Grading the offseasons of all 12 PWHL teams
As the weather continues to be unbearably warm for some of us, the 12 franchises in the Professional Women’s Hockey League have been hard at work trying to piece together their rosters for the 2026-27 season.
With four new teams joining the league this year, the returning teams have been trying to come out of the expansion process with as little damage as possible, while the expansion franchises are doing their best to ensure they make a great first impression.
Today, Scott Maxwell and Tyler Kuehl grade how each team has done this offseason and which team is best positioned, on paper, for success in the league’s fourth campaign.
Boston Fleet
Scott: B-
Tyler: C+
Tyler: I want to think highly of what the Fleet did, but it felt like they’re worse off than they were last year. The team gave up on Alina Muller, one of the team’s cornerstones, losing her to Hamilton. On top of that, they couldn’t strike a deal with Jessie Eldridge, as she joined the Montreal Victoire. They were also able to get Ella Huber back from Detroit and re-signed Jill Saulnier and Olivia Mobley. I also wasn’t all that impressed by Danielle Marmer’s draft class, with Grace Dwyer seeming to be the only player who I can see making an impact next year. Unless the Fleet takes any swings before training camp to address their offense, they’ll be fighting an uphill battle.
Scott: There’s a lot of elite talent still on the Fleet, highlighted by Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller and Haley Winn, and hanging on to some depth like Susanna Tapani and Abby Newhook, and adding Grace Dwyer, Leah Stecker and Amanda Boulier will certainly help keep Boston competitive next season. But losing an elite talent like Alina Muller, along with Jessie Eldridge, Zoe Boyd, Riley Brengman and Daniela Pejsova, is going to sting. The Fleet are in better shape than a lot of non-expansion teams, but they did take some big blows.
Detroit
Scott: C+
Tyler: B+
Scott: On paper, Detroit had one of the stronger expansion drafts, highlighted by their additions of Daryl Watts, Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes. That’s a strong core to build around. Their forward depth is strong, and they’ll certainly be one of the likely contenders out of the expansion teams.
But I have to ding them for signing Britta Curl-Salemme. As talented of a player as she can be, the worst thing an expansion team who is starting from ground zero in the fan department is acquiring the most divisive player in the league, and one who is adamantly against transgender people in a fanbase who has a strong queer subset. Way to alienate your fans from the get-go.
Add in the inexperience to Detroit’s defensive depth and goaltending, and the similarly short-sighted decision to trade the potential to draft Laila Edwards for three years of Knight is an interesting one (even if Knight will probably make up for the butts in seats that signing Curl-Salemme lost), and it’s easy to be questionable about Detroit’s offseason despite the flashy forward additions.
Tyler: GM Manon Rheaume came out of the gates swinging and never looked back. Detroit certainly had the best five-player class coming out of Phase 2 of the PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process, signing players Daryl Watts and Hannah Bilka to start. Also, fairly or unfairly, Hilary Knight was acquired, giving the team immediate credibility. Even though they gave up their first-round pick to get Knight, Detroit came out of the draft with some solid names, including Andrea Brandli and MaryKate O’Brien. Even with the depth players they’ve added this summer, especially Shiann Darkangelo and Mellissa Channell-Watkins, Detroit has a top-notch core for year one, and, if they can come together right away, could be one of the best teams in the PWHL.
That said, I have to agree with Scott, the Curl-Salemme signing certainly dampened the mood. Even fans at the draft in Detroit booed when her name came up during the event. She might be a notable contributor on the ice, but it doesn’t mean the fan base will like it.
Hamilton
Scott: A
Tyler: A-
Tyler: Like Detroit, Hamilton started off strong in the expansion process, signing veterans such as Emily Clark and Brianne Jenner. Getting Muller and Kayle Osborne was crucial for GM Meghan Duggan to get off the ground. Signing Abby Hustler was a surprise, but needed as the team looked to deepen its forward group, adding Peyton Hemp as well. Nicole Gosling is going to be fun to watch in her new digs, and signing Zoe Boyd is a low-key great signing (if she stays healthy). Draft-wise, Duggan nailed it, getting players like Laitinen and Biederman early on, and creating a solid tandem in net with Emma-Sofie Nordstrom. Hamilton might not be the most dominant-looking team on paper, but they’re on the right path.
Scott: What’s not to love about Hamilton’s offseason? They’ve got a strong forward core with Alina Muller, Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner, Abby Hustler, Peyton Hemp, Alexa Vasko and more. Their defensive depth is even better with Nicole Gosling, Nelli Laitinen, Allyson Simpson, Riley Brengman and Zoe Boyd. They’ve also got a great goalie to build around for the future in Kayle Osborne. They also have the reigning Coach of the Year in Kris Sparre behind the bench. This group is just excellent top-to-bottom. I know we have to be cautious about any expansion team after the disasters in Seattle and Vancouver, but it’s easy to see how this group could contend next season.
Las Vegas
Scott: B-
Tyler: A
Scott: Las Vegas might be the hardest team to truly nail down. They brought in a few excellent players in Erin Ambrose, Kendall Cooper, Hayley Scamurra and Nicole Hensley, and the depth beyond that, with the likes of Megan Carter, Maureen Murphy and Katy Knoll, puts a promising team together. Knight would have obviously put it over the top, but you can’t fault Las Vegas for wanting to add a third-overall pick. It was a bit surprising that they passed on Laila Edwards and Kristen Simms with picks three and five at their disposal, but otherwise, Las Vegas put together a solid team that could be competitive next season.
Tyler: I thought Dominique DiDia was crazy for agreeing to the Knight fiasco, but she made it worth her while. With three picks in the first 13 selections, DiDia put together a young core that includes Tessa Janecke, Lacey Eden, and Issy Wunder, all players who have the tools to be dynamic in their first seasons in the league. Even before the draft, Las Vegas signed a number of players who can lead the team to success, especially Hayley Scamurra and Erin Ambrose. Also, the signings of Katy Knoll and Nicole Hensley from the Minnesota Frost give the team championship experience at this level that few of the other expansion teams have. They still have work to do in free agency to fill the roster, but Vegas is going to be a young and fun team to watch next year.
Minnesota Frost
Scott: B
Tyler: B
Tyler: It has been good, but not great, so far from the Frost. Locking down Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle for the long haul is crucial if the team wants to stay near the top of the polls. Re-signing Lee Stecklein ensures that Minnesota will keep some veterans on the blue line, along with Sidney Morin and Natalie Buchbinder (with Jincy Roese’s future uncertain). I’m interested to see how the team’s draft picks pan out. Defender Sara Swiderski was specifically picked to fill a need, as was goaltender Daria Gredzen. Viivi Vainikka could definitely add some offense if she can settle into the PWHL right away. The obvious question mark is Kendall Coyne Schofield. The Frost captain hasn’t made a decision on whether she’ll play next year, which could leave a big hole up front.
Scott: The Frost had a strong forward group entering the expansion draft, and the only player they lost out of that group was Curl-Salemme. Even on Minnesota’s blueline, the only key piece they lost was Kendall Cooper. Compared to some of the other original teams, the Frost came out of the expansion draft very well. They did lose a fair amount of their depth beyond their top players, but potentially found some replacements in the draft.
The key to the Frost truly positioning themselves for continued success next season is if Coyne-Schofield re-signs with the team. And let’s be real here: the true win for Minnesota is getting the PR disaster that is Curl-Salemme out of the picture with their team. Say what you will about her on-ice play, but the consistent penalties, suspensions and off-ice vitriol she created detracted from that. Now, the Frost are no longer the villains of the league.
Montreal Victoire
Scott: B
Tyler: A-
Scott: As far as original teams surviving expansion goes, the Victoire are in a very good spot, especially when a Walter Cup victory should have had opposing teams circling them like vultures. They retained Abby Roque, and added Jessie Eldridge, Emma Maltais and Petra Nieminen to this group for next season, giving them a forward group who may even best last year’s team.
But the Victoire also got decimated on defense. Losing their top two defenders in Erin Ambrose and Nicole Gosling to expansion, as well as Amanda Boulier, puts a lot of pressure on the likes of Kati Tabin and Maggie Flaherty to carry this defense corps going forward. Add in the recent news of Marie-Philip Poulin being knocked out until (optimistically) next season’s playoffs, and there’s a little reason to panic in Montreal.
Tyler: The defending champions are looking just fine coming out of the draft and expansion process. Sure, they lost Nicole Gosling and Ambrose, but what the Victoire lost on the blue line they more than made up for up front. The team re-signed Abby Roque, bringing in big names in Emma Maltais and Eldridge to ensure the team has plenty of offense. They also took SDHL scoring star Petra Nieminen in the first round of the draft, which could certainly pay off if she’s put with the right players. Those additions are important with the loss of Poulin for most (if not all) of next season.
I also like selecting Avi Adam, a solid two-way forward from Cornell, and drafting goaltender Hailey MacLeod to ensure Ann-Renee Desbiens has a solid backup. I don’t think Montreal’s defense will be as helpful on offense, but among the eight established franchises, the Victoire came through the expansion process in the best possible shape.
New York Sirens
Scott: C+
Tyler: C
Tyler: It’s hard to have a great offseason when you don’t have the No. 1 pick, eh? In all honesty, the Sirens were among the teams that suffered the most during the expansion process, losing their starting goaltender, one of their top centers, Kristin O’Neill, and quality secondary players Taylor Girard and Allyson Simpson. GM Pascal Daoust certainly addressed a need in taking defender Emma Peschel, but passed up taking a top-tier goaltender in Brandli. On paper, the team’s offense should be there next year, with Elisa Holopainen joining the likes of Sarah Filler, Kristyna Kaltounkova and Casey O’Brien, but you can’t say that the Sirens are a better team now than they were at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Scott: The Sirens can never get a win. They’re the only Original Six team that has yet to make the playoffs, and even though they were oh-so close to finally making the dance last season, they just missed out. And now for the second year in a row, they’ve been stripped apart by the expansion draft. They locked down their core of Fillier, O’Brien and Kaltounkova, but lost goaltender Kayle Osborne and some forward depth in Maddie Wheeler, Anne Cherkowski, Taylor Girard and Kristin O’Neill. On the bright side, protecting three forwards didn’t cost the Sirens too much on their backend, as they only lost Allyson Simpson while hanging on to Maja Nylen Persson and Micah Zandee-Hart, so they could have been in much worse shape.
Ottawa Charge
Scott: C-
Tyler: B-
Tyler: I’m not so sure what to think of the Charge over the past few weeks. They obviously lost key players in Jenner, Clark and Rory Guilday, but they were able to keep notable players such as Jocelyne Larocque, Katerina Mrazova and Brooke Hobson. However, just like last summer, GM Mike Hirshfeld is banking on a solid draft strategy to recover after losing talent via expansion. Vivian Jungels can certainly fill the defensive hole left by Guilday, and Tory Mariano might be one of the better picks coming out of the draft. Up front, the Charge are very light, and players like Jordan Ray and Tereza Pistekova are going to need time before being important contributors.
Scott: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: after a season where Gwyneth Philips dragged the Charge to a Walter Cup Final, they got picked apart in expansion draft, and now head into the season with plenty of question marks surrounding if they can repeat that success. This time around, it’s Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark who are the notable players gone, and even if that frees up cap space, they have yet to utilize it. They’ll be competitive as long as Philips is in net, but they’re hedging a lot of bets on a younger group who all need to collectively take a step forward. Then again, betting on youth isn’t the worst thing.
San Jose
Scott: C+
Tyler: B
Tyler: If you were to ask me about Troy Ryan’s work through free agency and signing periods, San Jose would be listed as a C-. However, the quality of players the team took at the draft bumped up their score. The fact that Laila Edwards fell to them at the No. 4 spot is still surprising to me, but she can bring some versatility where Ryan puts her in the lineup. Sloane Matthews and Lily Shannon bring some offense to a team that didn’t have a whole lot through the first couple of phases. I also think very highly of Tia Chan and will certainly challenge for the 1B spot at training camp. That said, the eventual rookies don’t entirely overtake the lackluster talent pool Ryan brought in leading up to the draft.
Scott: I had very low expectations for San Jose this summer with Troy Ryan at the helm, considering his decision-making towards the end of his Sceptres tenure and how hockey head coaches have traditionally struggled as general managers. But as far as his first summer in full control has gone, it was better than expected.
Honestly, the biggest surprise was how young he’s made the team, considering how he skewed for older players with the Sceptres and Team Canada. Only Kristin O’Neill and Corinne Schroeder are above 25 on this roster, and Schroeder is a pretty dang good goalie to have to start the franchise. Add in the fact that Laila Edwards fell to their laps at fourth overall, and they’re in a good spot.
Seattle Torrent
Scott: D+
Tyler: C-
Tyler: If you thought Seattle couldn’t be any worse than they were in their first season, think again. The team was ripped apart through expansion, losing Knight, Corinne Schroeder, Bilka, Cayla Barnes and Mariah Keopple, to name a few. Sure, the team re-signed Alex Carpenter and Julia Gosling to keep some offense up front, and GM Meghan Turner made the easy choice of taking Abbey Murphy with the second-overall pick, but the team is still very light in the top six, even with talent spread even thinner across the league. There’s no question Seattle will be tough, with players like Theresa Schafzahl and Aneta Tejralova re-signed for two more years, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get this team out of the cellar.
Scott: The Torrent were one of the two worst teams last season, and it’s safe to say they didn’t see a ton of improvement. Yes, they held on to Alex Carpenter, Julia Gosling, Theresa Schafzahl and Danielle Serdachny, and they added top forward prospect Abbey Murphy to that group. But they also lost Knight, Bilka, Barnes, Carter and Schroeder out of a group who already struggled last season. Seattle will need to see progress from Anna Wilgren and Hannah Murphy if they want to get out of the basement, and that might be putting too much on their shoulders.
Toronto Sceptres
Scott: D-
Tyler: D+
Tyler: Woof. I know Seattle was dismantled, but the Sceptres weren’t dealt a much better hand so far this offseason. Sure, Renata Fast and Raygan Kirk both re-signed, with Ellla Shelton and Kali Flanagan sticking around to keep a relatively competent blue line, which was enhanced by the GM Gina Kingsbury taking Alyssa Regalado and Brooke Disher at the draft. However, for a Toronto team that had a measly 51 goals last year, losing Watts and Maltais (and captain Blayre Turnbull due to pregnancy) and barely filling those holes doesn’t give me much faith in this team heading into next year. I think Kirsten Simms will be a great player in this league, but even with the addition of Jamie Lee Rattray, she isn’t going to have much support during her rookie season.
Scott: No team took a bigger blow to their lineup than the Sceptres this summer. They already had the worst offense in the league, and they lost almost 65% of the goals they scored last year over the course of the offseason. Some of it isn’t on them (I’m sure Gina Kingsbury didn’t tell Savannah Harmon to retire or Blayre Turnbull to have a kid), but the poor decisions of last offseason have reared their ugly head even more, especially depending on how much of an effort was put in to retain Watts or Maltais. It was time for Ryan to move on as well, but Pascal Rheaume doesn’t inspire confidence, especially after his introductory press conference.
The Sceptres’ summer almost earned an F from me, but they did manage to add at least one solid forward in Jamie-Lee Rattray, and getting Kirsten Simms eighth overall in the draft was a steal. Simms would have been perfect on this team last year, and she’ll be an excellent piece moving forward (and it certainly makes up for the PWHL screwing them out of fourth overall, where Simms should have went anyways). But yeah, I have very low expectations for the Sceptres. The only way it could get worse is if Kingsbury refuses to go through with the rebuild staring her in the face.
Vancouver Goldeneyes
Scott: A+
Tyler: A
Scott: In an offseason where most of the non-expanding teams saw their rosters get decimated, the Goldeneyes came out relatively unscathed. Beyond Sydney Bard, Nina Jobst-Smith and Mellissa Channell-Watkins, their roster remains mostly intact, especially with core players like Sarah Nurse, Sophie Jaques, Jennifer Gardiner, Izzy Daniel, and Emerance Maschmeyer. Oh, and they add Caroline Harvey to this group. Yes, this was the worst team in the league last season, but by just keeping their roster together and adding a top pick, that’s worth an A+ amidst a chaotic expansion process
Tyler: Somehow, the Goldeneyes were the only established team to be mostly untouched during the expansion process (though one can argue the team didn’t have much talent to lose after protecting Sarah Nurse, Sophie Jaques, and Emerance Maschmeyer). That said, another year together for the returning core can help Vancouver find their footing in Year 2. Extending Mannon McMahon and Jenn Gardiner are key moves from Cara Gardner Morey to keep the top nine intact. Morey obviously had the easy job of handing over the sheet of paper with Caroline Harvey‘s name on it in Detroit, but she drafted some other solid prospects in Thea Johansson and Jules Constantinople, who will be thrust into important roles next year. I expect Claire Thompson to step away from the game, but I feel like the Goldeneyes’ blue line is in a better spot, depth-wise, than they were last year.