2026 PWHL Expansion: Top 11 remaining unprotected players
We’ve reached the halfway mark of the 2026 PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process, and we’re already seen the four new teams take some big swings (and arguable misses) in the first three phases.
We’ve also seen the eight established franchises have two separate chances to protect players, trying to keep their core together for the league’s fourth season. As we head into the new week, each team has been able to protect six players. While names like Marie-Philip Poulin, Grace Zumwinkle and Julia Gosling have been locked down, there are several big names that are still left out in the open.
With Phase 4 beginning on Monday, Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose have to sign enough players to have 10 on their roster before the PWHL Draft. Las Vegas and San Jose both have signed just two, while Detroit needs to add three, and Hamilton is required to add four. If any team is short of the 10 signings, a selection process will be initiated, meaning any player under contract next year can be chosen.
With that, let’s take a look at the top 11 players who remain unprotected in the expansion process.
Honorable Mention: Claire Thompson, D (UFA)
There’s some belief that Thompson won’t play next year, instead choosing to focus on her medical career. After one season on the rough Vancouver Goldeneyes, the Canadian National Team star might be stepping away from the game. If not, you would think she would’ve received a massive offer by now.
Abby Roque, F (UFA)
Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $116,699
You have to think Abby Roque is either holding out for a spot on the Montreal Victoire, or one of the other seven established teams in the league. Some wondered if the Michigan native would’ve signed with Detroit, but that seems to have come to pass. Just about all of the $100,000-plus contracts from the expansion teams have been used up, meaning Roque could only join one of the teams she’s already played for or faced. The former New York Siren found a lot of success playing with Poulin and Laura Stacey last year, and I wouldn’t see why she’d want to play on any other line in the PWHL.
Kendall Coyne Schofield, F (UFA)
Age: 34
2025-26 cap hit: $100,785.50
Early on, there was some speculation that the Minnesota Frost captain would be interested in coming to Hockeytown. However, after going unsigned through two phases, it’s looking more and more like the two-time Olympic gold medalist is staying put. The Frost have done an excellent job at protecting just about all of its core, with Coyne Schofield staying quiet on the contract front. It’s obvious to see why the Illinois native wouldn’t want to move out of Minnesota. She has a family and an established life in the Twin Cities.
However, the PWHL is a strange place, and unlikely things can happen at any time.
Kristen Campbell, G (UFA)
Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $69,872
It’s strange to think that it was only a couple of years ago that Campbell was named the best goaltender in the PWHL. She was then traded by the Toronto Sceptres to the Vancouver Goldeneyes, seemingly creating a solid tandem between her and Hockey Canada teammate Emerance Maschmeyer. However, Campbell struggled on the expansion team, and with Maschmeyer being protected by Cara Gardner Morey, she’s available to go elsewhere.
As it stands, Detroit is the only expansion team that has yet to sign a goaltender. At 28, she still has time to prove herself to be a starting goaltender in this league, and with more teams, more opportunities to do so.
Jessie Eldridge, F (UFA)
Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $84,872
Probably the biggest in-season trade last season saw Eldridge go from a bumbling Seattle Torrent team to a contender in the Boston Fleet. The move paid off for Boston, as Eldridge became the team’s top offensive weapon in the final months of the regular season. One would think that would lay the groundwork for an extension, but GM Danielle Marmer elected to protect someone like Abby Newhook over Eldridge, which leads me to believe that the former Cornell star is looking for either more money or a new home.
If the former is true, San Jose would be the place to go, as Troy Ryan’s team is still in search of an offensive threat. That said, Eldridge could just as easily be looking to explore free agency for the other seven established franchises.
Blayre Turnbull, F (UFA)
Age: 32
2025-26 cap hit: $92,298.30
Turnbull was one of the players who publicly stated that she had been holding off on signing a contract extension due to the uncertainty of the expansion process. Now, even though we’ve known the rules for a few weeks, the Toronto Sceptres captain has yet to put pen to paper. That said, I think it’s been more of a strategic ploy by Gina Kingsbury to avoid using a protection spot on Turnbull, who it is believed will just re-sign with the Scepters once free agency opens. While she isn’t getting any younger, Turnbull provides several intangibles that a retooling Toronto team will need to stay afloat in the revamped PWHL.
The only team that I think she’d go to would be San Jose. Ryan has done a great job at bringing over some of his former players, and Turnbull could make six figures if she moved to California.
Aneta Tejralova, D (UFA)
Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $60,000
One of the hardest-hitting blueliners in the league, Tejralova joined the Torrent and was labeled as one of the team’s top defenders. It was a tough year for the Czech rearguard, as she experienced failure on a grand scale with both Seattle and her country at the Winter Olympics. However, she brings a lot of stability to the back end when she has support around her. The Torrent elected to protect the young Anna Wilgren over Tejralova, which could come down to age more than anything. Tejralova is another player I see exploring the full 12-team free agency before making a decision, but she is definitely on her way to a raise.
Jocelyne Larocque, D (UFA)
Age: 38
2025-26 cap hit: 86,993.80
I have been one of the biggest critics of Jocelyne Larocque, but, at this stage of the process, the veteran blueliner is a touted option for a team that is looking to add experience. The Manitoba native can still play, and while she might not be as fleet of foot as some of the younger blueliners, Larocque can provide some solid minutes to any team in the league, if placed in the right role. I don’t think she can be a top-pair defender anymore, but if put in a second or third-pair position, she can thrive.
As for the expansion teams, I don’t know where she would want to go. She played for Ryan in Toronto for a year and a change before becoming a leader in Ottawa. With so much changeover coming to both teams, I suspect that she re-signs somewhere in Ontario, though I think Hamilton is out of the question.
Theresa Scahfzahl, F (UFA)
Age: 26
2025-26 cap hit: $65,000
The piece that went the other way in the Eldridge trade had a promising finish to last season, certainly bolstering her stock at the end of a contract year. Marmer admitted that it was hard parting with a player like Schafzahl, a solid depth piece who brings passion to game, making her an everyday player in the PWHL. In a top-six role with the Torrent, the Austrian winger was nearly a point-per-game player, doing her part to help Seattle earn the first overall pick. With a relatively inexpensive salary in her first three years in the league, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were to re-sign with Seattle. However, given the talent a couple of the expansion teams have signed thus far, Schafzahl could easily find an important role for one of the league’s new franchises.
Tereza Vanisova, F (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $90,000
Had I had a vote, I would’ve had Tereza Vanisova as one of my top three finalists for MVP at the end of 2024-25; she was that good. When she signed with the expansion Goldeneyes, I really thought the Czech scoring threat was more than capable of leading the new team in British Columbia. However, the multi-time IIHF Women’s World Championship medalist failed to find the same scoring touch she had with the Charge, which really put a damper on the hype around the new team. After scoring 15 goals and 22 points in the league’s second season, Vanisova posted just four goals and 15 points with the Charge.
Clearly, from the lack of movement, Vanisova doesn’t want to join a new team just for the sake of it. I don’t suspect her of signing with an expansion team, but if a selection process is required, don’t be shocked if her name is called.
Jamie Lee Rattray, F (UFA)
Age: 33
2025-26 cap hit: $84,872
I want to start this section by saying that I don’t believe Rattray wants to leave the Fleet. She has proven to be one of the league’s top veterans. She doesn’t stun anyone with her offense, but the intangibles she brings have been crucial to the Fleet’s success in two of the first three years. She’s reached 10 points in each season and has shown that she can play in a variety of roles. Any team in the PWHL could use someone like Rattray in the lineup. It would have to be a very hefty pay raise for the former Olympian to ditch New England, but if any of the four new teams want a little depth, it might be worth giving Rattray a call.
Sandra Abstreiter, G (UFA)
Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $37,132
I felt that adding a second goaltender to the list this time around was worth it, especially with the knowledge of how good Abstreiter can be. Over the past three years, she has often been overlooked in the PWHL, though she proved to be an exceptional backup to Desbiens with the Victoire last year. She was exceptional in her five starts last season, showing glimpses of the type of goaltender she has been with Germany on the world stage. With teams having lost quality netminders already in the expansion process, and each of the four new teams looking for at least one more goaltender, Abstreiter has more than enough talent to be an exceptional 1B.