The draft is done, teams have started re-signing players, but there are still dozens of impact players left with the start to the PWHL's free agency set to open in one week.
The draft is done, teams have started re-signing players, but there are still dozens of impact players left with the start to the PWHL's free agency set to open in one week.
The draft filled the cupboard for each PWHL team in terms of depth, but there are still dozens of talented veterans looking for new contracts who can make an impact on a PWHL roster. Here's a look at the top 20 PWHL free agents with a week remaining before the June 21 open to unrestricted free agency.
1. Daryl Watts - Few in the sport are as electric as Daryl Watts. She finished 12th in league scoring, but with a little puck luck, she could have landed much higher. Dynamic skill and vision. Ottawa will do everything they can to re-sign her, but time is running out before free agency
2. Katerina Mrazova - She's unlikely to leave Ottawa, but Mrazova certainly emerged as one of the most creative players in the league. She sees the ice and manipulates the puck like it's on a string. Time is ticking to get Mrazova and Watts done. If they lose both, Ottawa will be in a sticky spot.
3. Hannah Miller - If there's a player who could step into a bigger role on another club and thrive in this league, it's Miller. She has a heavy shot, can play physically, and sees the ice well. She spent a large chunk of the season in Toronto's top six, but if there's an indication that might change on Toronto's deep left wing, there would be several teams eager to bring in Miller.
4. Michela Cava - Cava has quietly put together a strong season. She's a quality pro hockey player who can threaten offensively, but is reliable without the puck as well. Minnesota will certainly be looking to makeover a portion of their forward group, but they leaned on Cava at times this season and there's nothing to suggest Minnesota doesn't want her back. She's played in Minnesota, Toronto, and Connecticut over the last decade, so she has ties in many markets.
5. Hannah Brandt - Brandt is still a valuable veteran presence, but likely this season it will be as a third line center or by moving her to the wing permanently. Boston is thin up the middle and will need to look at Brandt as a third or fourth line option.
6. Kaleigh Fratkin - The fact Fratkin wasn't drafted last year now looks laughable after the strong campaign she put together with Boston. Fratkin showed her skating and typical physical presence on the point. It will be hard to pull her from Boston, but perhaps not impossible.
7. Emily Brown - Steady as she goes, Emily Brown was asked to step onto a top pairing role in Boston, and she handled the assignment well. Sliding Brown into a fourth D slot is ideal, and there will be teams looking for that help if she feels she's a better fit elsewhere. There aren't many who focus on the defensive side of the game like Brown.
8. Sophie Shirley - There's no telling how young players approach this offseason. They'll certainly all be in competition with the incoming picks. She looked ready to score in bunches at times this season, but never quite clicked, much like many on Boston's roster. A good skater and two-way player, Shirley has value, but might be better served staying in Boston for another season.
9. Lexie Adzija - One of a small handful of players traded this season, Adzija got squeezed out of Ottawa's lineup but found a place in Boston. With the influx of skilled players, Adzija projects as a third or fourth line player next season who can score and utilize her size in a checking role. It's likely she'll test the waters. The market was small at the trade deadline, but she proved she played a strong game in Boston in the playoffs which should have her in conversations with multiple teams for a bottom six role.
10. Emma Woods - Woods spent almost the entire season in New York's top six and she produced in spurts. Off the puck, there were times Woods looked lost along with pretty much every player on PWHL New York. It wasn't indicative of the player she was. It's rumoured Woods and New York began contract talks weeks ago, but nothing has come yet.
11. Claire Dalton - The Yale grad looked good all season in Montreal, and there's reason to believe she can take a significant step forward next year in the league. There will certainly be interest in Dalton, and if Montreal grabs a scoring winger in the draft she'll feel the push for her second line slot.
12. Amanda Boulier - One of the breakout players in the league this season, Boulier changed agencies recently inking with the Montreal based Quartexx. It's a sign she's likely to stay in Montreal for another season. She was beloved in Ottawa, but with Montreal desperate for defenders, they'll look to lock up Boulier.
13. Allie Munroe - Toronto doesn't have the defensive depth to risk losing Munroe who played on Toronto's second pair alongside Kali Flanagan most of the season. She'd be more effective as a fifth defender, and that's the likely plan, but Munroe was crucial to Toronto's success this year. Toronto added Megan Carter and Lauren Bernard in the draft, but they'll need to shift someone to the right side.
14. Sidney Morin - A great skater, Morin landed in Boston after being selected by Minnesota in the draft. Boston got a lot deeper at the draft with five defenders now in the organization, and with Emily Brown and Kaleigh Fratkin ahead of her in the depth chart of Boston defenders looking for contracts, Morin might be on her way out.
15. Mariah Keopple - Given the season Mariah Keopple just had, she likely belongs 10 slots higher on this list, but it remains a small sample size for the defender who was a steady, reliable presence in Montreal, often playing alongside Erin Ambrose this year. She blew the roof off expectations, and teams will certainly look to poach the young defender. For Keopple however, there's no better situation to return to than the one she thrived in this year in Montreal. The problem for Keopple is, Montreal went heavy at the draft on the blueline and also has Amanda Boulier to look at re-signing.
16. Elaine Chuli
17. Sophia Kunin
18. Liz Schepers
19. Mellissa Channell
20. Mikyla Grant-Mentis