The Professional Women’s Hockey League has revealed which players will be protected in the league’s first-ever expansion draft. Now it’s time for us to put our GM hats on.
For the next five days, Seattle and Vancouver will be able to sign players — either free agents or those who went unprotected — ahead of the June 9 expansion draft. Before that officially begins, however, The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian and Shayna Goldman will be building their own rosters to simulate how the PWHL’s expansion draft process could go if they were decision-makers.
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Some ground rules:
The real PWHL expansion teams are permitted to sign up to five players during the g window, and will make at least seven draft selections to get to a roster of 12 players. Only players signed through 2025-26, or whose rights remain with a team, can be protected. A refresher on who was protected and who might be available can be found here.
After each team loses two players, in either the g window or the draft, they will be permitted to protect one additional player. We will project who those players might be as part of the process. The league has yet to announce the expansion draft order, so we did a random selection, which Seattle won.
While we will follow the league’s rules, this is not meant to be a projection or even speculation on what could happen in the draft. These are the decisions we would make if we were building our own expansion teams.
As The Athletic reported Tuesday, the PWHL Players Association voted to disclose salaries, but we don’t have access to those figures just yet so the g window — and more generally constructing teams that will be cap compliant — is not a perfect science. This exercise is more about fun, and the friends we make (or lose) along the way.
Let’s begin.
The g window
Vancouver (Salvian): This is a near-perfect start for the Vancouver franchise, if I do say so myself. The organization leaves the g window with a star forward, two elite defenders, a local cornerstone and a starting goalie.
Toronto not protecting Sarah Nurse gives me the chance to sign one of the most marketable women’s hockey players in the world to a brand-new franchise. Not to mention, she was second in league scoring last season and was nearly a point-per-game player before getting injured this season. Jennifer Gardiner, from Surrey, B.C., is well-rounded and can easily be a top-line piece beside Nurse, or become a middle-six depth player depending on who we draft. Emerance Maschmeyer is a reliable No. 1 goalie and an easy fit for Vancouver.
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Stealing both Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson away from Minnesota was the toughest part of this window, with Shayna in Seattle also trying to lock them in. The selling point for each — given they’d both be drafted if they went unsigned — was to play in a major Canadian market. For Thompson specifically, ing Vancouver gives her the option to play professionally in her home country before returning to medical school. I’m OK with using one of these slots for potentially just one year of Thompson, too.
Seattle (Goldman): The idea of the g window? Find franchise cornerstones to build around. That starts with Knight, one of the greatest hockey players of all time. After a tough first year in Boston, she showed what she still has left in the tank this past season. But the harsh reality is that while Knight will help usher in this new era of hockey in Seattle, longevity is another factor to consider. That’s what inspired the Jesse Compher and Hannah Bilka gs, even with Alex Carpenter available.
Carpenter is 31 years old and still has a lot of hockey left to play. But there’s something about adding two expensive contracts to the salary cap off the bat for two 30-plus-year-olds. Instead, Compher can slot in behind Knight on the depth chart to start and then eventually take over as the leading winger on this team. Bilka is a rising star to build around too, which gives this team a strong outlook in the near future and in the long term.
After watching the Frost win their second straight championship, we are taking notes on what made them successful. One of the standouts? A deep, skilled blue line. That’s why Seattle pursued Jaques, but ultimately lost the bidding war. But this team still has a true number one to build around in Cayla Barnes. Behind that defense will be Corinne Schroeder, who can be a backbone in net for her team.
The expansion draft
Note: With two players taken from several teams during the g window, we’ve projected who each team might protect with the extra fourth slot.
• Toronto protects forward Emma Maltais
• Montreal protects defender Erin Ambrose
• Boston protects forward Shay Maloney
• Minnesota protects forward Grace Zumwinkle
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Round 1
Seattle: Danielle Serdachny, 24, forward (Ottawa Charge)
Goldman: As modest as Serdachny’s rookie season was in Ottawa, it was just a small glimpse into her star-caliber ceiling. The biggest issue with her first PWHL season was her usage — someone with game-breaking potential should be given the ice time to thrive. That’s what she is going to get in Seattle at the top of the lineup. Serdachny will have a lot of offensive to develop her game here, between Knight, Bilka, Compher and Barnes around her. She will grow into a franchise cornerstone that will help Seattle make the playoffs in Year 1 and for the foreseeable future.
* Ottawa protects defender Ashton Bell *
Vancouver: Alex Carpenter, 31, forward (New York Sirens)
Salvian: The PWHL has made it so expansion teams can compete in Year 1, which is why a player like Carpenter is available at all throughout this process. And if Seattle wants to keep an eye on the future, I’m going to focus on winning the Walter Cup in 2026 and take one of the very best forwards in the league.
New York finished last in the league two straight years, but it wasn’t her fault. Carpenter scored 19 goals and 43 points in 50 career games, the most among any available player in the draft.
*New York protects forward Jessie Eldridge *
Round 2
Seattle: Savannah Harmon, 29, defense (Toronto Sceptres)
Goldman: The balance here is that every team has to draft for skill and for need. Harmon accomplishes both. The 2024-25 season wasn’t her strongest in Toronto, but Seattle is the perfect place for a rebound. Harmon has experience playing with Barnes and solidifies the top pair into a two-way threat that can go head-to-head with the best in the league.
Vancouver: Julia Gosling, 24, forward (Toronto Sceptres)
Salvian: Gosling was Toronto’s best forward in the postseason, scoring three goals in four games. She has pro size (5-foot-10) and should develop into a solid power forward. With Nurse and Carpenter in their 30s, Gosling also gives me another young core forward along with Gardiner.
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Round 3
Seattle: Maureen Murphy, 25, forward (Montreal Victoire)
Goldman: Over the last couple of seasons in Montreal, Murphy has emerged as a real difference-maker. She can keep up and complement top players on the first line or play a ing role on the third. That versatility gives a new team like Seattle options in the early goings. Unlike the six established teams, everything here is being built from scratch — including chemistry. That’s why it helps to have character players like Murphy, and options to choose from to find the best matches up and down the lineup.
Vancouver: Anna Wilgren, 25, defense (Montreal Victoire)
Salvian: With two offensive-minded defenders, I wanted to grab someone who played with a bit more focus on the defensive side of the puck. I had Megan Carter highlighted on my draft board, but she’s no longer available with Toronto losing four players early into the process.
Still, I’m happy with Wilgren. She’s smart in the defensive zone and was second in blocked shots (57) in the PWHL as a rookie. She has proved to be a steady partner beside a more offensively gifted defender — like she was beside Cayla Barnes in Montreal — which could make her a great fit beside Jaques or Thompson.
Round 4
Seattle: Daniela Pejšová, 22, defense (Boston Fleet)
Goldman: Pejšová isn’t an offensive game-breaker, but she provides balance to the blue line that Seattle needs with her two-way ability. She grew familiar with the speed and skill of the league around her in Year 1 with Boston, after excelling in the SDHL and with the Czech national team; now she can build on that in new surroundings. Her size and physicality give this new club an edge that’s needed in this league, while her skating and shot will help facilitate plays from the back end.
Vancouver: Gabbie Hughes, 25, forward (Ottawa Charge)
Salvian: With elite forward talent and some young complementary pieces, it’s time to find someone who can anchor the middle six. To me, there’s nobody better than Gabbie Hughes.
She’s a 200-foot center who can contribute on both sides of the puck. Hughes was among Ottawa’s top scorers in her first two PWHL seasons (14 goals and 28 points in 53 games), but she was also one of the Charge’s most reliable shutdown centers. In the first round of the PWHL playoffs, her line helped keep Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin largely off the scoresheet.
Round 5
Seattle: Aneta Tejralová, 29, defense (Ottawa Charge)
Goldman: The third pair can be addressed in free agency, but it was important to build a top four on defense through the draft. Tejralová absolutely helps solidify the group. She can absorb a lot of minutes, be deployed in any situation, and has been asked to shoulder tough minutes. Her play this year could have earned her a nod for Defender of the Year, even though her scoring didn’t stack up to some of the league’s best. Tejralová also has experience playing with Harmon in Ottawa, which gives the coaches more options to mix and match on defense for the best possible combinations.
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Vancouver: Brooke McQuigge, 24, forward (Minnesota Frost)
Salvian: McQuigge was one of my favorite players in the 2024 entry draft. She plays a physical, hard-nosed game with a clear, transferable identity, which has made McQuigge a solid contributing depth forward. McQuigge finished fourth in rookie scoring and her eight goals ranked third, behind only New York star Sarah Fillier (13) and teammate Britta Curl-Salemme (9). That her contract is likely cheaper than other top available players like Curl-Salemme or Kelly Pannek makes her the perfect late-round selection.
Round 6
Seattle: Sophie Shirley, 25, forward (Boston Fleet)
Goldman: With a top-four defense in place, it’s time to shift the focus back to the forwards. Shirley’s developed into an all-around threat over the last couple of seasons. She has the chops to bring reliable depth scoring, but has improved her defensive play as well. Shirley has become a utility player who gives this team more lineup flexibility. And at 25 years old, she is only just entering the prime of her career, and should keep growing from here.
Vancouver: Allyson Simpson, 24, Defense (New York Sirens)
Salvian: I’ve kicked the defense can down the road long enough, and only players from New York and Minnesota are available at this point. That realistically left me with a choice between two fairly comparable defenders in Simpson and Jaime Bourbonnais.
They’re both on the bubble of their respective national teams, with solid offensive instincts. Simpson is a touch younger than Bourbonnais (26) and might have a slightly higher ceiling, at least on the defensive side of the puck. Simpson is also likely cheaper, which helps the bottom line.
Round 7
Seattle: Dominique Petrie, 24, forward (Minnesota Frost)
Goldman: Between Shirley, Tejralová and Pejšová, I found enough physicality to help complement all the skill at the top of the lineup. Seattle should be able to play an up-tempo game while being tough to match up against. But one thing is missing: extra down the middle. That’s what Petrie brings with her two-way game. The power forward was clearly missed by Minnesota when she missed time this year, but she returned just in time to become a champion.
Vancouver: Kayle Osborne, 23, goalie (New York Sirens)
Salvian: This is the first time I was truly stumped. I wanted Petrie in this slot and was hoping Shayna might grab Bourbonnais or Abby Roque from New York.
Taking a second goalie wasn’t part of my plan, but Osborne is young, played well in her rookie season (2.22 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage) and definitely makes less money than Roque and Bourbonnais. With big-ticket players such as Nurse and Carpenter on the books, I just can’t afford to go there.
Osborne feels like the best player at the best price available, and now I can focus my free agency energy on shoring up my team’s depth at forward and defense.
The final rosters
Vancouver (Salvian): This is a team that could win the Walter Cup next season, which is exactly what I set out to do. I have superstars at the top of the lineup, role players and strong goaltending. I’ll try to grab some more offense in free agency (Michela Cava tops the list) and the entry draft, but this roster is well on its way to competing in 2025-26.
Seattle (Goldman): There is still work to do in free agency. I need to find more help up front and bolster this blue line (with Maggie Flaherty high up on my list). Plus, Schroeder needs a partner in net. But between the g period and the expansion draft, this team has the makings of a playoff team in 2026. But more importantly, this is a group of players who can all grow with Seattle to make this team a perennial contender.
Who got taken
(Top photo of Hilary Knight and Sarah Nurse: Troy Parla and Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)