Keys To Success: PWHL Las Vegas

PWHL Las Vegas is looking to bring the glitz and glamor of the strip to T-Mobile Arena and wow a new market of fans. They have a young and exciting forward group featuring top five picks in Tessa Janecke and Lacey Eden, along with veteran Olympic gold medalist Hayley Scamurra. Their blueline is strong with veteran Erin Ambrose, and sophomore Kendall Cooper, and former American national team netminder Nicole Hensley will tend the crease.

But there are many question marks in Las Vegas, and for an expansion team, there will also be a plethora of hurdles to jump for this team to make the playoffs. Some think Las Vegas could be a darkhorse in the playoff hunt, and if they can manage to master these keys to success, it's a feeling that could turn into reality.

Before the 2026 PWHL Draft, Las Vegas' roster looked like they'd be offensively deficient. But when GM Dominique DiDia shipped Hilary Knight to Detroit and Abby Boreen back to Vancouver, things changed. Las Vegas picked Tessa Janecke, Lacey Eden, Issy Wunder, and Josefin Bouveng, all players who should factor into their top six at the draft, and with them, came four of the best offensive players in the NCAA. Eden led the NCAA in scoring, Janecke was a force for Penn State and Team USA, Wunder is a power forward out of Princeton, and Bouveng lit the lamp frequently for Minnesota, and Team Sweden, and also has playmaking traits. Alexis Petford is another forward with potential, and if she makes their opening night lineup, Petford will be the first NEWHA alumni ever to skate in the PWHL. The kids must be alright. In fact, the kids must be better than alright for Las Vegas to make the playoffs, but these "kids" also come with an abundance of international and NCAA experience that should make them effective from day one.

A two-time Walter Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, three-time World Champion, and former World Championship Best Goaltender. It's a resume that would lead you to believe Hensley remains one of the best in the game. This season, that will be up to her to prove. Hensley entered the PWHL as Minnesota's unquestioned starter, and that season, she was between the pipes for PWHL Minnesota as they won the inaugural Walter Cup. The next season, her hold on Minnesota's crease began to slip, until this year she fully relinquished the starting role to Maddie Rooney. Now in Las Vegas, this is a team with a strong blueline, but they'll still go through some growing pains as a roster, and with it, some mistakes will be made on the ice that their goalie, Hensley, will need to clean up. They don't need perfection, but they do need Hensley to reserve her trend, and make a few more game saving stops. Hensley's save percentage has hovered around .900, last season posting a .908. But that was ninth of the ten most active goalies in the league. The top four goalies in the league all posted .931 or above percentages. It's hard to imagine a PWHL team making the playoffs this season with a goalie under .915.

Las Vegas had strength on the blueline. They spent big to get Erin Ambrose, the PWHL's inaugural Defender of the Year, giving her a sizeable raise. They also went out and signed one of the PWHL's most effective and productive pairings last year grabbing defensive partners Kendall Cooper and Mae Batherson from the Minnesota Frost. They also added Megan Carter from Seattle. It's a strong top four, that Las Vegas will hope can help their young forward group transition to the attack, and get pucks through to them from the blueline. Cooper and Batherson will look to replicate their success from last season, and Ambrose is on the hunt for a renaissance of sorts, as she dropped to only six assists on the season last year, and has not scored since April of 2024 during her Defender of the Year campaign three seasons ago. If Ambrose can take a step in the right direction, this blueline could help generate chances for the young and dynamic forward group, and in turn, produce offense themselves.

The highest level Kim Weiss has been a head coach at is 16-U with the Washington Pride. It's not the be all and end all, but Weiss has limited experience running a bench, and making decisions at this level. Seeing how she can rise to the test, and guide a team that mixes high profile rookies with seasoned pros will be a test that could define Las Vegas' season. Weiss has a room with built in leaders like Hayley Scamurra and Erin Ambrose who are respected players and people, but she'll be facing the biggest test of her career. Vegas could surprise many if their young players can elevate their game to the PWHL level quickly, which will be the same task Weiss must accomplish herself, while simultaneously helping her roster. 

Hopefully PWHL Last Vegas watched the teams that thrive in this league, and saw the secret ingredient: internal development. Team like Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver didn't see their draft picks and young players get better and contribute as the season progressed. Most of that was due to the fact they remained buried down the lineup last season. Perennial playoff teams like Ottawa and Minnesota however, have developed in house and their rookies are often key contributors that grow into bigger roles as the year goes on. Not only does it mean the team itself is improving, but it also provides a layer of insulation for veterans when injuries arise. Las Vegas will have no choice but to help their rookies develop, because their rookies will be central to this team's success. The real question is if their coaching staff if capable of developing these players, and if they have enough veterans to help in the process. Weiss coming from the AHL is a positive, as development is central to the league.