Expansion Targets: Who Will Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas And San Jose Target For Their Inaugural Signing?

The PWHL expansion process is now open. It will be a few more days until players begin moving, but the wheels are already turning.

In time for the start of the player dispersal process, PWHL Detroit, PWHL Hamilton, PWHL Las Vegas, and PWHL San Jose must submit a 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List by June 4, followed by 

Detroit sports fans will love Kelly Pannek. It's hard to believe the league's leading scorer, an Olympic gold medalist, who set a new single-season mark for PWHL scoring could be available. But Minnesota left Pannek unprotected last summer in favor of Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Lee Stecklein, and there's no reason to believe they'll shift from that trio. The factor that could change things is if a player like Coyne Schofield actually wanted to go and start another franchise, like Detroit. Pannek is making less than $100,000 right now, so the EFO is a good raise for a player who deserves more. Pannek is the epitome of a 200-foot player, and she's the type of player that fits the City of Detroit's identity. The other player who could interest Detroit is Michigan product Abby Roque, who had a spectacular season with Montreal, including scoring an overtime winner in Game 1, and twice in Game 4 of the Walter Cup finals for the victorious Victoire. A third name, depending on the direction Detroit wants to go, could be Grace Zumwinkle. In particular, these American national team members might be on their way to Detroit to reunite with Team USA assistant Josh Sciba who is rumoured to be heading to Detroit as their head coach.

It's a bit of a wildcard moment in Hamilton. Certainly there will be local products and Canadian national team stars in the mix, but GM Meghan Duggan captained USA to Olympic gold in 2018 on a team that included potential free agents Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, Kali Flanagan, Hilary Knight, Sidney Morin, and Nicole Hensley. When your former captain calls, you at least listen. Add in the unexpected hiring of Kris Sparre as the team's first head coach to draw the interest of Boston free agents (and signed players like Alina Muller who might be exposed) and Hamilton's pool is deep.

It's more likely Duggan, who is now a Canadian resident living in Toronto, will target a big name Canadian. Brianne Jenner, who grew up in the region and played for the Stoney Creek Sabres is an obvious choice. Jenner was a nominee for PWHL Forward of the Year, and captained the Ottawa Charge to back-to-back Walter Cup titles. It's likely Hamilton could also select Rebecca Leslie to reunite the pair. If not Jenner, it could be the moment Sarah Nurse gets a big contract and comes close to home as well. Jessie Eldridge is another Canadian scoring option. 

Dominique DiDia's ties to a dozen of the league's top players as their now former agent, whether it's Claire Thompson, Alex Carpenter, or Blayre Turnbull, is intriguing. Seattle won't be able to protect both Carpenter and Knight, or perhaps either, if they want to right the path they took last year, meaning Carpenter could be on the move again. And there's probably nothing more appealing to keep Claire Thompson in the league rather than heading back to medical school, than a big contract in Las Vegas under a person she obviously trusts. Turnbull is a wildcard. Will she leave her captain role in Toronto? Will she follow Troy Ryan to San Jose? Or is Vegas an option? You could ask the same questions of Brianne Jenner, who is also a former client of DiDia's. She has the connections, now it's about finding the right combination. Looking outside DiDi's previous role, Grace Zumwinkle, Kelly Pannek, and the rest of Minnesota's top American national teamers who could be left available are logical targets.

Similar to the reasoning in Las Vegas, Claire Thompson could take a payday to come to San Jose. So could Blayre Turnbull or Daryl Watts following their former coach. San Jose is an appealing market for a number of reasons, and there will be players interested in heading to California for a season, or longer. It would not be surprising to see Troy Ryan target other former players like goaltender Raygan Kirk, or Jessie Eldridge in the process.

There aren't the same ties geographically that some markets have in San Jose, but those didn't exist in Seattle either, and there was a line out the door for players to head west there. Ryan knows the player pool well, but has proven a creature of habit. Will that carry over to his role as GM? This may be the opportunity for him to branch off in his own direction and move away from Canadian national teamers.