PWHL announces expansion draft procedures for Vancouver and Seattle

TORONTO - The Professional Women's Hockey League's newest expansion teams in Vancouver and Seattle will get their start on building their rosters June 4.

The league announced key dates and rules on Monday for the upcoming exclusive signing window and expansion draft that will precede the 2025 draft on June 24. 

The six inaugural teams -- Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Minnesota, Boston and New York -- will have to submit player protection lists by noon ET on June 3 to determine three players they intend to keep from the expansion process. Those teams will be able to protect a fourth player once they lose two from their rosters.

The exclusive signing window will run from June 4 to 8, with Vancouver and Seattle being able to add up to five players each. Any unprotected player or any player on an expiring contract is eligible to be signed.

The expansion draft will take place June 9, with Vancouver and Seattle allowed to select a minimum of seven players to reach a 12-player roster. If one of them enters with fewer signed players than the other, they will be given additional picks to reach the 12-player mark.

Players eligible to be chosen must be those who are unprotected and under contract for the 2025-26 season or those whose playing rights are held through next season. The order of the selections will be revealed at a later date.

The draft will be held on June 24 with six rounds and all eight teams able to select players. New York will pick first but the order of the draft will be revealed later on. Free agency will follow the draft.

The league is soon to close its second season with Ottawa and Minnesota set to square off in the best-of-five Walter Cup final series beginning Tuesday.

Vancouver and Seattle were chosen as the PWHL's first expansion teams a week apart in April.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2025.

Players Eligible for Expansion Draft Selection:

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) 

*Players who rights are owned by the team