Top remaining PWHL free agents: The best 2026 UFAs still on the board
As we dive into the month of August, we’re just a few months away from the Professional Women’s Hockey League. While most teams have their rosters mostly set for the 2026-27 season, there are still a few players available on the open market.
Whether it’s because players are picky or they haven’t been able to find a spot on a roster, there are still several unrestricted free agents scattered throughout the women’s hockey landscape, including a couple of big names. It is worth noting that teams are limited heading toward the fall, as the PWHL has reportedly instituted an unwritten rule that teams can’t have more than 19 players signed to standard player agreements before training camp.
With that, let’s look at the 10 best players. These players are those who have already seen action in the PWHL, rather than rookies who declared for the PWHL Draft but haven’t been signed yet.
1. Kendall Coyne Schofield (F)
Age: 34
Previous team: Minnesota Frost
2025-26 cap hit: $100,785.50
Well, let’s get the easy one out of the way. Kendall Coyne Schofield has been one of the most important pieces for the growth of women’s hockey in the past decade. It was her famous lap at the 2019 NHL All-Star Skills Competition that led many casual fans to start following the women’s game a little more closely. However, it might be coming to an end.
There’s a growing belief that Coyne Schofield hasn’t signed a contract yet because she might be calling it a career. This, despite the longtime U.S. National Team star being one of the top players in the game, finishing tied for fifth in points (23) and tied for sixth in goals (12) last season. There was some reporting stating that she would be interested in joining the expansion team in Detroit, but if KCS were to keep playing, it’d only make sense that she’d want to stay with the Frost – the team she captained to two Walter Cups, as well as started growing a family in the area.
2. Claire Thompson (D)
Age: 28
Previous team: Vancouver Goldeneyes
2025-26 cap hit: $82,500
Like Coyne Schofield, there’s speculation that Thompson might be stepping away from the game as well. It was because of her studies at NYU that kept the Olympic gold medalist away from the PWHL during its inaugural season. After two years in the league, winning a Walter Cup with the Frost in 2025, Thompson might be interested in further pursuing her medical career, rather than continuing to compete on the ice.
At just 28 years old, one could argue that Thompson is in her prime, or maybe just leaving it. She was stellar in her return to hockey two years ago, being named a finalist for Defender of the Year. While things didn’t go so well after signing with the Goldeneyes, you’d have to think that, if she wanted to come back next season, Thompson would’ve already signed a deal. She still managed to finish sixth in defensive scoring with 17 points in 28 games, posting four points while representing Canada at the Winter Olympics.
3. Jincy Roese (D)
Age: 29
Previous team: Minnesota Frost
2025-26 cap hit: $65,000
Another player who probably would have a contract signed if her future wasn’t cloudy. Unlike Coyne Schofield and Thompson, there isn’t any publicly reported reason why Roese would step away from the game. There’s no question the former Ottawa Charge rearguard is a sought-after asset. Before the trade deadline, she was dealt by the New York Sirens to the Frost, as Minnesota looked to bolster the back end.
An Olympic medalist, the Missouri native still has a lot left in the tank and could easily find a spot in the top four almost anywhere in the league. The only question is, if she chooses to return next season, where would she want to go? Player autonomy is huge in the PWHL, and someone like Roese could be extremely selective on where she signs. With that, who knows if we’ll see her in the league next season.
4. Sandra Abstreiter (G)
Age: 28
Previous team: Montreal Victoire
2025-26 cap hit: $37,132
I’m not going to hide the fact that I thought, with four new teams coming into the league, that a starting job was going to fall into Sandra Abstreiter’s lap. Sure, she’s played just eight career games across three seasons, but anyone who has seen her play recognizes that she can play in big moments. In backing up Ann-Renee Desbiens in Montreal last season, she was sensational, helping the Victoire finish in first place for the second year in a row.
On top of her brief sample size in the PWHL, Abstreiter has proven to be an exceptional netminder on the international stage. With Germany, she’s helped the team remain competitive against top teams at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, leading the Germans to the quarterfinals at the Olympics last February.
What’s hard for Abstreiter is that there’s just about nowhere to go. Every team has its starter signed, with Hamilton, Las Vegas and Detroit having drafted a netminder expecting to see playing time next year.
5. Vanessa Upson (F)
Age: 22
Previous team: Minnesota Frost
2025-26 cap hit: $37,291.45
Upson came into the PWHL after a very successful career at Mercyhurst, but was forced into a depth role in the large step up to the pro game. She missed just two games in the regular season with the Frost in her rookie season, registering one assist, with a plus/minus of -9. She appeared in all five of the team’s playoff games against the Victoire, but didn’t post a point. I could see her getting an invite to a training camp, but with so many teams close to the 19-player limit this offseason, it’s been hard for the young winger to find a home, for now. She proved in the college game that she can score, but if the Stoney Creek, Ont. native can prove she can play a little bit better in her own zone, she’ll find a new home soon enough.
6. Savannah Norcross
Age: 26
Previous team: New York Sirens (Invited by San Jose)
2025-26 cap hit: $40,000
Norcross has significant experience already in the league. The Lynn, Mass. native played 20 games with New York in its inaugural season, before heading overseas to play with Luleå HF of the SDHL, averaging well over a point per game. She returned to North America last season, scoring a goal and an assist in 23 regular-season affairs. With Norcross heading to San Jose’s camp, she can find a way to sneak onto the main roster if she can show defensive strength in front of head coach and general manager Troy Ryan.
7. Kaitlyn O’Donohoe (F)
Age: 24
Previous team: Minnesota Frost
2025-26 cap hit: N/A
There was a time when O’Donohoe was considered a premier scoring threat in the ECAC with Colgate University. However, she hasn’t had the chance to show that scoring prowess in the big leagues. She’s started each of her two seasons with the Frost as a reserve player, only appearing in nine games each year. The Atlanta, Ga. native managed to score her first PWHL goal on March 18. Yet, she didn’t crack the Frost’s roster for the Walter Cup Playoffs. She’s the kind of player I could see sneaking into a bottom-six role on one of the newer teams in the league.
8. Marah Wagner (F)
Age: 24
Previous team: Seattle Torrent
2025-26 cap hit: N/A
Wagner appeared in 20 games with the Torrent in their inaugural season, but was left on the reserve list after Mikyla Grant-Mentis came back from injury in early April. She failed to scratch her name on the scoresheet, posting a -4 rating while averaging a little over seven minutes of ice time. Wagner’s another athlete who can log minutes lower in the lineup, giving the top stars a breather. The former RPI captain was productive in her one season in the SDHL, posting 14 points in 32 games with Skellefteå AIK in 2024-25.
9. Olivia Zafuto (D)
Age: 29
Previous team: Boston Fleet
2025-26 cap hit: N/A
Zafuto is a veteran blueliner who has several years of professional experience. From playing in the PWHPA Dream Gap Tour, to the SDHL and Premier Hockey Federation, the Niagara Falls, N.Y. native has been around. After spending the entire 2024-25 campaign as a reserve, Zafuto dressed in six games this past season, but didn’t score a point. Her lone point came as an assist with New York during the team’s first season. There’s a chance she might get a late camp invite and could be looked at as an eighth or ninth defender on a team.
10. Jessica Adolfsson (D)
Age: 28
Previous team: SDE HF (SDHL), Detroit invite
2025-26 cap hit: N/A
Adolfsson didn’t play in the PWHL last season, as she was one of the Charge’s final training camp cuts. That didn’t deter the veteran blueliner, as she returned to the SDHL and played well for SDE, posting seven points in 14 games. She also cracked Sweden’s Olympic roster once again, scoring a goal in seven games, as Damkronorna won Group B, making a stunning run to the bronze medal game. The former Penn State star has played just one game in the PWHL, that coming with the Charge in 2024-25.