NEW YORK AND TORONTO — The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced the key dates, rules, and procedures that will guide the 2025 expansion roster building process, as PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver prepare for their 2025–26 season debut.
The comprehensive process includes protected player lists, an exclusive signing window, an expansion draft, and the 2025 PWHL Draft — all structured to promote competitive balance and provide the two new PWHL teams with the opportunity to build a strong foundational roster.
Each of the six inaugural teams will relinquish four players from their 2024-25 roster throughout the entire process, including players signed during the exclusive window and those selected in the expansion draft. The standard PWHL roster is 23 active players.
Details and key dates for stages of the expansion roster building process are outlined below. Additional player signing window and further draft order details to be announced.
| June 3 at Noon ET | Player protection lists DUE
Each of the six inaugural PWHL teams will have the opportunity to initially protect three players from selection in the Exclusive Signing Window and the Expansion Draft. After an inaugural team has relinquished two players – whether through the Exclusive Signing Window or the Expansion Draft – that team will be permitted to protect one additional player, increasing their protected list to four players. Players eligible to be protected must either be under contract for the 2025–26 season or the team must hold their playing rights through the 2025–26 season. |
| Opens June 4, 9 a.m. ET
Closes June 8, 5 p.m. ET |
Exclusive Signing Window
Following the submission of protected player lists, the expansion teams will be granted a five-day exclusive window to sign a maximum of five players. There is no required minimum number of players who must be signed during this window. Any unprotected player or any player on an expiring contract is eligible to be signed. |
| June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET
|
2025 EXPANSION DRAFT PRESENTED BY UPPER DECK
The Expansion Draft will feature Seattle and Vancouver selecting a minimum of seven players each until each has reached a 12-player roster. If one team enters the Expansion Draft with fewer signed players than the other, it will be granted additional selections to reach their 12. Players eligible to be selected in the Expansion Draft consist of unprotected players under contract for the 2025–26 season or those whose playing rights are held through the 2025–26 season.* The order in which teams will make their selections will be determined at a later stage. Coverage details to be announced. |
| June 24 at 7 p.m. | 2025 PWHL DRAFT PRESENTED BY UPPER DECK
Consists of six rounds and allows all eight teams to select eligible players from a pool of talent, including recent collegiate graduates and/or players from other professional leagues. The New York Sirens will pick first in the 2025 PWHL Draft based on the ‘Gold Plan’ system. To be held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Full order of selection for the 2025 PWHL Draft will be confirmed at a later stage. |
*A player’s playing rights are with their team for a minimum of two years after entry draft selection.
A complete list of PWHL players who are eligible for protection is available below.
Fans can place a time-stamped deposit for PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver to secure priority access to season tickets for their historic inaugural seasons, once ticket packages are released. For the latest news and updates on each team, fans can subscribe to the Seattle and Vancouver newsletters.
PWHL PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR PROTECTION/EXPANSION DRAFT SELECTION
Team lists represent players under contract for the 2025-26 season and players whose playing rights are held by the team through the 2025-26 season, as denoted by *.
BOSTON FLEET (14):
Sydney Bard (D)
Hannah Bilka (F)
Hannah Brandt (F)
Emily Brown (D)
Hadley Hartmetz (D)*
Aerin Frankel (G)
Megan Keller (D)
Hilary Knight (F)
Shay Maloney (F)*
Ilona Markova (F)*
Alina Müller (F)
Daniela Pejšová (D)
Jamie Lee Rattray (F)
Sophie Shirley (F)
MINNESOTA FROST (15):
Mae Batherson (D)*
Kendall Coyne Schofield (F)
Britta Curl-Salemme (F)
Taylor Heise (F)
Nicole Hensley (G)
Klára Hymlárová (F)
Sophie Jaques (D)
Katy Knoll (F)*
Denisa Křížová (F)
Brooke McQuigge (F)*
Kelly Pannek (F)
Dominique Petrie (F)*
Lee Stecklein (D)
Claire Thompson (D)
Grace Zumwinkle (F)
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE (14):
Erin Ambrose (D)
Cayla Barnes (D)
Abby Boreen (F)
Amanda Boulier (D)
Ann-Renée Desbiens (G)
Jennifer Gardiner (F)
Dara Greig (F)*
Amanda Kessel (F)*
Lina Ljungblom (F)
Maureen Murphy (F)
Kristin O’Neill (F)
Marie-Philip Poulin (F)
Laura Stacey (F)
Anna Wilgren (D)* 
NEW YORK SIRENS (17):
Lauren Bernard (D)*
Jaime Bourbonnais (D)
Alex Carpenter (F)
Jessie Eldridge (F)
Emmy Fecteau (F)
Sarah Fillier (F)*
Elle Hartje (F)
Paetyn Levis (F)
Maja Nylén Persson (D)
Kayle Osborne (G)
Abby Roque (F)
Gabby Rosenthal (F)*
Corinne Schroeder (G)
Ella Shelton (D)
Allyson Simpson (D)*
Noora Tulus (F)
Micah Zandee-Hart (D) 
OTTAWA CHARGE (15):
Ashton Bell (D)
Emily Clark (F)
Gabbie Hughes (F)
Brianne Jenner (F)
Jocelyne Larocque (D)
Stephanie Markowski (D)*
Emerance Maschmeyer (G)
Mannon McMahon (F)*
Anna Meixner (F)*
Kateřina Mrázová (F)
Gwyneth Philips (G)
Ronja Savolainen (D)
Danielle Serdachny (F)
Aneta Tejralová (D)
Madeline Wethington (D)*
TORONTO SCEPTRES (16):
Kristen Campbell (G)
Megan Carter (D)
Izzy Daniel (F)
Renata Fast (D)
Julia Gosling (F)
Savannah Harmon (D)
Raygan Kirk (G)
Anna Kjellbin (D)*
Emma Maltais (F)
Allie Munroe (D)
Noemi Neubauerová (F)*
Sarah Nurse (F)
Anneke Rankila (F)*
Blayre Turnbull (F)
Daryl Watts (F)
Emma Woods (F)
*A player’s playing rights are with their team for a minimum of two years after entry draft selection. 
