PWHL Signings Round-Up: Charge lock down Wozniewicz, Shokhina heads to Hamilton
A couple of deals were made to close out the week in the PWHL.
On Friday, one team locked down one of its young stars for the long haul, while a notable Russian is on the move once again.
Wozniewicz is a big deal in Ottawa
The Ottawa Charge secured some of its future, signing forward Sarah Wozniewicz to a three-year contract, which keeps her on the books through the 2028-29 season.
Wozniewicz was one of the three players the Charge protected in Phase 3 of the PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process, as Ottawa extended her a qualifying offer.
The 22-year-old was the team’s third-round pick in last year’s draft and quickly became one of the Charge’s more important players. In 30 regular-season games, she scored seven goals and six assists for 13 points, finishing fourth on the team in scoring. Wozniewicz registered four game-winning goals, tying her with teammate Rebecca Leslie and Forward of the Year Kelly Pannek of the Minnesota Frost for the most this year.
The Alberta native posted another two goals and four points in the Walter Cup Playoffs, helping Ottawa reach the final for the second year in a row.
Prior to her PWHL career, Wozniewicz won two NCAA championships with the University of Wisconsin.
With the signing, the Charge have 18 players signed to standard deals for the 2026-27 season. They can sign one more player prior to training camp.
Shokhina returns to Canada, signing with Hamilton
One of the other teams in Ontario also made a move, with PWHL Hamilton signing former Charge forward Anna Shokhina to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 campaign.
Shokhina has had a pretty adventurous start to her PWHL career. She was surprisingly taken by Ottawa in the second round of the 2025 draft, the first Russian drafted into the league. While her Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg teammate Fanuza Kadirova thrived in the nation’s capital, Shokhina struggled and was eventually dealt to the Vancouver Goldeneyes in a massive six-player trade in January.
The 29-year-old finished with two goals and three assists for five points in 28 games, with a -4 plus/minus and an average of 7:47 of ice time.
Hamilton now has 14 players under contract for next season.