PWHL Las Vegas signs Wunder, Bouveng, Butze to contracts
A trio of talented youngsters has inked their first contracts
On Tuesday, PWHL Las Vegas announced that the team has signed forwards Issy Wunder and Josefin Bouveng, as well as defender Kendall Butze, to two-year contracts, which will carry through the 2027-28 season.
The three youngsters join first-round picks Tessa Janecke and Lacey Eden as part of Las Vegas’ first draft class to sign contracts, giving the expansion club a solid young core to build the future around. Wunder was the team’s third pick in the draft, coming 13th overall, the first pick in the second round. Bouveng was picked in the third round, 29th overall, while Detroit selected Butze in the fifth round, 49th overall. Wunder and Butze were taken in spots acquired by general manager Dominique DiDia in a trade with the Vancouver Goldeneyes, in which Las Vegas sent Abby Boreen back to Vancouver.
Wunder is projected to be a solid secondary scorer in the PWHL. She enters the pro ranks after an exceptional senior season at Princeton, where she scored 27 goals and 43 points, leading the Tigers in scoring. The Toronto native was named Ivy League Player of the Year, All-ECAC First Team, as well as being a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award for the second year in a row. Thanks to Wunder’s play, Princeton finished atop the ECAC standings, earning a NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2019.
In 129 career college games, Wunder posted 70 goals and 76 assists for 146 points.
Bouveng was one of the University of Minnesota’s reliable offensive threats, on a team that also included Abbey Murphy and Ava Lindsay. In her final year as a Golden Gopher, the 25-year-old notched 15 goals and 43 points in 31 games, finishing tied for second on the team in scoring. In 143 collegiate games, the Uppsala, Sweden native posted 56 goals and 86 assists for 142 points.
Bouveng has also been a prominent figure on the international scene, having played for Sweden at four IIHF Women’s World Championships. She’s also played at two Winter Olympics, helping Damkronoma reach the bronze medal game in Milan this past February. Bouveng won a silver medal at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in 2018.
Butze was part of an exceptional class at Penn State University that included the likes of Janecke, Katie DeSa and Katelyn Roberts. In four years with the Nittany Lions, Butze registered 15 goals and 79 assists for 94 points, the most by a defender in program history. She helped the team win four straight Atlantic Hockey America (formerly College Hockey America) championships, along with PSU’s first trip to the Women’s Frozen Four this past spring. As a senior, Butze was named the AHA’s Defender of the Year.
With the trio of new deals, Las Vegas has 18 players under contract for its inaugural season. The team can sign one more standard contract prior to training camp, which begins next month.
Las Vegas opens up its first year on Dec. 6, when the team hosts fellow expansion club Detroit.