Top 25 PWHL Players heading into 2026-27 season
We’re still a few months away from the fourth season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, but it’s never too early to get excited about what is to come.
With four new teams in the league, the 2026-27 season is expected to be the league’s biggest yet. A fresh crop of world-class talent mixed in with established superstars should make the fourth season of the PWHL a thrill to watch.
Today, we look at the 20 best players in the league heading into next year. Unlike ranking the best players of all time (so far), this list includes players who have yet to play a game in the PWHL but have high expectations thanks to their outstanding efforts on their path to the league.
Honorable Mention
Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal Victoire)
I know Poulin is still one of the best players in the league, but given the fact that she just underwent knee surgery, repairing the injury that forced her to miss games at the Winter Olympics and most of the second half of the regular season, there’s a chance that Captain Clutch will be a non-factor for much of next season.
Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost)
If she were under contract, Coyne Schofield would easily be on this list. However, with some wondering if she’ll even play at all next year, I’m keeping the Frost captain on the bench for now.
25. Britta Curl-Salemme, Forward (Detroit)
Love her or hate her, Curl-Salemme is one of the most talented and productive players in the league. Her oft-criticized physical nature makes her a pain to play against, but her ability to put the puck in the back of the net makes her even more dangerous. On a talent-filled roster in Detroit, she is going to have an even greater opportunity to shine.
24. Tessa Janecke, Forward (Las Vegas)
A Patty Kazmaier finalist in her senior season at Penn State, Janecke has a lot of expectations heading into her rookie season, especially since Dominique DiDia used the third-overall pick to take the U.S. National Team member. Janecke has the tools to be a star in this league. Exceptional awareness and skill have made her a solid player on both the collegiate and international stages. Now, she’ll look to replicate that success in the pros.
23. Grace Zumwinkle, Forward (Minnesota Frost)
The league’s first rookie of the year bounced back from a sophomore slump and showed why she is one of the Frost’s important weapons. Her career-high 23 points last year complemented a daunting Minnesota offense that set a new league record with 91 goals in 2025-26. With players like Curl-Salemme (and potentially Coyne Schofield) gone, Zumwinkle is going to take on a significant role for the two-time Walter Cup champs.
22. Sarah Nurse, Forward (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
I know she is far from the player that she was four years ago, but Nurse proved last year that she can produce, even on a lackluster team. Even with being limited to 19 games due to injury, the Hamilton, Ont. native still posted 15 points, giving many in B.C. hope that she can lead Vancouver to a much more fruitful outcome in the team’s second season.
Cap Summary
Draft Picks
21. Rebecca Leslie, Forward (Ottawa Charge)
I don’t think there was a bigger surprise in the PWHL last season than Rebecca Leslie. Sure, she was a solid depth player in her first two seasons in the league, helping her hometown Charge reach the Walter Cup Final in 2025. However, Leslie exploded for 14 goals and 23 points last season, finishing tied for second in goals and tied for fifth in points. On top of that, she led Ottawa with six points in the postseason, pushing the team to the final once again. With more changeover in the nation’s capital, she’ll be relied on even more this coming year.
20. Sophie Jaques, Defender (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
There aren’t many players in this league who have the versatility that Jaques has. The two-time Walter Cup champion was one of the few bright spots on a Vancouver team that struggled in many facets in year one. She was a finalist for Defender of the Year for the second year in a row, leading the Goldeneyes with 20 points, good for second in the PWHL among blueliners behind Boston Fleet captain Megan Keller.
19. Alina Muller, Forward (Hamilton)
It was heart-wrenching to see how Muller exited Boston after being a key member of the Fleet since year one. However, despite not being protected by her former team, how quickly Meghan Duggan jumped at the chance to sign the Swiss superstar should be all you need to know about Muller. She’s a determined force who will be playing with a chip on her shoulder this season, something Hamilton will utilize in Year 1.
18. Brianne Jenner, Forward (Hamilton)
One of the biggest names to have moved out of Ottawa was its captain. Brianne Jenner had been the heart and soul of the Charge, and had a monster 2025-26 season, finishing fourth in the PWHL in scoring with 26 points, making her a finalist for Forward of the Year. Her ability to be a leader on and off the ice, as well as perform at a high level at this stage of her career, makes the 35-year-old still one of the more valuable players in the league.
17. Casey O’Brien, Forward (New York Sirens)
O’Brien was fun to watch in her first season once she found her footing. A sluggish start was erased with a hat trick in the Takeover Game in Dallas, and it led to the 2025 Patty Kazmaier winner scoring 22 goals in 29 games, the most among all rookies. The Rookie of the Year finalist has high expectations to replicate that performance in her second season in the league, but she has the ability to surpass that.
16. Jessie Eldridge, Forward (Montreal Victoire)
Eldridge is one of the more underappreciated players in the league. She spent most of the first three seasons in the PWHL being a productive asset on struggling teams in Seattle and New York. Yet, after being traded to the Fleet ahead of the trade deadline, Eldridge was able to show what she could do on a quality team. Now, joining the defending champs, Eldridge has the platform to thrust herself into the spotlight.
15. Haley Winn, Defender (Boston Fleet)
We all knew how talented Winn was coming out of Clarkson University, especially given how good she has been with Team USA. Yet, she surpassed all expectations in her first year with Boston, leading the league in average ice time (26:45), while posting 19 points while paired up with Keller. Winn was a finalist for Defender of the Year, taking home Rookie of the Year honors. I expect her to only get better as her PWHL career goes on.
14. Laila Edwards, F/D (San Jose)
Another high-end pick from the 2026 PWHL Draft, Edwards is one of the few game-changers on the San Jose roster, but her size and skill place her in a class of her own. Also, she has played both forward and defense for the U.S. and Wisconsin, putting her in a class all by herself. While she might not find the same success as others in her draft class, I expect the Cleveland Heights, Ohio native to excel in her first season.
13. Laura Stacey, Forward (Montreal Victoire)
Consistent and thrilling to watch, Stacey remains one of the most exciting players women’s hockey has to offer. Her speed is still top-notch, and her nose for the net is uncanny. With her partner Poulin out for the foreseeable future, Stacey will have to carry a greater load for the defending champions. Granted, she did that quite a bit last year as well.
12. Kristyna Kaltounkova, Forward (New York Sirens)
Had a knee injury not taken her out for the last chunk of the regular season, Kaltounkova would’ve run away with Rookie of the Year honors. However, her hot start has left the Pizza Rats wanting more from the Czech star, and we know that she has more to offer. Her ability to take a game over and play with a little bit of nastiness makes her one of the most frightening players to be on the ice with.
11. Ann-Renee Desbiens, Goaltender (Montreal Victoire)
Ever consistent and always reliable on a nightly basis, Desbiens finally wore off her postseason demons last spring, helping the Victoire win the Walter Cup. She’s arguably one of the best goaltenders in the history of the game and is on a path to the Hall of Fame. She might not be as good as she was when she first became Canada’s starter coming out of the pandemic, but she has more than enough talent to keep Montreal near the top of the PWHL standings.
10. Abbey Murphy, Forward (Seattle Torrent)
Murphy’s style of play truly terrifies me. She’s incredibly gifted and is a wizard with the puck on her stick. Add that to the fact that she can score at will and play with a fiery passion, and you have the formula for a dangerous player who has shown that she can be a star at the next level from the drop of the puck. Playing on a bad Torrent team might make things tough for the former Minnesota Golden Gopher to shine right away, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be fun to watch.
9. Kelly Pannek, Forward (Minnesota Frost)
What an incredible season Pannek had in 2025-26. While she was unquestionably an important player on the Frost roster, her production was that of a secondary scorer. She erased that notion by lighting up the board with a league-leading 16 goals and a PWHL record 33 points, taking home the Points Leader and Top Goal Scorer awards, and was named Forward of the Year. It might be hard to find that same level of production this season, but you know the Minnesotan has more than enough talent to be a difference-maker.
8. Gwyneth Philips, Goaltender (Ottawa Charge)
While she has hardly been in the MVP conversation, there are few players who have had the same level of impact on a team as Philips has had in her first two seasons in Ottawa. She has dragged the Charge to back-to-back Walter Cup Finals, and does so when facing more shots than any goaltender in the league. It’s going to be an uphill battle for Philips to do all of that once again, but she plays at her best when the odds are stacked against her.
7. Caroline Harvey, Defender (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
Long before she was taken No. 1 overall by the Goldeneyes, Harvey had established herself as one of the best players in hockey, full stop. She became one of the most dynamic players the game has ever seen in her four years at Wisconsin, winning three NCAA championships and the Patty Kaz last season. Also, she was the United States’ best player in Milan, earning tournament MVP honors as the Americans won the gold medal.
6. Megan Keller, Defender (Boston Fleet)
While Harvey has a lot of pomp and circumstance, Keller has proven time and again that she still is the top player at her position. She’s capable of being a key offensive weapon, while being reliable in her own zone, using brute force if necessary. There are few players like Keller who can dictate the pace of a game and expose the other team’s weakness at both ends of the rink.
5. Abby Roque, Forward (Montreal Victoire)
Roque proved that she can be one of the best in the league when she plays with confidence, dare I say swagger. After bumbling around during the first two seasons with the Sirens, the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. native flourished when placed on a line with Poulin and Stacey last season. On top of scoring 22 points during the regular season, Roque finished tied with Poulin with eight points during the playoffs, scoring a pair of goals in the clinching win in the final against Ottawa.
4. Aerin Frankel, Goaltender (Boston Fleet)
Frankel became the first goaltender in PWHL history to be named MVP for a reason. Her ability to keep the Fleet in the fight, even when they seem down and out, sets her apart as a class all by herself. She set a new league record with eight shutouts last season, which came after she helped set a new Olympic women’s hockey shutout streak record in Milan. The Green Monster will once again be the reason Boston is even in a playoff hunt this coming year, but if history shows us anything, the all-world netminder can handle the pressure.
3. Daryl Watts, Forward (Detroit)
Just a fun player to watch, and who deserves all the roses she has received since the league opened for business. Watts went from quitting hockey in 2022 to becoming one of the most irresistible assets in the PWHL, hence why she earned a four-year contract with the new team in Hockeytown. Even on a terrible Toronto Sceptres team last year, Watts managed to score 10 goals and 19 points. The Toronto native is the only player to have hit double digits in goals in each of her first three seasons.
2. Sarah Fillier, Forward (New York Sirens)
There is just something about Sarah Fillier that makes her hard to ignore. The 2024-25 Rookie of the Year might not have been the same showstopper in her second season as she was in her first, but the 26-year-old has so many weapons in her bag that she definitely stands apart compared to her peers. She hasn’t been able to get New York to the playoffs yet, but Fillier’s capability of taking a game over sets her apart from the pack.
1. Taylor Heise, Forward (Minnesota Frost)
There are few players who have the star power that Heise has. It’s something she has shown dating back to her days at the University of Minnesota, leading to her becoming the first-ever draft pick in the PWHL. After a couple of solid years, the Lake City, Minn. native joined Pannek as the first two players in league history to reach 30 points. With Coyne Schofield potentially not playing next year, Heise is going to be at the forefront of the Frost’s offensive attack this season.
