The goal for PWHL Seattle couldn't be clearer, they intend to be competitive and challenge for a championship immediately.
"I'm excited to build a team that can really compete and win a championship in year one," new PWHL Seattle general manager Meghan Turner told media.
She's also interested in building an inclusive community and business connections in Seattle, and to showcase the elite talent of the PWHL.
The next step for Seattle is to begin signing and selecting players that will build that championship calibre team. It's a process Turner called "a puzzle." Turner said leadership is a focus, but she also has other attributes in mind,
"Cultural fit is number one, and like I said, the leadership group," said Turner. "I'm from Boston and so I'm partial to physicality, and I think it's an important part of the game in this league. And I don't mean that in the sense of just being phsyical, I mean that in the sense of playing through physicality and being able to make plays with very minimal time knowing that someone is going to probably play the body and look to take the puck away."
Turner also noted speed and the ability to play well off the puck as focuses for her roster build.
Turner and the rest of the league will learn what players are available during the exclusive signing window and expansion draft on June 3 when protected lists are due.
"I'm going to look to take advantage of this period of time in whatever way I can, whether that's with the unprotected players who are still on contract, or the players who are on expiring contracts," Turner said. "Certainly I think it's something that I will be something I'll look to take advantage of in terms of building out my roster and get a feel for the players and try to lock in some that I'm really excited about."
The PWHL's exclusive signing window for expansion teams runs from June 4 to June 8, followed by the PWHL expansion draft on June 9.