First five player signings secured by all four expansion teams as process moves to Phase 3
NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has completed Phase 2 of the Expansion Roster Distribution Process with five inaugural players signed and announced by each of the league’s four new expansion teams in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose. With expansion team foundational signings in place, the process will move into Phase 3, during which a Preliminary Open Signing Period for all 12 teams will commence at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 10.
EXPANSION TEAM FOUNDATIONAL SIGNINGS
(Previous Team/Position/Contract Length)
Detroit: Cayla Barnes (SEA/D/3), Hannah Bilka (SEA/F/2), Jesse Compher (TOR/F/3), Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN/F/3), *Daryl Watts (TOR/F/4)
Hamilton: Emily Clark (OTT/F/2), Nicole Gosling (MTL/D/3), Brianne Jenner (OTT/F/3), Alina Müller (BOS/F/3), Kayle Osborne (NY/G/3)
Las Vegas: Erin Ambrose (MTL/D/2), Mae Batherson (MIN/D/2), Kendall Cooper (MIN/D/2), *Hilary Knight (SEA/F/1), Hayley Scamurra (MTL/F/3)
San Jose: Anne Cherkowski (NY/F/2), Rory Guilday (OTT/D/2), *Kristin O’Neill (NY/F/2), Corinne Schroeder (SEA/G/2), Maddi Wheeler (NY/F/2)
*Received Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO)
All players signed PWHL Standard Player Agreements with all contract terms submitted prior to Monday’s Phase 2 deadline. All unprotected players from 2025-26 rosters were eligible to sign with any expansion team during this phase. Expansion teams could only sign players on their 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List (ENTL) in this phase. Expansion teams received one binding Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO) for the purpose of signing a cornerstone player through a premium multi-year contract opportunity. Players who received an EFO were permitted to choose a contract length ranging from one to four years.
FOUNDATIONAL PLAYER OFFERS
(Previous Team/Position)
Izzy Daniel (VAN/F), Kali Flanagan (TOR/D), Jenn Gardiner (VAN/F), Julia Gosling (SEA/F), Susanna Tapani (BOS/F), Grace Zumwinkle (MIN/F)
A Foundational Player Offer (FPO) is a non-binding contract offer issued to six eligible players on expiring contracts during Phase 2. Players who received the offers must sign with any team during Phase 3.
UP NEXT – PHASE 3: PRELIMINARY OPEN SIGNING PERIOD – JUNE 10 (12 P.M. ET) TO JUNE 12 (3 P.M. ET)
Phase 3 of the Expansion Roster Distribution Process will be held from June 10-12 to allow existing teams to lock in three additional protections and expansion teams to sign a maximum of three additional players. All eight existing teams can protect three players who have already been signed to the team’s 2026-27 roster and/or players on expiring contracts signed during the phase. At the end of this phase, each existing team’s total protected list will consist of six players, and expansion teams will have completed up to eight total signings. The deadline for existing teams to submit their protection lists is 5 p.m. ET on Friday, June 12.
