Top 10 PWHL goaltenders heading into 2026-27
Unquestionably, the most important position in hockey is goaltender.
That is never more true than in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, where each team is littered with talent, making the netminder’s job incredibly tough. Thankfully, each team possesses at least one piece of an extremely talented pool of athletes, giving each organization the chance to win on a nightly basis.
Today, I give my thoughts on the 10 best goaltenders heading into the 2026-27 season, and discuss what makes them so exceptional.
10. Corinne Schroeder (San Jose)
Schroeder came into the PWHL with a little bit of a chip on her shoulder. With the creation of the new league three years ago, many thought players from the old Premier Hockey Federation weren’t going to be able to hack it in a best-on-best league. Schroeder was able to nix that notion with an impressive first season with New York. The one thing that has plagued her in all three seasons, including last year with the expansion Seattle Torrent, is how her game tails off in the second half. Yet, the PHF Goaltender of the Year has the ability to stand on her head and give San Jose a chance to win.
9. Nicole Hensley (Las Vegas)
Hensley found herself on the outside looking in during this last wave of expansion. After surrendering the starting role this past year to Maddie Rooney, the former Minnesota Frost netminder was on her way to Las Vegas, giving the new team a solid starting goaltender. Sure, Hensley’s numbers haven’t been as superb as they were during the league’s inaugural season, where she was the one who was in net when Minnesota lifted the first Walter Cup, but her veteran experience still makes her one of the better backstops in the PWHL.
8. Emerance Maschmeyer (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
One of the two longstanding netminders for the Canadian National Team, Maschmeyer has been the go-to netminder if you want to try and get a win on an underperforming team. She was the backbone for the majority of her tenure with the Ottawa Charge, despite losing the starting job to Gwyneth Philips after getting hurt late in the 2024-25 season. After signing with the Goldeneyes, the Alberta native continued to play at a high level, despite the team in front of her being pretty mediocre. Yet, it was Maschmeyer who managed to help the team clinch the No. 1 pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft, and she’s expected to help the team push for a playoff spot in Year 2.
7. Kayle Osborne (Hamilton)
Osborne has been very impressive in her first two years in the PWHL on a lackluster Sirens team. After taking over the reins from Schroeder during her rookie season, Osborne was a workhorse in 2025-26, as only Philips played more games than the Ontario native. Had Greg Fargo not overworked her, causing Osborne’s play to dip in the final two months of the regular season, New York could’ve finally made the Walter Cup Playoffs. Yet, Osborne’s talent has paid dividends. It earned her a spot on the Canadian Olympic roster this past February (with some believing she’ll be back on the world championship roster in November), as well as Hamilton making her their first goaltender signed for its first season.
6. Andrea Brändli (Detroit)
The only one on this list who has yet to even play a game in the PWHL. Brändli was Detroit’s first-ever draft pick, and deservedly so. The best European netminder finally made herself available to come to North America, where she’s expected to bring the same level of success that she has seen both in the SDHL and on the world stage. The 29-year-old has been Switzerland’s backbone for years in international play, and she was finally rewarded in Milan, as she helped her country shockingly win its second bronze medal in women’s Olympic hockey.
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5. Maddie Rooney (Minnesota Frost)
Despite literally having won an Olympic gold medal, Rooney has often been overlooked in her PWHL tenure. Granted, the first two seasons saw Ken Klee stick to a rotation between her and Hensley. However, starting with that run to the 2025 Walter Cup, Rooney began to get bigger games, with the veteran playing all four games for the Frost in last year’s playoffs. One of the most successful goaltenders of the modern era, Rooney will be taking on an even bigger role this coming season with Hensley gone. Even while Minnesota drafted Russian netminder Darya Gredzen, Rooney will see more playing time this year than she has in the PWHL’s first three campaigns.
4. Raygan Kirk (Toronto Sceptres)
For how truly bad the Sceptres were last season, it’s crazy to look back at how good Kirk actually was. On a team that scored the fewest goals in the PWHL, Kirk was busy in her 23 games. Yet, she managed to finish third in the league in save percentage (.934) and goals-against average (1.87), while posting three shutouts. If Toronto had an even half-decent scoring attack, they would’ve easily qualified for the postseason, given how good the former Ohio State Buckeye was. With the Sceptres expected to take an even greater step back heading into their fourth season, Kirk is going to have to be on her best if her team wants a chance to win.
3. Ann-Renee Desbiens (Montreal Victoire)
While she doesn’t have the same level of flash as the last two goaltenders on this list, Desbiens’ strength has simply been her ability to be consistent, night in and night out. Last season was no exception. She finished tied with Aerin Frankel for the most wins (19) in the PWHL, while leading all backstops with a 1.11 GAA and .955 SV%. The Quebec native carried that success into the playoffs, where she finally helped Montreal get over the hump, holding off the record-setting Frost offense before outdueling Philips in the final to give the Victoire their first Walter Cup.
2. Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge)
Speaking of Philips, while she hasn’t managed to help the Charge win a championship, the fact that Ottawa has even made it to back-to-back finals is a testament to how good Philips really is. After being the late-season hero in 2024-25, the right-handed catching netminder played in more games (28), logged more minutes (1,643:15) and made more saves (786) than any other goaltender in the PWHL. She was still able to post a .931 SV% and three shutouts, both fourth in the league. It’s going to be hard to replicate that success again this year, but expect the eccentric Philips to give it her all once again.
1. Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet)
I mean, you weren’t expecting anyone else in this spot, right?
Frankel had a banner year in 2025-26. In February, she set a new women’s Olympic record with three shutouts in a single tournament, and she and Philips combined to set the longest shutout streak in women’s Olympic hockey history. On top of that, she and Desbiens set a new league record with 19 wins apiece, with Frankel notching a PWHL-record eight shutouts. Saying that the Green Monster has the ability to steal a game is an understatement. The Northeastern product tries to do that on a nightly basis. Her play last season not only earned her Goaltender of the Year, but she also became the first goaltender in league history to win the Billie Jean King MVP Award.
