A little over 24 hours after the window opened for the general managers of the PWHL Vancouver and Seattle to start building their rosters, a clear picture has started to emerge of what the league’s first two expansion teams will look like.
Vancouver already has a starting goaltender in Emerance Maschmeyer, formerly of the Ottawa Charge, and two of the best young puck-moving defenders in the league. Both Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost only a few days ago, and will now take their talents west.
They also added forward Sarah Nurse on Thursday from the Toronto Sceptres, bringing in one of the biggest stars in women’s hockey.
“Her outstanding on-ice abilities will help establish our foundation at forward, and her unwavering commitment to building an inclusive hockey community makes her a fan favourite everywhere she goes,” Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey said when Nurse’s one-year contract was announced.
Seattle, meanwhile, likely has its first captain in Hilary Knight, an MVP nominee who’s been the face of hockey in the United States for more than a decade. She signed a one-year deal with the team on Wednesday, becoming the first player under contract for Seattle.
“She’s the heartbeat of any team she joins,” said PWHL Seattle GM Meghan Turner, who spent the last two seasons as the assistant GM with the Boston Fleet, where Knight was the captain.
“Her proven leadership and drive, the way she elevates everyone around her, those are qualities you can’t teach. Hilary’s not just a game-changer on the ice, she’s the kind of person who defines a culture, and we’re incredibly proud to have her as the first-ever player to join PWHL Seattle.”
The team also added defender Cayla Barnes and forward Danielle Serdachny, two first-round draft picks from last year’s draft, and two of the brightest young talents in the league.
Vancouver and Seattle can each sign up to five players ahead of Monday’s expansion draft. Any player who is unprotected or a pending free agent is fair game to speak with the new expansion teams.
By the end of the expansion draft, both Vancouver and Seattle should each have 12 players. The six existing teams will each lose four players throughout the process.
The expansion losses on those teams are already apparent, only two days into the process. Boston will need a new captain with the departure of Knight. The two-time champion Frost are now missing two of the team’s top three defenders, after the blue line played a huge role in winning back-to-back championships.
The Montreal Victoire have lost a key power play quarterback in Barnes, and could still lose defender Erin Ambrose, too. That would require the Victoire to build from scratch on the blue line.
WATCH | Montreal defender Ambrose ‘going through scenarios’ as PWHL expansion draft looms:
Ambrose is not one of the Victoire’s three initial protected players, which means she’s available to the new PWHL expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver. She spoke to Jay Turnbull and Sean Henry on CBC Radio’s Daybreak.
The Sceptres have lost a key part of their locker room and top-ranked power play, and the list goes on.
Here’s how the new expansion teams look, two days into the exclusive signing window.
Vancouver takes shape
Vancouver’s roster started with a player the team’s general manager, Gardner Morey, is very familiar with: Thompson.
Gardner Morey was Thompson’s head coach at Princeton University, and now they’ll be reunited on the west coast.
Thompson returned to professional hockey this season after taking time away to attend medical school. You wouldn’t know she took any time away from the game. Her vision and playmaking quickly stood out on the Frost, where she finished with 18 points in 30 games — behind only her teammate, Jaques, and Toronto’s Renata Fast.
She’s a nominee for defender of the year, and already has a Walter Cup to her name. She’s also an Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian team in 2022, when she set an Olympic record for points by a defender in one tournament (13 points).
“Claire is one of the best defenders in the world and a phenomenal leader who will help create a culture of excellence in Vancouver,” Gardner Morey said on Wednesday.
“Having had the privilege of coaching Claire at Princeton, I know how exceptional she is as a player and as a person and couldn’t be prouder to build our foundation with her contributions both on and off the ice.”
Thompson signed for one year, while her teammate, Jaques, is locked in with Vancouver for three seasons.
Jaques’ pro career started slowly with the Boston Fleet in 2024, but took off after a trade to the Frost.
She’s one of the smartest and most offensively-gifted defenders in the game, and like Thompson, could be heading to the Olympics as part of the Canadian team in February. She is also nominated for defender of the year.
“Vancouver fans are going to quickly fall in love with everything that Sophie brings to her game,” said Gardner Morey said.
“Sophie is a proven winner, and that experience will be instrumental in shaping our foundation from the blue line. She is a dynamic defender with world-class speed and skill, and a player I believe is only scratching the surface of her potential.”
Maschmeyer, meanwhile, was one of Ottawa’s foundational signings in 2023. She was the Charge’s most valuable player at the beginning of this season, before an injury ended her season in March.
Gwyneth Philips took over the net from there, and the Charge opted to use one of three protection slots on the playoff MVP.
A healthy Maschmeyer will give Vancouver a solid base in net. Gardner Morey described her as “simply one of the best in the world at her position.”
WATCH | Breaking down how PWHL expansion teams can build their rosters:
CBC Sports’ Karissa Donkin runs through the rules of the PWHL’s expansion draft, explaining how new clubs in Seattle and Vancouver will fill their roster.
“Her veteran leadership, relentless compete, and poise under pressure are contagious qualities that our team will feed off of and will give us a chance to win every game,” the GM said.
Like Maschmeyer, Nurse’s season was impacted by an injury. She was hurt playing with Team Canada at the Rivalry Series in February.
When she’s healthy, Nurse is a star who can put the puck in the net. She tied for second in the league in both points and goals in the league’s inaugural season.
Knight to lead Seattle
A few months ago, ahead of a neutral-site PWHL game between Montreal and Boston in Seattle, Knight raved to reporters about playing at Climate Pledge Arena.
The arena, which is also home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, hosted a Canada-USA Rivalry Series game in 2022 in front of more than 14,500 fans. Knight had two goals and an assist that night.
Now, Knight will get to lead a team playing out of the state-of-the-art arena, and will help grow hockey in the western U.S. along the way. It could be the final act for a player who’s done so much for the sport in her country.
“I’m incredibly proud to be part of bringing professional women’s hockey to the Pacific Northwest,” Knight said on Wednesday. “Seattle holds a special place in my heart, and I’m beyond excited to join PWHL Seattle in such a storied sports city.”
Barnes has only played one season of professional hockey, but she’s been playing with the best of the best for years, having won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team in 2018.
Like Jaques and Thompson, Barnes is a smart defender who can move the puck and lead a team’s top power play group. Her three-year deal with Seattle brings her closer to her home state of California.
Serdachny, who Ottawa selected with the second pick in last year’s draft, had a more difficult rookie season in the PWHL. The forward from Edmonton found herself playing in Ottawa’s bottom six more than many imagined.
But her size and skill make her a player worth betting on. Serdachny showed glimpses of being that player in the Charge’s playoff run, including in the final game, when she set up the game-tying goal.
When Turner talked about how she wanted to build her team in Seattle, she emphasized physicality. Not just throwing hits, but being able to play under pressure. That may just be the player Turner gets in Serdachny, who signed with Seattle for two seasons.
“She’s strong, plays through contact, and she’s only beginning to tap into her full potential,” Turner said when Serdachny’s Her ability to possess the puck and make plays under pressure will be a big asset for us as we build the identity of PWHL Seattle.”
Vancouver and Seattle have an exclusive signing window until Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
Each existing team could only protect three players from expansion to start. After a team loses two players, they can protect a fourth player from expansion.
The Frost added forward Britta Curl-Salemme to its protection list after losing Thompson and Jaques, while Ottawa opted to protect Gabbie Hughes after surrendering Maschmeyer and Serdachny.
