In Las Vegas, General Manager Dominique DiDia and Head Coach Kim Weiss have emphasized creating a “championship culture” from the ground up. Throughout her coaching career, Weiss has forged a reputation for strong player development and building connected locker rooms. 

Based on the roster Las Vegas has constructed so far, their first leadership core will be a group who have won at every level, understand what a successful dressing room looks like, and establish franchise standards from Day One. 

Let’s take a look at what that group might look like come this fall. 

If there’s one player on the Vegas roster who checks every box, it’s Erin Ambrose.

She arrives in Las Vegas as one of the most decorated defenders in women’s hockey. A Walter Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, multiple-time world champion, and the PWHL’s inaugural defender of the year, Ambrose has built a career around consistency, accountability, and elite two-way play. 

Ambrose has long been one of the game’s most respected voices. Throughout her career, teammates and coaches have leaned on her leadership, and she’s become someone younger players naturally follow. On an expansion team that will blend veterans with recent draft picks, having a steady back-end presence is exactly the kind of foundation DiDia and Weiss are likely looking to establish. 

When Las Vegas selected their first group of players, the organization invested heavily in experienced defenders. Ambrose is the best example of a “building from the blue line” philosophy heading into the season. She is the safest, and strongest, choice to become the first captain in franchise history. 

Few players understand how to fit into winning environments more than Hayley Scamurra.

The veteran forward has represented the United States on the international stage for years, won Olympic gold, and arrives in Las Vegas fresh off helping Montréal capture the Walter Cup. She also enjoyed the best offensive season of her PWHL career in 2025-26, proving she can contribute in every situation. 

Above all else, Scamurra brings versatility. 

Whether she’s playing on a scoring line, killing penalties, or protecting a late lead, she’s the type of player coaches trust without hesitation. Those are often players who become extensions of the coaching staff on the bench.

For a team coached by Weiss, whose coaching style has been praised for communication and player relationships, having a veteran forward capable of connecting every area of the lineup would be invaluable. 

For a slightly less obvious, but no less rounded pick, Mae Batherson could provide the stability needed from a room leader and usher in the next generation for the franchise. 

Batherson was one of the first players DiDia targeted during the expansion process, becoming one of the first two players in franchise history. That distinction alone suggests Vegas views her as someone capable of helping the long-term identity of this new club.

On the ice, the 25-year-old continues to emerge as one of the league’s most dependable young defenders. 

She finished among the PWHL’s top-scoring defenders last season while posting one of the league’s better plus-minus ratings, showing she can contribute offensively without sacrificing defensive reliability. 

Off the ice, Batherson had leadership experience dating back to her collegiate career at Syracuse University, where she wore a letter during her senior season. She had earned a reputation as a mature, steady presence despite still being one of the younger veterans in the league. 

That combination feels especially important for an expansion team.

Ambrose and Scamurra provide championship experience. Batherson represents the next generation of leaders, someone who could wear a letter for years rather than just a handful of seasons.

If Weiss wants to establish a leadership group that balances veteran voices with players who will grow alongside the franchise, Batherson is an ideal fit.

Taken together, the group offers balance.

Ambrose provides the franchise cornerstone and respected voice on the back end.

Scamurra gives the forward group an internationally accomplished veteran who has experienced virtually every high-pressure moment the sport can offer.

Batherson bridges the gap between established stars and the club's younger core while representing the long-term future of the organization.

It's also notable that all three were among DiDia's earliest additions during the expansion process. That doesn't guarantee leadership roles, but it does suggest they were viewed as foundational pieces before many other roster decisions were made.

Ultimately, no one outside the organization knows exactly how Weiss will evaluate leadership. But considering both her emphasis on culture and DiDia's deliberate approach to constructing the roster, this trio appears to embody exactly what PWHL Las Vegas wants to become.