There will inevitably be dozens of mock PWHL expansion drafts created. Almost all of them will be wrong until teams release their initial three players to be protected. Fans responded with shock when they saw the PWHL expansion rules and realized how deep the cuts to existing rosters, particularly to the cores of each team's top two lines, would be.

Several items are still too be determined including expansion draft order, and if either team will sign players in the exclusive free agency period.

Here's a first attempt at a mock PWHL expansion draft and what it would make the two new teams in Vancouver and Seattle look like.

Mock Protected Lists

Boston Fleet: Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller (Daniela Pejsova)

Minnesota Frost: Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Sophie Jaques (Britta Curl-Salemme)

Montreal Victoire: Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Cayla Barnes (Laura Stacey)

New York Sirens: Sarah Fillier, Alex Carpenter, Corinne Schroeder (Micah Zandee-Hart)

Ottawa Charge: Gwyneth Philips, Emily Clark, Ashton Bell (Gabbie Hughes)

Toronto Sceptres: Renata Fast, Daryl Watts, Sarah Nurse (Blayre Turnbull)

Mock PWHL Expansion Draft

1. Vancouver - Hannah Miller (signed from Toronto in Exclusive Window)
2. Seattle - Alina Muller (from Boston)
3. Vancouver - Claire Thompson (from Minnesota)
4. Seattle - Hannah Bilka (from Boston - activates Boston's fourth protection)
5. Vancouver - Erin Ambrose (from Montreal)
6. Seattle - Ella Shelton (from New York)
7. Vancouver - Jennifer Gardiner (from Montreal - activates Montreal's fourth protection)
8. Seattle - Lee Stecklein (from Minnesota - activates Minnesota's fourth protection)
9. Vancouver - Danielle Serdachny (from Ottawa)
10. Seattle - Jessie Eldridge (from New York - activates New York's fourth protection)
11. Vancouver - Emerance Maschmeyer (from Ottawa - activates Ottawa's fourth protection)
12. Seattle - Allie Munroe (from Toronto - activates Toronto's fourth protection)
13. Vancouver - Emma Maltais (from Toronto)
14. Seattle - Grace Zumwinkle (from Minnesota)
15. Vancouver - Ronja Savolainen (from Ottawa)
16. Seattle - Abby Roque (from New York)
17. Vancouver - Julia Gosling (from Toronto - ends Toronto's picks)
18. Seattle - Aneta Tejralova (from Ottawa - ends Ottawa's picks)
19. Vancouver - Jaime Bourbonnais (from New York - ends New York's picks)
20. Seattle - Abby Boreen (from Montreal)
21. Vancouver - Lina Ljungblom (from Montreal - ends Montreal's picks)
22. Seattle - Nicole Hensley (from Minnesota - ends Minnesota's picks)
23. Vancouver - Shay Maloney (from Boston)
24. Seattle - Emily Brown (from Boston - ends Boston's picks)

Mock PWHL Vancouver Lineup

Miller (F) - Gardiner (F) - Serdachny (F)

Maltais (F) - Gosling (F) - Lina Ljungblom (F)

Maloney (F)

Thompson (D) - Ambrose (D)

Savolainen (D) - Bourbonnais (D)

Maschmeyer (G)

Mock PWHL Seattle Lineup

Bilka (F) - Muller (F) - Eldridge (F)

Zumwinkle (F) - Roque (F) - Boreen (F)

Stecklein (D) - Shelton (D)

Munroe (D) - Tejralova (D)

Brown (D)

Hensley (G)

Who could expansion teams target in the draft?

If the two expansion teams are in fact picking 7th and 8th in the 2025 PWHL Draft order, it would put the teams in line to grab a pair of forwards. Vancouver might target another young two-way player with offensive capabilities like British Columbia native Anne Cherkowski. It wouldn't be a reach to see her chosen here. Seattle on the other hand could add the veteran presence of Michelle Karvinen to build a deeper talent base and two-way scoring threat to help guide their team culture.