PWHL’s 2025 Offseason Roundtable: Expansion Draft, Entry Draft, and Free Agency – The Hockey Writers – PWHL

It was a busy first month of the offseason for the PWHL. They handed out the Walter Cup to the Minnesota Frost, and barely a week later, their team and the other five original teams were taken apart because of the PWHL’s Expansion Draft. Then shortly after that draft, free agency started, and then the PWHL Entry Draft to end the month of June. In a very short span of time, the entire league was changed, and while it was for the better as more teams were added, it was still hard for fans to watch their favorite teams change.

Our PWHL team at The Hockey Writers of Jess Amato, Mariah Stark, and Matthew Zator answered the big questions shortly after these events unfolded. There have been players signed and traded since some of these answers were recorded so please keep in mind there may have been some changes recently. There were 10 questions our team narrowed it down to, and we started with what the hardest loss was of the expansion draft.

Which player do you think was the hardest loss of the Expansion Draft? Teamwise & Leaguewise

Jess: The hardest loss for the Sirens is a toss-up between Alex Carpenter and Corinne Schroeder. Carpenter was one of the best goal scorers the Sirens had, but at least they still have Sarah Fillier. Schroeder was a tough loss as well because she was the starting goaltender. Now, the Sirens just have Kayle Osborne, who is still good, but they will need to sign someone else and definitely draft someone. The Sirens have some decisions to make.

League-wise, Sarah Nurse was a tough loss after reading her emotional letter. She clearly wanted to stay in her home city of Toronto, but she is still excited to be a part of the new Vancouver team. I truly wish her the best of luck, but that was the biggest loss in my mind.

Mariah: As far as the Frost are concerned, I would say Sophie Jaques will be the hardest loss when the season comes around. She brought such energy to not only the defense but also the offense, and she could throw her body around at the right times. She has a great personality and is a winner through and through. PWHL Vancouver is getting a great player. 

In terms of league-wise, I’m going to go with Sarah Nurse leaving the Toronto Sceptres. It’s not exactly a loss because she’s staying in the league and will get a great addition for Vancouver, but it’s a big loss to the Sceptres. She was one of the faces of the league, and everyone knew her as being part of Toronto. After reading her letter to the fans, it’s quite bittersweet having to see her leave and be part of a new team. Thankfully, she’ll be just as loved in Vancouver as she was in Toronto, or at least she should be. 

Matt: The Toronto Sceptres will really miss Sarah Nurse, who signed with PWHL Vancouver during the Exclusive Signing Window. While she had a bit of a down season in 2024-25, she is still one of the best and most experienced forwards in the PWHL with her decorated tenure with Team Canada and success in the league so far. She was one of Toronto’s leaders and a fan favourite, and she will be difficult to replace.

What/Who was the biggest surprise of the Expansion Draft process? 

Jess: The biggest surprise for the Sirens was protecting Maja Nylen Persson with their fourth protection slot. They protected three defenders and a forward. It felt like they needed to protect more forwards, especially in their top six. 

Mariah: I would say Claire Thompson going first when the signing window opened. I figured she would be selected, but I didn’t think she would be the first. She’s a great player and has a lot of potential, and has a lot of room for growth. I thought the Frost might have been able to hang on to her, but Vancouver knew they wanted her from the start and went for her. 

Matt: I am sticking with Nurse on this one, too, as it was surprising to not only see her as one of the unprotected forwards but also sign elsewhere once the signing window opened. She is from Toronto, after all, and wrote a very heartfelt letter to Sceptre fans after it was announced that she was joining PWHL Vancouver. She said in it that she thought that she would never leave Toronto. Surprisingly, that’s exactly what she did, joining one of the newest PWHL teams on a one-year deal.

How would you do the draft differently? 

Jess: Mostly, I just think the original teams should have been able to protect more players. Only protecting three players, it was a tough choice for all the teams to decide who they would protect. 

Mariah: Every league holds a draft of some type, and they all have different orders in which they do things. In terms of the format, I agree with Jess and Matt, the original teams should be allowed to protect more. As far as the broadcast, I would’ve focused a little more on the actual selections, one at a time, instead of having two players picked at one time. Going with every other team is fine, and giving a small fact about that player is enough, short and sweet, and to the point. While it’s great to listen to analysis, a draft is all about seeing who the team’s select and moving on. Having a postdraft show for follow-up analysis would be perfect instead of having a full analysis and almost missing the next selection. Just a little thing that could be changed going forward.

Matt: I wouldn’t change too much with the draft itself, but I would add a few more protection slots for the teams in the league already. It just seemed like most of them lost a lot of top players, particularly the Minnesota Frost, with two of their top defenders, Sophie Jacques and Claire Thompson, getting signed by PWHL Vancouver.

Continuing on Expansion, the PWHL plans to expand even more in the next few seasons, what cities should be next?

Jess: It seems like they want to go with one North American city and one Canadian city. Since they went all the way out west, it feels like the league will need a middle ground to help with travel. I believe Detroit would make sense, and perhaps Calgary. 

Mariah: Detroit, hands down. I thought they were going to be part of the first expansion, but they have to be part of the second. I’m happy for Vancouver and Seattle, but I was very surprised when Detroit wasn’t part of this expansion. Since they’ll likely have to have at least two cities in the next expansion, the other city should be in Canada, possibly Winnipeg, since they already have an NHL team and arena. If Winnipeg wouldn’t work out, they could also try Quebec, bring hockey back to a city that had it once before. 

Matt: I think Calgary or Edmonton would make sense as the next expansion city, so that the PWHL could split into two conferences. The Frost would join Vancouver, Seattle and Calgary/Edmonton in the Western Conference while the Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Boston Fleet, New York Sirens, and Ottawa Charge would make up the East.

Overall feelings of the expansion process? 

Jess: I think for the most part, it was handled well. I know many fans were not happy with the way it was handled, but the teams need to be semi-competitive as they head into the league. It would not be fair if the two newest teams were just filled with rookies. However, I also understand from a fan perspective that each team is facing a tough loss. It’s hard, but in the end, it’s for the betterment of the league. I want the PWHL to grow and succeed, and this is just step one. They will learn from their mistakes for the next expansion.

Mariah: It’s been a lot, as someone who’s covered the league from almost the very beginning, it’s been quite a bit to take in. Especially covering the Minnesota Frost and not only their first Walter Cup Championship but the first team to do so back-to-back in PWHL history, to seeing the team essentially dismantled, is hard. However, it’s also a great thing because the league has to grow, and to do that, they must add teams, so it’s very bittersweet. While I want to see women’s hockey continue to expand, it’s hard to see a championship team break apart, but it is for the good of the game. 

Matt: As I mentioned earlier, I feel the expansion process doesn’t allow the current teams to keep enough of their top players with the number of protection slots and the criteria for who they need to expose to the expansion draft/signing period. While I understand they need to give the new teams enough of a talent pool to choose from, I feel the teams already in the league shouldn’t be forced to expose so many of their top players. If they don’t want to expand the protection list, then only allow one team to join every year to limit the number of players lost.

New Takeover city they haven’t been too yet? 

Jess: I would love to see hockey continue to grow in the south, so Dallas or Tampa would be great. I would also love a California game, perhaps San Jose.

Mariah: They’ve been to a lot of cities, but two spots they haven’t been to yet are Chicago and Nashville, both cities have NHL arenas and a great fanbase. I know they likely want to keep expanding into Canada, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they went to Calgary or Winnipeg. 

Matt: Given the success the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers have had in the NHL recently, I think going to either Sunrise or Tampa Bay would be a worthwhile destination. It would be an interesting experiment to see the interest level in women’s hockey down in Florida, where so many championships have been won lately.

Free agency has started up, who’s the biggest signing been for your team so far? 

Jess: Jincy Roese has been the only addition the Sirens have made to the team so far, but she is going to be a great addition to New York’s blue line. New York also re-signed Taylor Girard, and she was a great addition to the Sirens’ bottom six last season, so she will be great with all the forwards they have lost so far. 

Mariah: For the Frost, it’s easily been Maddie Rooney. She was one of the biggest keys to winning back-to-back Walter Cups, and they’ll need her if they want to chase a third one. She is a great goaltender, and it’s great they were able to re-sign her.

Matt: After the Exclusive Signing Window, expansion draft, and initial free agent frenzy, PWHL Vancouver looks like a formidable team heading into their inaugural season. Their biggest acquisitions were Hannah Miller and Tereza Vanišová, whom they signed on the first day of free agency. Of the two, I would say Vanisova is the biggest, given she had 15 goals (tied with Hillary Knight for second in the league) and was eighth in points with 22. She will also bring a physical game that should endear her to the fan base pretty quickly.

Who has been the biggest loss in free agency so far? 

Jess: Abbey Levy was a tough one, as the Sirens are now down to just one goaltender. Chloe Aurard as well, since she played college with Alina Müller and is joining the Fleet… their chemistry is akin to how Müller played with Knight, so Boston will be one to look out for once again in the third season. 

Mariah: It has to be Michela Cava, the Frost have lost a number of players in free agency, but Cava is the one who will likely leave the biggest impact. She was on the top line and pivotal in some of their biggest plays, and getting to the Walter Cup not once but twice, she’ll be missed. 

Matt: The Sceptres have had a tough expansion and free agent period. They lost Nurse early on in the signing window, and now Miller in free agency. They both bolted to the West Coast to join Vancouver, and now the Sceptres will be faced with replacing two of their top goal scorers. Miller was an impact player for Toronto, scoring 10 goals and 24 points.

Biggest thing you’re the most excited for this offseason? 

Jess: I’m excited to see New York’s largest draft class sign with the team! The Sirens lost so many players in the expansion draft/free agency/signings and it’s clear they’re trying to build a young core team. Once they’re all signed, I can’t wait for them to get onto the ice! 

Mariah: Seeing who else the Frost signs during the offseason and counting down the days until the next season starts. It’s been pretty busy, so some calm time will be great as well.

Matt: With the initial free agent frenzy and PWHL Entry Draft in the books, I am just looking forward to the season starting. Since I will be covering the new PWHL Vancouver team, I am excited to see this high-powered offence in action. They are already being called early favorites to win the 2026 Walter Cup, but since they have never played a game together as a team, it remains to be seen if the talent on paper will translate to the ice.

Favorite Pick of the Entry Draft?

Jess: Kalty was a great pick, and I’m glad she was the first Czech player selected overall, so that’s a great piece of history. However, it’s hard not to be excited about New York trading up to get O’Brien. They’re going to have a great young core in Kalty and O’Brien, and Fillier, and I’m very excited to see how all three mesh in the upcoming season!

Mariah: As far as the Frost are concerned, I’m very excited for their first-round pick, Kendall Cooper, who is a strong defender and will hopefully fill a void that was left after both the expansion draft and free agency. Outside of the Frost, PWHL Seattle picked up Jada Habisch, who is from the same town I went to high school in, and since it’s a town of a little over 16,000 people, it’s a pretty big deal when someone goes pro. I’m very excited to see how her career goes.

Related: Meet PWHL Seattle’s Inaugural Draft Class

Matt: I really like Vancouver’s pick of Michelle Karvinen as their first-ever selection. She should be able to step right into their loaded offence and be successful. She also has a lot of experience internationally, having captained Team Finland at the World Championship and becoming the nation’s all-time leading scorer in April. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her as one of Vancouver’s top scorers in their inaugural season.

PWHL Has Exciting Future

The league is growing in just its third season so things are looking good. They continue to bring in new players, both rookies and veterans and more fans are finding the league as well. With the expansion to the west, that should bring in even more fans to the women’s game and hopefully it will continue to grow and improve as the seasons go. With this recent expansion it’ll be interesting to see who hoists the Walter Cup in 2025-2026.