PWHL reveals second protection lists for 2026 expansion process
The third phase of the 2026 PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process is complete, and the eight established franchises have had a chance to protect a few more players for at least next season.
After protecting three players during Phase 1 of the expansion process, the eights teams that competed last season were able to lock down three more players for the final half of the offseason. Players could either be re-signed or simply protected based on their current contract situation.
After protecting defensive stars Megan Keller and Haley Winn, as well as goaltender Aerin Frankel, Boston Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer turned her attention to offense. The team re-signed Susanna Tapani to a two-year contract, ensuring the Fleet has the clutch Finnish scorer through 2027-28. The team also protected Shay Maloney as well as Abby Newhook, as the rookie was given a qualifying offer during the third phase.
The Minnesota Frost, who protected Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek and Maddie Rooney early on, kept a couple more franchise staples on the books, signing Grace Zuminkle to a three-year deal and defender Lee Stecklein to a two-year contract. Both were key in the team’s runs to consecutive Walter Cups. Defender Sidney Morin joined the Frost as a free agent last year, with her contract carrying through the 2026-27 season.
Montreal Victorie GM Daniele Sauvageau started off the expansion process by protecting Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Ann-Renee Desbiens once again. After losing players like Nicole Gosling and Erin Ambrose, she decided to sure up some defense, re-signing Maggie Flaherty for another two years, while also protecting Kati Tabin. Lina Ljungblom, who has been up and down in her tenure with the team, was also protected. Tabin and Ljungblom are both under contract through next season.
The New York Sirens, who were dead quiet during Phase 3 in terms of signings, added to its protection list – that already had Sarah Fillier, Kristyna Kaltounkova and Casey O’Brien – by protecting a trio of blueliners. Captain Micah Zandee-Hart, along with Jamie Bourbonnais and Maja Nylen Persson, has been an important presence on the back end for the past couple of years.
The Ottawa Charge also kept to themselves over the past couple of days, but a couple of deals seem to be brewing. After protecting Rebecca Leslie, Ronja Savolainen and Gwyneth Philips, GM Mike Hirshfeld kept his attention on offense in Phase 3, delivering qualifying offers to Sarah Wozniewicz and Fanuza Kadirova after exceptional rookie seasons, while also protecting Gabbie Hughes, who has one more year left on her contract.
Meghan Turner has done her part to try and keep some of the Seattle Torrent’s offense in the fold, as she re-signed Julia Gosling for two more years. She also protected a couple of players that ended up being surprisingly important to the team’s attack, choosing forwards Danielle Serdachny and Mikyla Grant-Mentis.
The Toronto Sceptres lost a few depth players in Phase 3, Megan Carter and Maggie Connors, but that gave GM Gina Kingsbury a chance to protect power forward Emma Gentry and the league’s first MVP, Natalie Spooner. She also re-signed defender Kali Flanagan to a three-year deal, keeping most of the D-corps intact.
The Vancouver Goldeneyes have gone relatively unscathed through the first few phases, which gave Cara Gardner Morey to protect some cornerstone pieces. Due to begin given foundational player offers, the Goldeneyes were forced to re-sign Jenn Gardiner and Izzy Daniel to multi-year contracts. Hannah Miller, who signed a three-year contract last summer, was also protected.
Phase 4 will see the four expansion teams have a chance to sign enough players to reach a roster of 10 athletes. If they fail to reach that number, a selection process will be initiated to fill their quota. The last phase prior to the PWHL Draft begins on Monday.