If Corinne Schroeder Is Out Long Term, What Are PWHL San Jose's Options?

Corinne Schroeder leaving Quebec City's Videotron Centre in a wheelchair with a walking boot on her foot was not the sight any PWHL fan, particularly fans of expansion PWHL San Jose, wanted to see.

Schroeder, according to Canadian head coach Kori Cheverie, was injured in an off-ice pregame activity. While neither Hockey Canada, who Schroeder was attending national team camp with, nor PWHL San Jose has made a statement on the injury, there is concern it could impact the start of Schroeder's season...or more.

In turn, it will impact PWHL San Jose's roster, and how they are able to approach the season.

San Jose was one of only three PWHL teams, alongside the Montreal Victoire and PWHL Detroit, who invited only three goaltenders to training camp.

The issue for San Jose is now two fold. First, the team sits at exactly 28 players for training camp should Schroeder be unable to attend. Should any other player be unable to participate, San Jose would no longer be in the league's 28-32 players range allowable for camp.

Second, and more problematic, is that all PWHL teams are required by the PWHL to carry three signed goaltenders at all times. In the past, some teams have bypassed this requirement by not placing players on LTIR for weeks after their injury. When players however, reach what would be considered the minimum time on LTIR, which in the PWHL is 21 days, teams have traditionally placed their players on LTIR only days before that time expires allowing them to almost immediately re-activate them, while circumventing league restrictions. For Schroeder, that clock would begin ticking when PWHL training camps open November 18. That span however, would only take Schroeder to December 8 before the team must place her on LTIR and have another goaltender ready to go prior to their second game of the season.

What's more likely, is that San Jose begins their search for another netminder immediately. With camp invites accepted across the league however, and with European contracts signed, the options are limited.

There are major issues facing San Jose when it comes to making a trade for an existing player in the league. Primarily, San Jose does not have assets to trade. San Jose has 11 unsigned players in camp, but they'll need to sign several of those to complete their roster, which currently includes only five defenders and 10 forwards. Trading one of their signed players isn't an option for San Jose, unless they're willing to send a far more skilled player to another team to get a goalie. 

The most experienced backup in the PWHL is Vancouver Goldeneyes' netminder Kristen Campbell, but given Campbell's history with San Jose coach and GM Troy Ryan, there is seemingly no chance Campbell would move to San Jose under any circumstance. Campbell was unceremoniously replaced on the Toronto Sceptres roster last season when Toronto agreed to sign Elaine Chuli, and told Campbell she'd be traded, or made their third goaltender, if the league did not permit a mutual termination of her contract. It came shortly after Ryan and Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury also cut Campbell from Team Canada. In the end, Toronto facilitated a trade sending Campbell to Vancouver at the 2025 PWHL Draft. A reunion with Ryan is likely the last thing Campbell would want for her career, and it would cost San Jose a significant piece of their roster, likely a defender, in return.

Troy Ryan could instead look at teams with four or more goalies in their training camps. In that category, a few names including Logan Angers (Las Vegas), Lucy Morgan (Hamilton), or Kimberly Newell (Vancouver) jump out. None are proven in the PWHL, and the signing would be for a third goaltender role, which doesn't provide meaningful support for Chan and Levy, nor San Jose's hopes.

It's likely Troy Ryan has already been working the phones with agents and teams in Europe. There are a group of PWHL eligible netminders in Europe. Some, like Norwegian national team starter Ena Nystrom could be available, and Nystrom could actually play games in the PWHL if the opportunity arose. 

There are several other PWHL eligible netminders in Europe including Emma Soderberg, Klara Peslarova, and Kassidy Sauve, all being better options than what remains in the PWHL pool, but all under contract this season.

Lindsey Post is also competing in Europe after playing a pair of games for New York during the inaugural season, while netminders like Tindra Holm and Camryn Drever are also active in Europe.

The problem for Ryan will be getting one of these players out of their contract.

Tia Chan is the reigning NCAA Goaltender of the Year. It's an award that has been won by PWHL stars including Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips, Team USA netminder Ava McNaughton who plays at Wisconsin, and PWHL Detroit training camp invite Michelle Pasiechnyk. Slightly undersized at 5-foot-6, Chan finished a sparkling four-year career at UConn, and represented China at the 2022 Olympics and two World Championships. On paper, Chan could be a starter in the PWHL. But on a team that isn't expected to score much, and could struggle in all areas of the ice, Chan could face pressures that go beyond what any rookie can manage without hurting their confidence and development. San Jose could also approach the season as a tandem with Levy, who has played eight PWHL games over the past three seasons as the other option. Levy played games with both the New York Sirens and Boston Fleet, but with mixed reviews. Levy brings experience and size to San Jose's crease, but she's yet to show in her limited starts that she can carry more. It leaves San Jose's hopes resting on Chan, which could turn out to be an incredible success story, or another blow to what most already categorized as an uphill battle for San Jose.