Players React To PWHL's Intriguing New "No Escape Rule"

With the addition of the “No Escape Rule” this season, the PWHL is looking to create more offense and continue innovating with concepts originating from its Rules & Competition Committee.

The new rule requires players on a team that commits an infraction to remain on the ice until after the face-off that continues play.

On Wednesday, the players had a chance to give their thoughts on the rule after skating at Toronto’s mini-camp prior to the first scrimmage between the Minnesota Frost and the Sceptres.

“That'll be a task for the coaching staff to potentially teach the forwards what their defensive responsibilities are if they get caught out there," said Minnesota Frost netminder Nicole Hensley. "It's an interesting rule. We'll see how it goes. And the PWHL is always trying to be innovative and move the game forward. So I think this is kind of a small way to do that, so we'll see how it goes.”

On the Toronto side, coach Troy Ryan didn’t want to tip his hand.

“Personally, as a coach, I love it," said Ryan. "I think there are all kinds of opportunities within there to have some fun. I think it would be not very responsible of me to share my thoughts on it, to be honest, so I'd rather keep them private."

“I know when we did a brief presentation to the group on it, I just let them know the rule and some of the changes, I saw some chuckles in the dressing room," he said. "So I think a lot of minds just go, ‘how can you take advantage? How can you use it to your team's advantage?’”

We‘ll have an opportunity to see the rule in action in the mini-camp games today in both Montreal (where the Victoire play the Boston Fleet at Verdun Auditorium) and Toronto (where Minnesota faces off against the Sceptres at the Ford Performance Centre).