May the PNW Force Be with Torrent 

Thursday’s event at the Museum of Pop Culture to announce “Torrent” as the name and brand of Seattle’s Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was another day of joy and wonder for Marah Wagner.

“I was born here in Seattle,” said Wagner, a 24-year-old forward who captained NCAA Division I RPI for two seasons and played last year for Skelleftea (Adam Larsson’s hometown) in Sweden’s top-tier women’s league. “I grew up here pretty much my whole life. Being able to come back for this opportunity to be a part of this team is insane.”

It’s particularly rewarding for Wagner, who moved away from the Pacific Northwest at age 16 to play girls' high school hockey. It’s a thrill for Wagner to play for the Torrent in front of so much family and friends – plus thousands more already ardent fans if Thursday’s announcement gathering, emceed by Kraken colleague Alison Lukan, is an early indicator. There were standing ovations for the name unveil and 11 players on hand, plus loud cheers for GM Meghan Turner and head coach Steve O’Rourke.

“I didn't really have many options to play girls hockey here, so I was playing on boys teams as a younger player, including Seattle Juniors and Sno-King,” said Wagner, who shared her thoughts in the owners' suite at Climate Pledge Arena before a Kraken late October home game. “Being able to come back and see how much growth there has been in the girls' side of things with all of the local youth teams, it absolutely brings me so much happiness.”

O’Rourke, a B.C. kid who grew up in the Okanagan Valley town of Summerland, went straight to the Torrent, forming an instant rivalry with PWHL Vancouver, which revealed “Goldeneyes” as its team name Thursday. The Torrent travel to Vancouver for their season opener on Nov. 21, then the two rivals face each other on Nov. 28 at Climate Pledge Arena as the first of a five-game Torrent homestand that extends through Dec. 23.

“One hundred percent,” said O’Rourke when Lukan asked if the two new PWHL franchises might grow a rivalry. “We are coming in together and we’re going to be judged together.”

O’Rourke arrives with a connection to the Kraken organization. He served as associate coach with the major junior Ontario Hockey League Oshawa under AHL Coachella Valley head coach Derek Laxdal. When Laxdal joined the Firebirds as head coach last season, O’Rourke was promoted to the OHL squad’s top job, leading the Generals to a 42-21-6 regular season record and reaching the league final during the postseason.

Knight on the Day and Night

The MoPop crowd loved O’Rourke’s declaration and were just as decibel-worthy upon watching an impressive video about the team name and brand associated with the forces of nature we all enjoy here in the PNW.

Free agent signee and Team USA legend Hillary Knight drew vocal raves for her video message since she was “a little busy” getting ready for the Americans’ Thursday matchup with Team Canada in Cleveland for Game 1 of this season’s Rivalry Series (watch party alert: lots of Torrent fans will be at Ballard’s Rough & Tumble tavern for the 4 p.m. puck drop).

Knight, a right wing, will be joined by four USA teammates also on the Torrent roster: Forwards Hannah Bilka and Alex Carpenter, plus defenders Cayla Barnes and Anna Wilgren. Two more soon-to-be Torrent standouts, forwards Julia Gosling and Danielle Serdachny, will represent Team Canada on Thursday before joining the Seattle squad when training camp opens Nov. 11.

Fans looking to be among the first to wear Torrent gear can find items on sale at the Seattle Center Armory, and word has it, some merchandise will be available at the aforementioned watch party.

Expect ‘Physicality and Fast Play’
Like her new teammates, Wagner is looking forward to wearing the Torrent jersey and related swag this November through late April. While playing in Sweden last year, she and her agent talked about the idea of perhaps playing for her home PNW franchise.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would be a chance,” said Wagner, smiling and shaking her head all at once. “I always hoped for it ... When the Seattle expansion announcement came out [April 30], I was jumping for joy. I plan to work hard in training camp and hope I can contribute to the team the best I can.”

Wagner said fans can expect a PWHL level of play that just gets better each season: “What we've seen over the past three years is a lot of physicality, a lot of fast play, and a lot more buzz around the game. There’s so much intensity. Everybody in this league is here because they want to be among the best players in the world.”