Las Vegas opened the PWHL expansion process by signing two blueliners from the Minnesota Frost: Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper. Batherson is a Walter Cup champion, which will become a noticeable pattern for what Vegas is building.

Mae Batherson was taken in the sixth round of the 2024 Draft. Batherson had a drastic bump in production this year, jumping from three points to 15 points. At 25, she still has room to grow, and the best part is that she won’t need to switch blueline partners. Kendall Cooper, a right shot blueliner, burst onto the scene in her rookie season.

Cooper scored two goals and added 17 assists for 19 points in her rookie year. Selected sixth overall in the 2025 draft by the Minnesota Frost, Cooper is only 24. With Batherson being 25 and Cooper 24, Vegas now has a young pairing that can continue to grow together and build chemistry.

Vegas didn’t stop there on the blueline. The team also signed Megan Carter, a 25-year-old left shot blueliner from the Seattle Torrent. A 5-foot-8 physical defender, Carter is entering her third PWHL season and gives Vegas another young blueliner to build around.

These three will form a young defensive core, all taken in the 2024 or 2025 draft classes. Vegas made a big splash, and to further bolster this blueline, the team went out and signed Walter Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and inaugural PWHL Defender of the Year Erin Ambrose. Ambrose has also won three gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal with Canada at the IIHF World Championships. Ambrose is a cornerstone for any team and will surely help Vegas, and lead their group of young defenders, in its inaugural season. 

With the defense looking solidified, Vegas shifted gear to goaltending. Vegas brought in another player who won the Walter Cup, this time from the Minnesota Frost: Nicole Hensley. Hensley was drafted in the second round of the inaugural PWHL Draft. During her time with Minnesota, Hensley shared the crease with Maddie Rooney. Hensley has played in more than 45 combined regular season and post season games for the Frost and brings two Walter Cup championships with her.

Switching over to the forwards, Vegas made a major trade with Detroit. Vegas did sign Hilary Knight, but this was part of a sign and trade with PWHL Detroit. In return, PWHL Vegas received Detroit’s first round pick in the 2026 Draft. The order was announced about 48 hours before the draft, and Detroit ended up getting the third overall pick. Vegas now held the fifth and third overall picks which they turned into Tessa Janecke and Lacey Eden. 

Erin Ambrose will reunite with some of her former teammates, as Vegas signed two Montréal Victoire players: Maureen Murphy and Hayley Scamurra.

Scamurra, in addition to winning the Walter Cup, also won gold with the United States at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Scamurra started her PWHL journey after being drafted in the fifth round by the Ottawa Charge, spent a season and a half in Ottawa, and then, in December 2024, was traded to the Toronto Sceptres. She then signed with Montréal in the most recent offseason and notched a career-high 16 points in 30 games. Vegas added a two-way forward who plays both sides of the ice and can also provide valuable leadership.

Maureen Murphy, another veteran two way forward, adds leadership and more winning background. Vegas finished off the expansion process by signing two more former Walter Cup champions: Katy Knoll from the Minnesota Frost and Abby Boreen from the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Together, Murphy, Knoll, and Boreen give the forward group hard checking, two way players who have all won. Knoll won the Walter Cup during their rookie season with the Minnesota Frost in 2024–25. Knoll also had a jump in production this year, going from 2 points in 21 games to 9 points in 30 games. 

Boreen was traded back to the Vancouver Goldeneyes on draft day. The full trade sent Abby Boreen and Pick 17 to Vancouver in exchange for Pick 13 and Pick 49. With this trade, Vegas selected Issy Wunder, setting the foundation for what promises to be a very exciting team.

What immediately stands out with Vegas is how it has built from the back end out. The team locked up two defenders who already have chemistry together and, on top of that, added Megan Carter and Erin Ambrose. Vegas has also brought in players with championship experience who have won the Walter Cup before. 

In the hockey world, people always say playoff hockey is different. PWHL Vegas has brought in players who have experienced it and won it all. This is a team to watch this season and in the future.