Ranking The PWHL's Six Logos

PWHL names and logos are out and the debate around who hit the mark and who missed is already raging on social media. In reality, there is nothing to say any of the PWHL's six logos is veritably bad. But as in anything, some will also be liked better than others. Over the last century, sports logos have vastly changed from simplistic, to involving complex graphic design headlined by characters, creatures, and minute details with complex meaning. The PWHL's six logos landed across the spectrum.

Certainly almost any ranking of the PWHL's six logos would differ from fan to fan or critic to critic. Here's a ranking from THN's Ian Kennedy of the PWHL's original six logos.

Related: Looking At The PWHL's Six New Team Logos

1. Boston Fleet

From the anchored B, to the internal waves, it's simplistic yet detailed, which is a good mark of a logo that can last the test of time. Personally, I would have preferred it without the leaning alignment which makes it look a little like a swimming pool, but this logo is as clean, crisp, and emblematic of the team name as any released. The Boston Fleet have an excellent name and logo combination, coupled with a unique dark green that should set them apart in the sporting world. There's a distinct New England feel, almost like the old Hartford Whalers, in this logo, and the mix of nostalgia and modern lines makes it a winner.

2. Montreal Victoire

There are many layers to this classic looking logo. The fleur de lys is a telltale symbol of Quebec and its integration into this French language logo is a nice touch. This symbolism was also built into the wings within the bordered outline, with the wings containing an "M" for Montreal and also representing Victoire. The geometric pattern within this logo keeps the lines sharp, and doesn't go toward the downfall of many logos, which can become almost cartoon-like in their appearance. These are original six teams, and making the logos timeless, which in this case manifested in an almost retro design and feel to the logo, is important.

3. Toronto Sceptres

This logo feels old school, and that's not necessarily bad. The Toronto Sceptres' new logo feels a lot like the NCAA's St. Thomas Tommies in terms of the font and letter placing, but bevelling the logo gives it depth, showing that these letters not only represent Toronto and Sceptres, but also that it's part of something bigger. The Sceptre and orb have been part of coronations for centuries and the logo integrates both. This looks like an original six logo, and although it's a little on the plain side, often less is more, and that's the case here. The Sceptres logo will look great on a baseball hat, and in fact could fit in well with historic MLB logos.

4. New York Sirens

The logo with the most prominent placement of the team name in text has a pop feeling to the design. In truth, this feels more like a shoulder patch than a main logo, and given the fact logos are often ever evolving and fluid in design, it could someday become that. The reverberations of the lettering tell you sound is involved, but the logo itself is ambiguous enough to allow an organic identity to emerge, whether that eventually aligns with the mythological Sirens, or city based Sirens tied to the goal horn or first responders. Still, there's enough clean lines in this logo to keep it feeling uncluttered, which is important. One critique is the difficulty created by the placement of the word Sirens, in knowing that the letters behind the team name are a giant N and Y. The outlines and shapes of those letters appear too obscured to clearly demonstrate the letters. Maybe the top is NY and the bottom becomes NJ in the future...who knows, but on first glance, you likely know it's meant to be NY, but also are unsure of how those letters would look when they come together.

5. Minnesota Frost

If one team hit a little too close to pyjama / superhero / cartoon, it's Minnesota's "F". The main ice related design aspect are icicles, but the name is Frost, and icicles and frost truly aren't connected aside from the fact they can both occur in winter. Advection frost is as close as this will come, but the beautiful patterns of fern frost that often appears on windows, sometimes referred to as ice flowers, was a missed opportunity for fine detail in this logo. Opting for "depth" markings on this logo makes it look a lot like the PHF's Montreal Force logo, but without the iconography of the region that made the Force logo work. Perhaps in time this can become a shoulder crest as well. It's likely the intention was a style similar to what the NHL's Seattle Kraken did with their logo, but there's nothing uniquely Minnesota about this logo, nor is there anything that would clearly show this is Frost. It could just as easily be the Minnesota Fangs or Minnesota Force. Jersey design will be important. If they keep the jersey classic, this could really pop. If they add additional flair, this could jump to cartoon superhero logo quickly.

6. Ottawa Charge

This logo is certainly the love child of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Calgary Flames. It feels like a miss in the originality department, and also gives off 1990s Print Shop Deluxe vibes. The combination of the main symbol being an ambiguous O for Ottawa and/or C for Charge is clever, but the execution of the "spikes" as the league called them is lacklustre, and nothing in the logo even suggests what the team name might be. With no outline, the spike elements might fade into a dark sweater, and it really isn't clear what these should be. Are they spikes as stated? Or should they be sparks? Are they flames? Or is it a harkening to the figurative elements of the Ottawa Senators' logo? This logo is going to look great on Ottawa's white jersey, but it's also one of the logos with the least to say about the city itself aside from the fact it almost looks a little like the City of Ottawa's logo itself if the spikes became swoops. They are trying to tie Ottawa's city motto of "advance" into this, but in an ambiguous way. Finally, the introduction of a new prominent color, yellow, is certainly going to be a change when it comes to Ottawa's red and black sweaters, and it was critiqued quickly by fans. Will they shift to a look like Team Germany, or will they allow the yellow of the logo to stand alone while keeping the classic coloring of their inaugural season elsewhere?

View the original article to see embedded media.