Dates confirmed for PWHL expansion roster building process
We have the plan for how the PWHL’s newest teams will build their rosters for their inaugural campaign.
The league and the PWHL Players’ Association have agreed to the final plans for the “Expansion Player Distribution Process”, which includes five separate signing periods, along with an extra day for teams to trade draft picks prior to the 2026 PWHL Draft.
This comes as the PWHL is adding four new teams for the 2026-27 season. Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose are looking to make immediate impacts next fall, but have some work to do in putting their lineups.
The first phase is set to take place from June 2-3. The originally reported date of May 28 was going to give teams three days in order to sign players who are on expiring contracts. Instead, the team and player can begin negotiating at 12 p.m. ET on June 1, with a negotiating list deadline coming on May 28. This phase will require teams to ensure players are under contract to protect them during the expansion process. That means, players currently under contract, like Boston Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel and Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, are ready to be protected, while Minnesota Frost stars Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield need to be put pen to paper.
Unrestricted and restricted free agents are allowed to negotiate with all 12 teams, but can only sign with existing teams, not the four new franchises. During this phase, any player signed counts as one of the team’s three protected players.
Phast 2 will take place from Jun 5-8. This is where the four new clubs will submit 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target Lists. The expansion teams can sign up to five players with either Expansion Franchise Offers or Foundational Player Offers. The EFO salary can be no less than $100,000, with a minimum three percent raise on multi-year contracts. Terms of those contracts include a full guarantee for the entire period of the deal, as well as a $20,000 signing bonus. The contract can also go up to four years.
The expansion teams are allowed just one EFO deal. The FPO deals must be for a minimum of two years, with a minimum of $80,000 for the first year, and $82,500 for the following season. If a team fails to sign five players, they’re allowed to openly select the remaining number of available spots as long as players are under contract, and on their ENTL.
Current franchises can lose up to three players during Phase 2.
The third phase, taking place from June 10-12, will allow remaining UFAs and RFAs to sign with any team. Existing teams can protect another three players on top of the three they protected in Phase 1. Expansion teams will be able to sign up to three free agents during this time.
A player who was offered an FPO in Phase 2 must sign by the end of this phase. However, they can sign with a different team, but the salary must be 90% of the FPO minimum – $73,125.
Phase 4 will go from June 14-15. Players who are both under contract or are free agents can sign with an expansion team. If an expansion team doesn’t reach 10 players by the end of the phase, they’ll be allowed to take unprotected players with contracts.
Current organizations can lose up to four athletes between Phases 2 and 4. From phrases 1-4, teams aren’t allowed to trade players or sign anyone outside of the expansion process.
The final phase is from June 16-18, with remaining free agents being allowed to sign with their current teams, or wait until the “open signing period” begins after the draft, which begins on June 19. Players with signing rights from the 2025 draft must receive a qualifying offer during this time or become a UFA after the draft.
Draft picks can also be traded on June 16, marking the first time they can be moved prior to the beginning of the draft.