The PWHL has stated they expect the on-ice quality of play to remain following their next round of expansion.

"We feel very comfortable that the quality of play will not be impacted," executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said in Calgary. "There are so many talented players right now that don't have a place in this league because of only being eight teams.

"Expanding will provide more opportunity for these outstanding athletes, not just because they're qualified today, but playing every day at the professional level will also improve your game. We think there's plenty of talent out there."

While it's a utopian idea, the existing and incoming pool of players isn't deep enough to maintain the current calibre and quality of on-ice play next season. The 2026 Draft is perhaps the most talented the league has welcomed, but talent will be dispersed, not maintained or concentrated. There will be a decrease in the on-ice skill, albeit temporary.

The first rounds of the 2026 draft will feature forwards Abbey Murphy, Laila Edwards, Tessa Janecke, Lacey Eden, Kirsten Simms, and Issy Wunder, as well as defenders Caroline Harvey, Nelli Laitinen, Emma Peschel, and Sydney Morrow. In net, Andrea Brandli, who could challenge to be a starter in the league immediately, and goalies like Tia Chan, Michelle Pasiechnyk, Katie DeSa, and Hailey MacLeod who could join as back ups or third goalies are headed to the PWHL next season.

If the PWHL expands by two teams next season, the league's assertion of maintaining the on-ice calibre is valid. A four team expansion, however, would not allow the calibre of on-ice play to be maintained in the 2026-27 season.

There are other strong forwards coming to the league like Petra Nieminen, Viivi Vainikka, Elyssa Biederman, and Josefin Bouveng, but it's not enough to bolster four additional teams with equivalent top end talent, and there's no guarantee any of those players will be able to make an immediate impact given the adaptation time teams have witnessed to date. There are enough players coming into the PWHL through free agency and the PWHL Draft to fill third and fourth lines, but finding enough top six scorers and top four blueliners to build four teams is where a gap will form.

The league will also experience natural attrition of players moving on from the sport. Hannah Brandt is set to retire from Boston, and there are others, such as Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Michelle Karvinen, who many believe could retire or return to Europe. The dip in on-ice skill will be temporary, as it's an issue the league will be able to replenish in the 2027 and 2028 drafts, as long as the league stays at 12 teams and does not expand again in that time.

Looking at the top 48 forwards in the PWHL today, a group that makes up the league's top six forwards on the eight existing teams, there are already holes near the end of that list. The bottom eight players in this group are Sophie Shirley, Claire Dalton, Taylor Girard, Skylar Irving, Michela Cava, Anne Cherkowski, Natalie Spooner, and Katerina Mrazova. There are a few players outside this group, such as Emily Clark and Kristin O'Neill, who could also be defined as top six forwards who have struggled offensively this season. Should the league expand by four teams, however, they would need 24 additional top six calibre players. Even if half of those came from the 2026 PWHL Draft, the remaining dozen would need to come from inside the PWHL itself.

Asking players currently producing at 0.25 points per game, including some who have yet to score or have only a single goal in the first 24 games of the season to play top six roles, however is a significant stretch. Some will take developmental steps entering their second or third seasons of professional hockey, but there are not 24 legitimate top six forwards equal to the players currently in those roles, whether the league is looking internally, or at the 2026 Draft.

A dispersal of goaltending depth wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for the PWHL. The league could actually see an increase in scoring through expansion, even with less top six forward talent due to dispersed defensive depth, and less games facing the best goaltenders on the planet. That said, teams are likely to continue riding their starting goalie for the overwhelming majority of games.

By save percentage, the top eight goaltenders in the PWHL at the moment, with at least 10 games played this season are Aerin Frankel, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Raygan Kirk, Emerance Maschmeyer, Nicole Hensley, Gywneth Philips, Maddie Rooney, and Kristen Campbell.

It's likely that the tandems of Rooney and Hensley, and Maschmeyer and Campbell will be split up sending one of those veteran goaltenders from Minnesota and Vancouver to a new market. Seattle's tandem of Corinne Schroeder and Hannah Murphy is another plausible pairing to see split up. New York Sirens' netminder Kayle Osborne has the worst save percentage of any starting goaltnder. Osborne currently sits 11th in league save percentage among goaltenders with at least 240 minutes (four games) under their belt this season, ahead of only Toronto's Elaine Chuli.

The addition of Andrea Brandli and Tia Chan, and the ability for current back up goaltenders to potentially find markets where they can receive more starts, will give new opportunities, keep goaltending strong, but also disperse talent in a way that could open the door a crack for scoring.

If there's one area that will continue to grow, it's defensive depth. Defensive depth across the PWHL has lacked since the inaugural season, with most teams struggling to find six players capable of contributing nightly during the first two seasons of the PWHL's history. This year however, even with expansion, there were positive gains in that regard, and the upcoming draft can easily support a two team expansion, and should be able to at least weather the storm for a season if the PWHL goes with four teams.

Caroline Harvey is the best defender in the world, and she'll join the PWHL next season in a unique echelon currently occupied by a small group of players like Megan Keller and Renata Fast. Beyond Harvey, Nelli Laitinen is another top four blueliner on any team in the league today. The next wave of Emma Peshcel, Grace Dwyer, and Sydney Morrow should also find top four roles, with Peschel likely capable of being a #2 on a team shortly.  

Where Amy Scheer and the PWHL are 100% correct is in the belief that a four team expansion will preserve the PWHL's talent pool and open opportunities long term. Forming four new teams will allow a 12 team league to settle, and use the next two drafts to fill rosters with talent the way it's meant to be done, through addition, not dispersal.

When the 2027 and 2028 PWHL Drafts arrive, teams will get the infusion to quickly recooperate any temporary dip experienced next season.

In 2027 the forward group will include Joy Dunne, Kahlen Lamarche, Jocelyn Amos, Emma Pais, Cassie Hall, Kelly Gorbatenko, and Ava Lindsay from the NCAA, and could bring European stars like Elisa Holopainen and Hanna Thuvik to the league. Defensively it will bring NCAA blueliners like Laney Potter and Ava Murphy, along with potential European newcomers like Sara Cajanova and Sanni Rantala. The 2027 draft will also be a powerful influx in net with Eve Gascon, Ava McNaughton, and Annelies Bergmann leading the class.

2028's draft class will give the league another significant talent boost. It's a draft class that will include players like Chloe Primerano, Caitlin Kraemer, Maggie Scannnell, Mackenzie Alexander, and Mira Jungaker.

By 2028, the league's talent pool will be as deep, or deeper than the current pool.

With expansion, the additional roster spots will be crucial for the global growth of the game, and any short term detriment to the on-ice product expeienced through the league's current plans for rapid expansion will be brief, and ultimately, the long term benefit for the league's talent-level of rapid expansion will be a net positive.