There are four PWHL expansion teams looking for a captain for next season. Who will take the leadership role in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose?
The PWHL will have a number of new captains for the 2026-27 season. The league's four expansion teams will name inaugural captains. The Seattle Torrent and Ottawa Charge will also name new captains with Hilary Knight and Brianne Jenner going to expansion teams.
And while they might choose to only go with alternate captains, Montreal and Toronto will both be without their captains when the 2026-27 PWHL season opens.
Here's a look at who might serve as captain, donning the "C", and as alternates for the league's four new teams in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose.
PWHL Detroit
With Hilary Knight signing a three year, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Knight will captain her third team in the PWHL. There are other candidates, including the team's EFO Daryl Watts, or Michigan products like Shiann Darkangelo, Taylor Girard, or Mellissa Channell-Watkins. Odds are, one more more of those players will don an "A" as alternative captain, but this will be Knight's team.
PWHL Hamilton
Between Brianne Jenner, Alina Muller, and Emily Clark, Hamilton has their leadership well covered. They could eye one of their young cornerstones, like Nicole Gosling, or a local product like Alexa Vasko to wear an "A." It feels like Hamilton's captaincy will go to Brianne Jenner, who captained the Ottawa Charge the last two seasons and is a well respected leader, and she'll likely be part of that conversation whether she wears the "C" or someone else does.
PWHL Las Vegas
Hayley Scamurra and Erin Ambrose are the two most veteran players on Las Vegas' roster, and both will be in the running for captain. It's hard to see Las Vegas choosing a player outside of this duo. Picking alternate captains will be more challenging, a group that could include any from their young blueline, or even top draft picks Tessa Janecke and Lacey Eden. Scamurra is under contract for longer than any other Vegas player, and that in itself shows her commitment to the franchise, and vice versa. It could make her the most obvious candidate.
PWHL San Jose
San Jose has a very young roster. At 28, Kristin O'Neill is the oldest player on the team, and the obvious pick for San Jose's captaincy. O'Neill was a captain at Cornell, and wore an "A" at times in Montreal with the Victoire. She played a key role in stabilizing New York's young core this season up front, and she'll be the glue in San Jose. Beyond O'Neill, Maggie Connors, Rory Guilday, and even top draft pick Laila Edwards are some of the leading candidates for an "A."
