Tough news for the team in Canada’s capital.
On Monday, the Ottawa Charge announced it has placed forward Kateřina Mrázová on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The team also revealed that forward Rebecca Leslie is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
In response, the team signed forward Taylor House to a standard player agreement.
Mrázová has been out of the lineup since suffering the injury in an 8-3 win against the Minnesota Frost on Feb. 13. She has since missed the past three games, in which Ottawa has lost in overtime to the Toronto Sceptres and Boston Fleet, before beating the Montreal Victoire this past Saturday.
The Czech forward has already been out of the lineup for an extended period of time. Mrázová missed almost a month of the season due to another injury. In total, she has been absent eight times this season. After leading Ottawa with 18 points during the PWHL’s inaugural season, Mrázová has scored just two goals and four assists for six points in 11 appearances.
Per the league’s LTIR rules, the 32-year-old will be eligible to return to the lineup on March 7 when the Charge take on the Frost in the Takeover Tour game in Raleigh.
Leslie suffered her injury in Ottawa’s 3-1 win over the Victoire. She took a hard hit along the boards in the middle of the game and was forced to leave early. The veteran forward, who spent year one as a member of Toronto’s roster, had played in every game this season, posting two assists.
House had come to the end of her second 10-day contract of the season. The first time she joined the main roster was in early December after Alexa Vasko went down with an injury. Her second short-term contract came earlier this month after Mrázová went down with an injury.
The former Quinnipiac University product has played in eight games, a lot of time as the 13th forward. House has not posted a point while registering a plus/minus of -2.
The Charge (7-0-4-8) are fifth in the PWHL, four points back of the Frost for the last playoff spot.