Apple TV+ has quietly launched one of its most compelling original series of 2026 with Find Her Edge, a six-episode sports drama that premiered in late January and has already captured widespread praise for its unflinching look at ambition, identity, and the brutal cost of chasing greatness in women’s professional ice hockey.
Created by Canadian writer-director Sarah Polley (Women Talking, Away from Her) and co-written with former Team Canada player Hayley Wickenheiser, Find Her Edge follows Riley Kane (played by the breakout star Taylor Russell), a 24-year-old forward from a small Saskatchewan town who earns a last-minute spot on the struggling Toronto Valkyries, a fictional expansion team in the newly formed Women’s Professional Hockey League (WPHL). The league itself is a thinly veiled stand-in for the real-world PWHL, which launched in 2024, and the series wastes no time diving into the raw realities of the sport: punishing training regimens, razor-thin margins between success and failure, locker-room politics, and the relentless pressure to prove that women’s hockey deserves the same respect and resources as the men’s game.
Riley arrives in Toronto carrying more than just a hockey bag. She’s grieving the recent death of her mother, a former semi-pro player who sacrificed her own dreams to raise her daughter. Riley’s drive is fueled by equal parts love and guilt—she wants to honor her mother’s legacy while escaping the small-town expectations that have always felt like a cage. On the ice, she’s electric: fast, fearless, and blessed with a wicked wrist shot. Off the ice, she’s guarded, quick-tempered, and struggling to connect with teammates who see her as either a savior or a threat.
The ensemble cast is uniformly excellent. Sarah Gadon plays veteran captain Lauren “Lolo” Moreau, a 34-year-old defenseman whose body is breaking down but whose leadership keeps the team together. Ayo Edebiri brings sharp wit and quiet intensity as rookie goalie Mia Chen, whose confidence masks deep insecurity about being the league’s first openly queer goalie. Colman Domingo appears in a recurring role as the Valkyries’ no-nonsense coach Marcus Reid, a former NHL enforcer who believes in tough love but slowly reveals his own regrets about how women’s hockey was overlooked in his era.
Visually, Find Her Edge is stunning. Cinematographer Luc Montpellier captures the speed and violence of hockey with kinetic handheld shots, slow-motion impacts, and sweeping aerials over Toronto’s frozen waterfront. The ice scenes feel visceral—pucks crack against glass, bodies slam into boards, breath hangs in clouds—while quieter moments in locker rooms, hotel corridors, and Riley’s lonely apartment are lit with a cold, almost clinical palette that mirrors her emotional isolation.
The series never shies away from hard truths. It tackles pay inequity, homophobia in sports, body image pressures, and the mental toll of constant performance. One episode focuses entirely on a single road trip, showing how isolation and exhaustion can fracture even the tightest team. Another explores Riley’s relationship with her estranged father, who once coached her youth team but never believed girls could go pro.
Critically, Find Her Edge has been hailed as one of Apple TV+’s strongest offerings since Ted Lasso. The Hollywood Reporter called it “a fierce, funny, and heartbreaking love letter to women’s hockey,” while The Guardian praised its “refusal to romanticize the grind.” Viewers have responded with equal passion—social media is flooded with fans sharing clips of the ice battles, emotional locker-room speeches, and Taylor Russell’s star-making performance.
As the season builds toward the WPHL playoffs, Riley must decide whether she’s playing for her mother’s memory, her own redemption, or something bigger: proving that women’s hockey deserves its place in the spotlight. Find Her Edge doesn’t just tell a sports story—it tells a story about legacy, sacrifice, and the courage to keep skating when everything tells you to stop.
With its blend of heart, grit, and authenticity, this is the kind of series that doesn’t just entertain—it inspires. And if the online frenzy is any indication, Season 2 calls are already deafening.
