Two days of signings are complete in the PWHL's expansion to Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose. Through two days, 14 of the 20 players who will move in Phase 2 have been signed. Here's who each expansion team has, and what they still need.
What PWHL expansion team do you think has done the best job to date?
After two days of signing, each of the PWHL"s four expansion teams now have multiple players under contract. Each has done well in their initial steps to build out their rosters. The overall impact on the league has been varied.
The New York Sirens, Seattle Torrent, and Minnesota Frost have lost three players, the Ottawa Charge have lost two, while Toronto, Boston, and Montreal have each lost one. Only the Vancouver Goldeneyes' roster remains untouched.
PWHL Detroit
The electric offensive talent Detroit signed in Daryl Watts, Hannah Bilka, and Britta Curl-Salemme will make this a physical, fast, and skilled team to play against, no matter who fills in beyond this trio. The addition of Cayla Barnes to the blueline gives Detroit at least one player who can get the puck to those stars.
Detroit spent to get this group, so it will take some cap magic to fill in the roster without relying heavily on league-minimum salaried players who can't match the style or pace.
Watts and Curl-Salemme spent multiple seasons together at Wisconsin, while Bilka and Barnes played together at both Boston College and Ohio State. Bilka, Barnes, and Curl-Salemme are all American national team members who just won Olympic gold. There should be some chemistry there. Add in that head coach Josh Sciba was an assistant with Team USA, who was crucial in their offensive and power play design, and things could work out.
Detroit's reputation however, may need some work on the chemistry front as Curl-Salemme, despite being the third leading scorer in the league, is unquestionably the player fans love to hate most not only for her physical play that makes her the most disciplined player in PWHL history by a long shot, but also her anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Detroit has packed the punch, now they need some glue to hold the high octane attack together, and more than anything at the moment, Detroit is one of only a few teams in the league without a starting goalie. Nicole Hensley and Kristen Campbell could be options, or Detroit could wait until the draft. That said, GM Manon Rheaume said she hasn't placed much attention toward the draft, and this class is intricate in the style and ability of players in various tiers to step in.
PWHL Hamilton
Hamilton did not disappoint in the opening days of expansion, but they definitely spent heavily to get there. The team added Alina Muller and Brianne Jenner up front, Nicole Gosling on the blueline, and Kayle Osborne in net so far.
In Gosling, they get a player who could become one of the league's best two-way defenders. In fact, they got a player who is already one of the league's best two-way defenders. Gosling makes good first pass decisions, and is not only dangerous from the offensive blueline, but on the rush as well. She'll be happy to join Alina Muller and Brianne Jenner in that attack. Muller is an elite two-way centre who is clutch in big moments, and rarely is outcompeted. She's an intelligent playmaker who can also score, and she rises when the going gets tough. Brianne Jenner is one of the sports active greats, with her long time Team Canada career well documented. She looked like she was on a clear decline prior to this season when Jenner's game bounced back, and climbed higher than ever. It will be interesting this year to see if that was the emergence of Rebecca Leslie on her line, or if Jenner was the driving force. Nominated for the PWHL Forward of the Year, if she's utilized down the middle, Hamilton may already have the best 1-2 punch at centre in the league.
Finally, Hamilton got Kayle Osborne, who carried a heavy workload in New York, and also serves as an extra defender as she is by far the league's most active puckhandling netminder. Osborne is seen out of her crease several times a period collecting dump ins, and often making the first outlet pass herself.
Now that Hamilton has a few stars, GM Meghan Duggan needs to go find the sandpaper to fit Hamilton's blue collar history. With how hefty Hamilton went on salary for their first four, and the fact they still have their EFO remaining, finding bargain contributors will be a task.
PWHL Las Vegas
Fans waited, and waited, and waited for PWHL Las Vegas to announce their first ever signing. It's highly likely Vegas has locked in their EFO, and is simply waiting for the term of that deal to be worked out.
In the meantime, the team secured two of the best young defenders in the league in Kendall Cooper and Mae Batherson. Cooper finished with 19 points in her rookie season with Minnesota, while Batherson saw a major jump to 15 points in her second season with the Frost.
The duo have on-ice chemistry, playing 21 games as a pairing this season in Minnesota, which is an immediate win for Las Vegas. Last season Seattle and Vancouver struggled well into the season to find chemistry. Vegas found a way to fix that system bringing their first signings, who were successful together last season, as a duo.
Vegas however, needs a veteran, and they need someone for Cooper and Batherson to get the puck to. Whether it's Hilary Knight or Kendall Coyne Schofield, those two big name American stars could help guide this team. Or, perhaps Vegas can double down on young talent from Minnesota and grab Grace Zumwinkle.
The options are endless for who Vegas could sign, or select, to close out Phase 2. Vegas is also looking for a goalie, something they can still address with Kristen Campbell or Nicole Hensley.
PWHL San Jose
San Jose has three solid two-way players in Anne Cherkowski, Kristin O'Neill, and Rory Guilday. They also inked starting goalie Corinne Schroeder. In Cherkowski, San Jose got a dynamic forward who at times this season looked poised for an offensive explosion. She is likely to be next season's Julia Gosling in seeing her production skyrocket. In O'Neill, San Jose has a top centre, who can log big minutes on both sides of the puck. Her scoring has never translated at the PWHL level, but O'Neill has produced in the NCAA and internationally. If Troy Ryan can coax that aspect out of O'Neill's game, it's a huge win. She's one of the best a providing energy, and playing a responsible 200-foot game, and San Jose is banking this is the year she comes alive offensively. Finally, Rory Guilday is one of the league's best shot blockers and hitters. The big defender is a true shutdown blueliner, although she can get pucks through, even if it's through simply plays, to help generate offense.
Schroeder struggled in Seattle's system, but Troy Ryan will almost certainly look to ice a hard checking, defensively aware team. She's one of the best goalies on the planet, and it would be more shocking to not see her return to her place among the league's elite, than to see her bounce back there.
San Jose however, has significant needs. As much as they've picked three strong skaters, Ryan is going to need to find pure offensive skill to go along with the responsibility and compete he's found. The PWHL has proven in many cases that it's not about the name-power, it's about picking the right type of players, that leads to on-ice success. Ryan has certainly added the right type of players, but there still needs to be high end offensive power, particularly in a league where goaltending is so strong. Cherkowski could be one piece of that, and O'Neill could find her way to that role, but San Jose needs to sign a proven producer. Someone like Jessie Eldridge or Julia Gosling would fit that bill.