PWHL Signings Round-Up: Sirens get their goalie, Laskova heads to Vancouver
The open signing period continued to see notable names change addresses, as a couple of teams in the PWHL sured up a couple of positions with additions early in the Opening Signing Period.
Let’s take a look at the free agency action on Sunday.
Chuli chooses New York
The New York Sirens were heavily criticized for not taking a swing at goaltender Andrea Brandli early in the PWHL Draft this past Wednesday. A lot of that came from the fact that the team didn’t have a No. 1 netminder after Kayle Osborne signed with Hamilton. However, general manager Pascal Daoust made amends on Sunday by signing goaltender Elaine Chuli to a two-year contract.
While Chuli doesn’t have the same aura as Brandli, the Isobel Cup winner has proven time and again that she can steal games for her team. She’s coming off a rough return to Toronto last season, as the 32-year-old went 3-5-0 in eight games, posting a 2.89 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. Chuli was previously a reliable backup behind Ann-Renee Desbiens in two seasons with the Montreal Victoire.
In 27 career games in the PWHL, Chuli has a record of 13-12-0-2, with a 2.31 GAA and .919 SV%. She joins Callie Shanahan and Kayle Doyle as New York’s three goaltenders. The Sirens have 17 of a possible 23 players signed for next season. Teams reportedly can only have 19 players under contract heading into training camp.
Goldeneyes sign Laskova, keep Chan for two more years
Defense was a problem for the Vancouver Goldeneyes in their first season. Cara Gardner Morey has bolstered the back end by signing defender Dominika Laskova to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season.
It’s a return to North America for the Czech defender. After playing in the SDHL in 2023-24 with Lulea HF, Laskova joined the Victoire for the league’s second season. However, an injury just seven games into the season knocked her out for two months, resulting in the Czech rearguard appearing in just five games with Montreal. The 29-year-old returned to Sweden, playing with the surprising SDE HF squad in the SDHL, scoring five goals and 20 points in 34 games.
Along with adding the experience of Laskova, the Goldeneyes re-signed forward Katie Chan to a two-year deal, which carries through the 2027-28 season. The Richmond, B.C. native earned a spot on the team’s inaugural roster out of training camp last fall, and went on to score one goal in 17 appearances with her hometown team.
With the signings, Vancouver has 15 players under contract for the 2026-27 campaign.
San Jose signs Levy, adds depth with Della Rovere
The team in the Golden State made a couple of signings to break into the free agency picture. San Jose signed goaltender Abbey Levy and forward Kristin Della Rovere to one-year deals.
San Jose is Levy’s third team in the PWHL. She started off with the New York Sirens, backing up with current SJ netminder Corinne Schroeder. However, with the arrival of Kayle Osborne in Year 2, Levy fell to a third-string role. That led to the Congers, N.Y. native signing with the Boston Fleet last summer. She played just three games behind MVP Aerin Frankel, going 1-1-1, with a 2.33 GAA and a .927 SV%.
In 13 career appearances, Levy has a record of 2-7-3, with a 2.97 GAA and a .906 SV%.
Della Rovere was one the Sceptres’ reserve list at the start of the season, but focused on the Winter Olympics with the Italian National Team. The Ontario native scored two goals and four points in the tournament, helping Italy reach the quarterfinals. She signed wit hthe Sceptres late in the season, but didn’t score a point in five games.
The 25-year-old, who briefly played with Ottawa in the league’s first year, has one goal in 14 PWHL games.
Detroit signs three blueliners
The blue line is one of the areas that the new team in Hockeytown has inadvertently shied away from thus far. However, Manon Rheaume decided to fix that on Sunday, inking defenders Mellissa Channell-Watkins and Stephanie Markowski to two-year contracts. The team also signed fellow rearguard Mia Biotti to a contract for the 2026-27 season.
Channell-Watkins already has a winning pedigree in the league’s young history. She joined the Minnesota Frost ahead of the inaugural PWHL season. She proved to be a key veteran asset for a team that won the league’s first Walter Cup, helping the Frost replicate their success in 2025. The Plymouth, Mich. native was then picked by the Goldeneyes in the expansion draft last year. She ended up posting just two assists in 30 games last season, but finished tied for fifth among defenders with 44 hits.
In 83 regular-season games in the PWHL, Channell-Watkins has scored a goal and 11 points, with another nine points in 18 playoff games.
Markowski spent the first two seasons with the Ottawa Charge, giving their blue line some depth as they made it to each of the past Walter Cup Finals. The Edmonton, Alb. native posting a goal and six points. In 58 career games, Markowski has posted two goals and 10 points, appearing in all 16 playoff games for the Charge.
Biotti was with the Fleet in her rookie season, joining the main roster on a series of short-term contracts. The Harvard product registered two assists in 13 games, playing in two games in the semifinal against the Charge.
The trio gives Detroit 13 players under contract for next season.
Two local products join Hamilton
Hamilton was another expansion team that was active on Father’s Day, signing forwards Alexa Vasko and Kayla Vespa to two-year contracts.
Vasko entered with the league with Toronto in its first season, but made her way to the Charge prior to the 2024-25 season. She has been a solid depth piece on Ottawa’s roster as they made a back-to-back deep runs in the postseason. This past year, the St. Catharines, Ont. native scored two goals and three points.
In 78 regular-season games in the league, Vasko has posted six goals and nine points, appearing in 21 postseason contests.
Vespa had been with the Sirens since the first season. She’s never been a notable scoring threat, but has been a consistent figure in the bottom six. After playing the entire first campaign, she was a reserve player for the 2024-25 season. The Hamilton native appeared in every game this past season, registering two assists. In 63 career contests, Vespa has posted two goals and five points.
Hamilton now has 12 players inked to contracts for the its inaugural season.
Sin City Snodgrass
Las Vegas didn’t want to be the only expansion team who didn’t want to sign a player on Sunday, so Dominique DiDia finalized a deal with forward Natalie Snodgrass to a one-year contract.
It’s the second straight year that Snodgrass is joining an expansion roster, as she signed with the Torrent as a free agent last summer after spending the first two seasons with the Charge. This past season, she scored two goals and three assists for five points, one of the more productive seasons of her PWHL tenute. In 73 regular-season contests, the 27-year-old has notched four goals and 13 points.