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CBC
8 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Ashton Bell, Julia Gosling among young stars selected in PWHL expansion draft
The original six PWHL teams gathered in Minnesota almost exactly one year ago last June for the league's second entry draft. The players chosen in the first round last year included top-pair defenders, power forwards, playmakers and goal scorers — all poised to be future stars in the PWHL. After the league's expansion process, all but one of those six players will be playing for the PWHL's newest teams in Vancouver and Seattle. Only superstar Sarah Fillier, who was protected by the New York Sirens, won't be on the move to the west coast. It's a snapshot of just how much young talent the league's two newest teams were able to accumulate during a roster-building process that included an expansion draft and exclusive signing window. The original six teams could only protect three players each to start. They were able to protect a fourth once the team gave up two players. The result is two brand new teams that could both seriously contend for the Walter Cup next season. The goal was to make sure Seattle and Vancouver would be competitive to maintain the league's parity, but both new teams surpassed the bar of keeping up with the existing teams. They already look to be among the deepest in the league. Meanwhile, the original six teams have gaping holes to fill, having just watched a significant amount of talent walk out the door. From the net out Vancouver general manager Cara Gardner Morey, who was a defender in her own playing career, has built her team's foundation from the net out, starting with long-time Team Canada backup goaltender, Emerance Maschmeyer. She also signed two of Walter Cup-champion Minnesota's best young defenders, Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson, and used the first pick in the expansion draft on Monday to select Ashton Bell, a smooth-skating defender who blocked more shots than anyone else in the Ottawa Charge's run to the PWHL finals. All three are in contention for the Canadian Olympic team next February. Bell, a former forward, can contribute both offensively and defensively, but what she brings off the ice also appealed to Gardner Morey. "She's also one of those great teammates and great human beings who's just always showing gratitude and doing things the right way," the Vancouver GM said after Monday's expansion draft. "Her work ethic is outstanding." Up front, Vancouver will be led by superstar Sarah Nurse, a do-it-all type of player who has shown, when healthy, that she can score in this league. She tied for second in the league in both goals and points in the 2024 season. She's joined by a group of young, talented forwards, including Rookie of the Year candidate Jennifer Gardiner, Walter Cup champions Abby Boreen and Brooke McQuigge, and Izzy Daniel, who was the Patty Kazmaier Award winner as the best player in college hockey just one season ago. With the priority on building from the back first, Gardner Morey opted for 200-foot, depth players who exceeded expectations last season up front. "We just really went with a lot of grit, a lot of two-way forwards that can also score goals," Gardner Morey said. A stacked forward group Seattle, meanwhile, has a top-six forward group that could be the best in the league. Former New York Sirens sniper Alex Carpenter could centre the top line alongside MVP-nominee Hilary Knight and former Boston Fleet forward Hannah Bilka, a rookie with a high hockey IQ. Between Bilka's playmaking abilities and Carpenter and Knight's knack for shooting the puck, it's a line that promises to be dangerous. But then Seattle can roll out a second line that includes Jessie Eldridge, Danielle Serdachny and Julia Gosling, three players who have offensive ability and size. Seattle GM Meghan Turner, who wanted to build a team to withstand physicality, described that potential second line as a "powerhouse." "They have a lot of power in terms of their skating and their explosiveness," Turner said about those three players. "Each team is so physical and so I think size really can only help. All of these players have proven they can use their size to their advantage." Turner used her first pick in the expansion draft to select Aneta Tejralová, the Czech Republic national team captain who loves blocking shots. Her ability on the penalty kill, including her willingness to put her body in front of pucks, was a factor for Seattle. "Knowing that's something that is a specialty of hers, and just the way that she plays defence but also can transport the puck and be a good puck supporter, she's rock solid," Turner said. The Seattle roster is rounded out by Corinne Schroeder, one of the best goaltenders in the league over the past two seasons for the defensively-shaky New York Sirens. Original 6 teams left with holes As players pack their bags to head west and Seattle and Vancouver continue building, the original six teams will be looking to fill some of the holes left by expansion. The league spent months designing the rules with the goal of maintaining parity in a league where games are often decided by just one goal. "I think it was really critical that we got it right because decisions like this do shape the future of the league," PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford, said last month. "For us, the priority is always about competitive balance." WATCH | PWHL Mic'd Up with Cayla Barnes: PWHL Mic'd Up: Montreal Victoire's Cayla Barnes 3 months ago Duration 5:31 Listen in to the best on-ice moments from American defender Cayla Barnes as the visiting Montreal Victoire lose to the Ottawa Charge 3-1. But the original six teams have work to do to compete with the league's newest franchise, at least on paper. Both teams that faced off for the Walter Cup last month lost two of their top four defenders, as did first-place Montreal. Last-place New York surrendered two of the team's top scoring forwards from last season, along with the starting goaltender. The Boston Fleet have significant holes up front without Knight and Bilka, and will need to name a new captain. Their GMs will have a chance to start rebuilding on June 16, when a window opens to sign free agents. The entry draft is set for June 24 in Ottawa, though the draft order isn't yet clear, aside from New York selecting first.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
F Alex Carpenter signs with expansion Seattle
June 6 - PWHL Seattle signed forward Alex Carpenter to a one-year contract on Friday. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team for Carpenter, a silver medalist with the United States Olympic team in both 2014 and 2022. Carpenter, 31, recorded 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) -- including 18 (five goals, 13 assists) on the power play -- in 50 games while playing the last two seasons with the New York Sirens. "Alex is a true competitor who brings intensity every time she steps on the ice," Seattle general manager Meghan Turner said. "She's an elite two-way player who has proven to be one of the best in the world for years, and she has the ability to take over a game at both ends of the ice. She's hungry to win and brings the kind of drive that sets the tone for a team. We're excited to have her join us as we build the foundation of our team." Carpenter is the fourth player to sign with PWHL Seattle ahead of its inaugural season, joining forwards Hilary Knight and Danielle Serdachny and defender Cayla Barnes. "I am very excited for the opportunity to be a part of PWHL Seattle in its inaugural season," Carpenter said. "Joining Seattle, a city known for its passionate sports fans, is something I'm truly looking forward to. I'm eager to build something special and bring a championship to Seattle." The Seattle franchise will play at Climate Pledge Arena, the home of the NHL's Kraken. --Field Level Media
New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Sirens surprisingly don't protect Alex Carpenter as PWHL expansion draft nears
The New York Sirens gave their fan base a shock on Tuesday. The PWHL announced the 18 players — three from each of the inaugural six teams — protected from selection in the exclusive signing window and in the expansion draft being staged for the new Seattle and Vancouver teams entering the league in the 2025-26 season. The Sirens selected forward Sarah Fillier, defenseman Ella Shelton, and defenseman Micah Zandee-Hart, which shockingly leaves Alex Carpenter unprotected. The Massachusetts native had 23 points last season, 13th most in the league. She also ranked third on the Sirens in goals scored (11) behind teammates Jessie Eldridge (9) and rookie Fillier (13). Carpenter, 31, has been a stalwart for the Sirens for the past two seasons. The forward has an 18.6 shooting percentage, which is more than double from the previous season. In 2024, she was also named to the IIHF Women's World Championship All-Star Team, and was recognized as the best forward, leading the tournament in goals (6) and points (10). Carpenter also earned a silver medal at both the 2014 and 2022 Winter Olympics with Team USA. The Sirens still could make a move for Carpenter. After an inaugural team has lost two players through either the exclusive signing window or the expansion draft, the team is able to protect one additional player. Sirens alternate captain Alex Carpenter was surprisingly left unprotected by the team as the expansion draft nears. Steven Garcia/CSM/Shutterstock The fourth protected player must either be under contract for the 2025-26 season or the team must hold their playing rights through the 2025-26 season. Carpenter just completed the second year of a three-year contract. Other players that would be eligible for the Sirens to protect are Eldridge (F), Lauren Bernard (D), Jaime Bourbonnais (D), Emmy Fecteau (F), Elle Hartje (F), Paetyn Levis (F), Maja Nylén Persson (D), Kayle Osborne (G), Abby Roque (F), Gabby Rosenthal (F), Corinne Schroeder (G), Allyson Simpson (D), and Noora Tulus (F). Alex Carpenter skates before a Sirens game against the Ottawa Charge early in the season. Noah K. Murray / New York Post The exclusive signing window begins June 4 and runs through June 8. The expansion draft will take place on June 9.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
PWHL schedules expansion draft for June 9
May 19 - The Professional Women's Hockey League will hold an expansion draft for the Seattle and Vancouver franchises on June 9. The PWHL also announced the rules and procedures Monday that will guide the roster-building process for the league's seventh and eighth members ahead of the 2025-26 season. The original six clubs -- Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres -- each have a June 3 deadline to protect three players from the exclusive signing window that will run from June 4-8. Players eligible for protection must either be under contract through the 2025-26 season, or the team must hold their playing rights through 2025-26 (drafted in 2024). After a team has lost two players through either the signing period or the draft, it is allowed to protect a fourth player. Seattle and Vancouver can each sign a maximum of five players during the exclusive window. At the June 9 draft, Seattle and Vancouver will select a minimum of seven players each until they fill a 12-player roster. The order for the draft will be determined later, as will coverage details. The 2025 PWHL Draft is scheduled for June 24 in Ottawa, Ontario. New York has the No. 1 overall pick. --Field Level Media
CBC
14-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
PWHL players, GMs waiting to hear how expansion draft will affect existing teams
Social Sharing In the next month, the new Professional Women's Hockey League teams in Vancouver and Seattle will start to fill out their rosters. The teams, who begin play next season, will select players at the entry draft set for June 24 in Ottawa, and will also have the chance to add players from other teams in an expansion draft that will happen at some point before the entry draft. The league is in the process of hiring general managers for the Vancouver and Seattle teams. With the clock ticking, much remains unknown about that expansion draft, including how many players each team will have to expose and who can be protected. That has been weighing on players, especially those who are signed to contracts next season and could find themselves on the move, according to New York Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart. She is New York's representative with the league's players' association (PWHLPA), and said she's been getting texts from players who are eager for information. "As much as that's exciting, I think it also brings a lot of unknown to the players and kind of wondering what's going to happen and when it's going to happen," Zandee-Hart said. More than 20 markets showed interest in becoming home to a PWHL team during an expansion process that lasted several months. League officials looked at economic opportunity, youth hockey, infrastructure and geography, among other things. The league ultimately chose to expand its footprint west as it looks to attract a national U.S. broadcast rights deal. Expansion to Vancouver and Seattle was confirmed in April. A league spokesperson didn't have any new details to share on the expansion draft process on Monday. "The expectation is that any new teams that enter the league would be competitive in year one," Jayna Hefford, the league's executive vice president of hockey operations, said in April. "That's the priority as we look at how we would disperse players." 'It's what we wanted in our sport' Zandee-Hart, who is from Saanichton, B.C., is excited about the impact a PWHL team could have on a growing girls' and women's hockey community in her home province, especially for young players who will have the chance to interact with pros. She had to leave home young to pursue her hockey dreams, accepting that opportunities in her sport were always going to take her east. "I actually remember feeling a bit emotional just because I think growing up on the west coast, I had always told myself that that was just never gonna be something that happened in my lifetime in hockey," she said. While Zandee-Hart was the first B.C.-born player to make Canada's women's Olympic hockey team, there are several up-and-coming players from the province. That includes the Montreal Victoire's Jennifer Gardiner (Surrey, B.C.) and 18-year-old Chloe Primerano of the University of Minnesota (North Vancouver). Both debuted for the senior national team at the world championship this past spring. Frost ice Sceptres in high-scoring Game 3, moving a win away from PWHL final The expansion also means at least 46 more jobs in the league. That could create opportunity for players who have had to go to Europe to find playing time or who have been part of the PWHL on a team's reserve list, where players aren't entitled to full salaries and the same benefits as players signed to full contracts. "As kind of maybe scary as expansion is for some players or as uncertain as it is, it is what we wanted in our sport," Zandee-Hart said. "We wanted to continue to grow the sport. We wanted to increase the viewership." GMs need to be 'open minded' with rosters in flux Players aren't the only ones waiting for more details. Boston Fleet GM Danielle Marmer is looking for puck-moving defence and depth scoring this off-season, after her team just missed out on a playoff spot by a tiebreaker. She said last week that she's not yet sure how expansion could affect her roster. "I think these conversations are happening between the league and the players' association," she said. The Fleet finished second-last in the six-team league. But because they were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the regular season, the Fleet didn't earn any Gold points. They're earned by winning games after being eliminated, and meant to discourage teams from "tanking" for the top draft pick. Based on the 2024 draft rules, the Fleet would pick second in the entry draft order. But it's not clear where the Fleet will select this year, given the expansion teams will also be picking in the draft. But GM Pascal Daoust also didn't have details about the expansion draft on Monday. He described having 10 to 12 different scenarios that could play out for his team this off-season, depending on what happens. WATCH | PWHL Mic'd Up: The best from the 2024-25 season: PWHL Mic'd Up: Best of 2024-25 season 11 days ago Duration 5:45 Go behind the scenes of the PWHL with best mic'd up moments from the 2024-25 PWHL season. "The minute we're going to have all the [expansion draft] rules, then the next question will be, how can we build the best team not only for the coming season but years to come." Daoust said on Monday. One benefit? The teams across the league are so even that everyone is set to lose players through expansion. "To be honest, I would love to have an answer, a final strategy," Daoust said. "We need to be open-minded. We need to cover all the angles, and that's why we're going to have to sit staff together and find what are the angles we need to cover before we sit at that table."
