Here are some of the biggest storylines to look out for going into the 2026-27 PWHL season.
The upcoming fourth season of the PWHL will see massive progress in expanding when it comes to viewership, team expansion, and the overall growth of women's hockey.
With training camp opening on Nov. 18 and pre-season beginning Nov. 22, here are some of the major storylines going into the 2026-27 season.
Stacked Rookie Class
A 72-player rookie class across six rounds, including 42 forwards, 22 defenders, and eight goaltenders, with eight countries represented, including five U.S. Olympic gold medalists and 23 Olympians in total.
Caroline Harvey was selected first overall by the Vancouver Goldeneyes and is the first defender to be selected first overall in a PWHL draft. Harvey was drafted from the University of Wisconsin, where she captained the team during the 2025-26 season and made the USA Olympic team, scoring two goals and nine points. Her last season with the Wisconsin Badgers was her best, as she notched 64 points in 33 NCAA outings.
Abbey Murphy, drafted second overall from the University of Minnesota to the Seattle Torrent, had 40 goals and 66 points in 31 games, leading the NCAA in points per game in 2025-26. Meanwhile, she averaged a point per game at the 2026 Olympics, assisting the United States to their gold medal with seven points in seven games.
Tessa Janecke from Penn State University, selected third overall by PWHL Las Vegas, one of the four expansion teams, is the franchise's first-ever draft pick. Her time with Penn State ends with her as the all-time leader with 201 points during her four-year campaign. She also contributed to the gold medal in Milano Cortina.
Expansion Teams in Action
Hamilton, San Jose, Detroit, and Las Vegas are the four expansion teams to join the league this coming season.
During Phase Two, titled the “foundational period,” the four new franchises had five foundational players selected.
PWHL Detroit: Daryl Watts, who was the first player to sign with a 2026 expansion team, Hannah Bilka, Jesse Compher, Britta Curl-Salemme, and Cayla Barnes.
PWHL Hamilton: Emily Clark, Nicole Gosling, Brianne Jenner, Alina Muller, and Kayle Osborne.
PWHL Las Vegas: Erin Ambrose, Mae Batherson, Kendall Cooper, Hilary Knight, and Hayley Scamurra.
PWHL San Jose: Anne Cherkowski, Rory Guilday, Kristin O’Neill, Corinne Schroeder, and Maddi Wheeler.
U.S. Broadcasting Rights Deal Signed
The first-ever season-long U.S. television agreement was signed with Scripps Sports, a broadcaster serving college and professional sports with partnerships with the WNBA, the NWSL, WTGL, MLV, and PCL.
With the addition of the PWHL partnership, Scripps Sports will televise a featured Saturday 'Game of the Week,' while having three national broadcast windows each week airing on ION, the company's national sports and entertainment network, which reaches 128 million households nationally and will return as the home for the Walter Cup final while airing a Walter Cup playoff series.
Key Bodies Missing
With so much excitement surrounding the upcoming season, there are some standout skaters who will not take the ice at all or will be delayed in the 2026-27 season.
Marie-Philip Poulin is a big missing presence, undergoing surgery in July to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in her right knee. Choosing to delay surgery while helping to lead the Montreal Victoire to a Walter Cup championship, she faces a nine- to 12-month recovery timeline, which leaves the 35-year-old missing most, if not all, of the PWHL season.
Blayre Turnbull, who has served as the captain of the Toronto Sceptres since their inaugural season, is the first player to miss a season on maternity leave while expecting her first child. She is expected to return at the beginning of the 2027–2028 season.
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