With the PWHL roster deadline less than a month away, options to add from outside the league are limited, but do exist. Here's a look at five players who could be targeted by PWHL teams.
The PWHL roster deadline is less than a month away, and the options are limited for many teams. There are clubs with players in their system through the draft, like Minnesota and Minttu Tuominen, Ottawa and Caitrin Lonergan, and Montreal and Lina Ljungblom who could be added. There are also players sitting in reserve roles like Claire Thompson in New York and Melodie Daoust in Montreal who could make impacts.
Beyond this group however, the options league-wide are extremely limited. On the blueline, you'll find almost no players who could make a roster impact available. In net, the lone names who could make a noticeable impact are Noora Raty and Alex Cavallini, but both have been off the ice this year.
That leaves the main area where a team could scour the free agent pool for depth up front at forward. While some names who declared for the draft like Allie Thunstrom and Jonna Albers could certainly join any team, we zoned in on five players who were active this season.
Even if it's not on a full contract, multiple teams now have vacancies in their reserve pools as they continue to be depleted.
Here's a look at the top five players PWHL teams could consider heading into the PWHL Roster Freeze in March.
Liliane Perreault - There was reason to believe Perreault was a likely candidate to crack a PWHL roster this season after scoring 18 goals and 33 points in her final NCAA season with Mercyhurst, but the forward depth and experience across the league squeezed her out. Perreault walked away from a reserve spot in Ottawa and instead signed in Sweden with Frolunda where she scored a point per game and gained valuable experience skating alongside Finnish stars like Michelle Karvinen and Emilia Vesa.
Malia Schneider - Schneider initially signed as a reserve player in Ottawa, but days before the season opened she changed course and decided to sign with Brynas, one of the SDHL's perennial powerhouse teams. The 25-year-old scored nearly a point per game in the final quarter of the season gaining scoring line experience she hadn't had since playing with Colgate, where she captained the program for two seasons.
Mikyla Grant-Mentis - Scoring three points in six games to open the season for PWHL Ottawa, many thought Grant-Mentis was on the up and up. But somewhere along the way, something broke down behind the scenes in Ottawa and Grant-Mentis found herself a healthy scratch and eventually released by the team. Still only 25, Grant-Mentis could certainly step into a lineup or provide depth for a playoff run.
Emma Nuutinen - Nuutinen had locked herself into a spot on Finland's national team before having to deal with serious injuries following. Last year she returned and played a full campaign with the Buffalo Beauts in the PHF, but there were still some rough edges to refine. This year playing against weak competition in Naisten Liiga with Kiekko-Espoo, she exploded offensively and looked to have found her touch. Nuutinen isn't going to join a top six in the PWHL, but could add size and depth to a roster if the need arises.
Justine Reyes - Reyes has put up decent numbers everywhere she's played from the NCAA to DFEL, SDHL, PHF, and back to the SDHL this year. She'd be a depth addition who got a lot of minutes in this season, so wouldn't miss a beat, but she's not an upgrade for teams at the moment. Still, depth could play a major factor even as a reserve as the playoffs near.