The PWHL's four newest teams now have 10 players each. Here's a grading of how each fared during expansion.
The PWHL expansion process is now complete with each of the league's new teams in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose now have ten signed players each.
While there's significantly more roster building to come, some of the PWHL's newest franchises have done better, on paper, than others.
PWHL Detroit: B+
Players: Daryl Watts, Britta Curl-Salemme, Jesse Compher, Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Sydney Bard, Ella Huber, Shiann Darkangelo, Taylor Girard, Nina Jobst-Smith.
Detroit's roster is star studded. They added a plethora of talent up front in top scorers like Watts, Curl-Salemme, Compher, and Bilka. Their roster will be physically imposing with their size, and hard to slow with speed speckled throughout. They had work to do on their blueline, and need a goaltender. The goalie situation will be addressed at the draft, and likely through free agency as well, but it's a hole. And it's a significant one. PWHL Detroit was lucky that the league positioned them ahead of the New York Sirens, the only other team in need of a goaltender.
If there's one item in Detroit's build that has backfired, it was the effort to bring Hilary Knight to Detroit. Knight refused to play in Las Vegas after agreeing to move to Detroit, and the result is a sign and trade maneuver sending Detroit's first round pick to Las Vegas for Knight. With Detroit now picking third however, that player will be either Laila Edwards or Abbey Murphy. Edwards could have been Detroit's #1 defender and the final piece to the puzzle, but it's a missed opportunity that hurt their build. PWHL Detroit denied tampering allegations, but teams across the league insist Detroit started early, utilizing consultants and then players to get the job done. However Detroit built, it may have backfired in the loss of a superstar prospect, but the team remains stacked. The mistakes drop Detroit from a certain A+ to a B+. Their roster is strong, but the process backfired.
PWHL Hamilton: A
Players: Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, Alina Muller, Nicole Gosling, Kayle Osborne, Abby Hustler, Zoe Boyd, Riley Brengman, Allyson Simpson, Peyton Hemp.
If there's a team that has balance, it's PWHL Hamilton. And while they got the worst draft slot of the expansion teams, they built wisely. Hamilton has veteran forwards Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, and Alina Muller to lead the way up front, and they got sandpaper and offensive upside in Peyton Hemp, and Abby Hustler, who is a prime candidate to be a breakout star in the league next season. On the back end, Nicole Gosling is their number one, but head coach Kris Sparre knew what Hamilton was getting in reliable defenders Zoe Boyd and Riley Brengman who play a steady defensive game helping get pucks out of their own zone first. Allyson Simpson adds two-way appeal to round out their blueline. Finally, netminder Kayle Osborne was highly touted by general manager Meghan Duggan as "one of the most valuable long-term goalie assets in the league." Hamilton looks like a hard working, defensively responsible team, that will not be fun to play against.
PWHL Las Vegas: B
Players: Hayley Scamurra, Mae Batherson, Kendall Cooper, Maureen Murphy, Nicole Hensley, Erin Ambrose, Megan Carter, Abby Boreen, Katy Knoll, (Hilary Knight)*
GM Dominique DiDia was patient and pragmatic. There was no rushing into major signings, although Las Vegas was forced to overpay for a few players. But this team is built with mobility, grit, and character. There aren't going to be any locker room issues in Vegas with veterans like Hayley Scamurra, Erin Ambrose, Nicole Hensley, Abby Boreen, and Maureen Murphy guiding the group. Kendall Cooper and Mae Batherson come with built-in chemistry playing as a pairing most of last season in Minnesota, Megan Carter plays a simple, tough nosed game, and Katy Knoll is a swiss-army knife on a third line. It's a group with eight Walter Cup titles to their names, and only nine players, instead of ten.
Why nine? Because Hilary Knight did not want to play in Las Vegas. She intended to play, and will play, in Detroit. She received Las Vegas' EFO forcing her to sign in Sin City, but after much delay, a solution was found where Knight would sign with Las Vegas, and then be traded to Detroit for their first round pick. It was a saga that seemed like Vegas was getting the raw end of a deal, but in the end, is going to pay dividends. Because of the move, DiDia now own the third overall and fifth overall picks in the 2026 PWHL Draft. Those picks will turn into either Abbey Murphy or Laila Edwards at third, and Tessa Janecke, Kirsten Simms, or Lacey Eden at fifth. It's a windfall for Vegas, who went from having a forward core that was certainly set to struggle offensively, to what could be a dynamic, young, and skilled forward group, with puck moving defenders ready to spring them.
PWHL San Jose: C+
Players: Rory Guilday, Kristin O'Neill, Anne Cherkowski, Corinne Schroeder, Maddi Wheeler, Natalie Mlynkova, Maggie Connors, Hadley Hartmetz, Daniela Pejsova, Mariah Keopple.
For a C+, it's a really good C+ with potential. Troy Ryan got a lot of very intriguing parts, and there's a legitimate chance when it all comes together, that even if they aren't winning, they'll be fun to watch. At times last season, Anne Cherkowski and Natalie Mlynkova showed flashes of creativity and brilliance that given bigger roles, could flourish. Daniela Pejsova remains one of the youngest players in the league, and the former World Championship Best Defender continues to have massive upside. The rest of Ryan's young group has seemingly similar untapped potential. Even veteran Kristin O'Neill, who will certainly have a leadership role with San Jose, and could be the team's first captain, has never found her offensive stride in the PWHL, but has that potential. If a few of these players find that next level, it spells good news for San Jose. But San Jose still didn't land the same level of proven performers.