Phase 2 of the PWHL expansion player distribution process is now complete with each team having secured five players. Some of the PWHL's four new teams however, certainly did better than others.
PWHL teams in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose now have their inaugural players. Each team signed five players in Phase 2 of the PWHL's expansion player distribution process. It wasn't easy for each team, and the first batch of player movement to expansion teams was filled not only with excitement, but at times with controversy.
But with the foundation now laid, each expansion team can continue building. That said, some were far more successful than others in the opening phase...but each got something special that the others did not.
PWHL Detroit - A
Signings: Daryl Watts, Jesse Compher, Hannah Bilka, Britta Curl-Salemme, Cayla Barnes. (Hilary Knight).
Impressive skill. And when you add in that Detroit is technically leaving this phase with Hilary Knight, the skill level, the familiarity many of these athletes have, the big game experience, and the compete level is high. What was also high was the price tag. And not only will they leave with a major hit to their salary cap, they also leave without a first round pick in a league set to build primarily through the draft for the next few seasons as the PWHL enters an expansion freeze. PWHL Detroit came into the PWHL like the Las Vegas Golden Knights came into the NHL. They pushed every rule to the brink, they didn't make a ton of friends, but they delivered big time in acquiring talent. The team did lose some favour for acquiring the polarizing Britta Curl-Salemme, but the skill set up front for Detroit is already off the charts, and when you add in that Josh Sciba has been a key architect of Team USA's offense and he'll now work with an elite group of talent, it could be hard to contain. How Detroit fills out the rest, and how well they gel is yet to be seen, but they already have what looks like one of the league's best top lines and power play units.
Needs: Detroit needs bargains, but they also have one key role that there isn't an answer to, yet. Detroit exits Phase 2 as one of only two teams in the league, the other being PWHL Las Vegas, who does not have a goaltender on their roster. Others may need a new starter, but Detroit doesn't have a goalie. Would Nicole Hensley be interested in taking on the role? What about Kristen Campbell? But perhaps the better question, could they afford either?
PWHL Hamilton - A
Signings: Brianne Jenner, Alina Muller, Nicole Gosling, Emily Clark, Kayle Osborne.
Meghan Duggan didn't disappoint for her fan base. Duggan grabbed big name national team members, seasoned veterans, and a group of highly competitive and highly accomplished people and players. The signing window opened with Hamilton signing Ottawa Charge captain and the fourth leading scorer in the league last season, Brianne Jenner. Jenner will be 38 by the end of this deal, which is one of the main risks in making it. Hamilton also added Alina Muller and Emily Clark, a pair of international stars who play the game with speed and two-way awareness. Both still have untapped offensive potential in this league.
In Nicole Gosling, Hamilton acquired a defender who could be on a top pairing in this league for the next decade. She's mobile, likes to join the attack, and makes good decisions coming out of her own end. And she brings Walter Cup winning experience to the roster, winning a title this year with Montreal.
Finally, Kayle Osborne is a goalie who played a lot last season, appearing in more games than any any other starter in the PWHL. She loves to play the puck as a third defender too, which can slow teams who like to dump the puck in and jumpstart the attack quickly the other way.
Needs: Hamilton spent a lot of money to get to where they are. Hamilton has well over $400,000, roughly a third of their salary cap, committed to five players, but they'll need 23 to finalize. The team will add five this week, which will likely come in the form of at least two more defenders and a few forwards.
PWHL Las Vegas - B
Signings: Kendall Cooper, Mae Batherson, Erin Ambrose, Hayley Scamurra. (Hilary Kngiht).
Some may not agree, but PWHL Las Vegas could look worse. Kendall Cooper and Mae Batherson are each excellent young defenders on their own, but together, they're a dynamic pairing with built-in chemistry. The duo spent 21 games as partners last season with the Minnesota Frost, and they had a spectacular offensive season with Cooper reaching 19 points as a rookie and Batherson 15 as a sophomore. Vegas and some other teams this season are likely to struggle offensively, so having a pair of puck moving defenders is a good start. And while she had a down season this campaign, Erin Ambrose is a solid anchor to another pairing for Las Vegas. The inaugural PWHL Defender of the Year and Canadian Olympian is also a character person who brings a veteran presence to the team. Hayley Scamurra had a year to remember hitting a career high of 16 points with Montreal, where she won a Walter Cup, and also playing a key role for USA winning Olympic gold. And like Ambrose, Scamurra is a near-universally respected player and person.
Of course the largest part of this discussion may be Hilary Knight's refusal to play in Vegas. And to Knight's defense, she has earned the right to choose where she plays, and as a free agent she deserved to pick her team. While Vegas would have benefitted from Knight's presence to build the fanbase, the opportunity to add a potential star player with an extra first round pick who is at the start of their career, rather than taking a star player nearing the end of her career, isn't a bad option.
The actual value of the trade however, if the confusing part because the league has yet to announce the draft order. There's a stark difference in what it would mean for Vegas to have two high first round picks, to two picks later in the round. The winner and loser of this trade will only be judged by hindsight.
Needs: Las Vegas needs a goalie, and they'll also need more skill up front. They have the great start to a blueline, but need some scoring line forwards and a starting goalie.
PWHL San Jose - C+
Signings: Maddi Wheeler, Anne Cherkowski, Kristin O'Neill, Rory Guilday, Corinne Schroeder
San Jose got five good players. What they don't have yet is a bonafide scorer. The four skaters San Jose signed — Guilday, O'Neill, Cherkowski, and Wheeler — scored 10 goals and 34 points collectively last season. For reference, PWHL leading scorer Kelly Pannek had 16 goals and 33 points herself, and there were 10 players in the PWHL last season who scored more goals than San Jose's four players combined.
This foursome however, will be difficult to face as San Jose brought in four 200-foot players who like to hit and block shots, and are a tight checking group. It means there will be no easy nights for teams facing San Jose, but they still need to find a way to score.
If the falter offensively to start, netminder Corinne Schroeder is the ype of goaltender who can keep San Jose in games, no matter what, and that's a huge asset for San Jose to have with goaltending siting at a premium.
Needs: It was a bit surprising to see Ryan not select or sign Hannah Miller, Jessie Eldridge, Ashton Bell, Micah Zandee-Hart, Kati Tabin, Kristen Campbell, or Jaime Bourbonnais, players he's coached with Team Canada, nor sign any of his former Toronto Sceptres players like Emma Maltais, Blayre Turnbull, or Jesse Compher who signed with Detroit. All would have helped them, and a few could have been the veteran offensive player San Jose needs. Maybe he'll keep doubling down on two way players like Jamie Lee Rattray, but whatever approach he takes, this team needs more of everything right now, except for goaltending.