley Scamurra.
Harmon, 29, and Scamurra, 30, are current U.S. national team members, who won silver medals at the 2022 Beijing Games. The 36-year-old Larocque is a three-time Olympian and a blueline fixture for Canada for 14 years. The 28-year-old Bach was also part of Canada’s Olympic gold medal-winning team in 2022, before taking the following year off to pursue a teaching degree.
“Mixed emotions, …