The Pacific Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is welcoming two new franchises in Seattle and Vancouver, with plans to begin stocking their rosters in the coming weeks. The process will include an exclusive free agency period followed by an expansion draft to shape the teams’ lineups.

Guidelines for Roster Build

According to the guidelines announced on Monday, the existing six teams in the league will each lose four players during the two-phase process. The signing period will take place from June 4-8, followed by the expansion draft on June 9.

Teams have until June 3 to decide on three players they wish to protect from the expansion process. They can protect a fourth player after losing two from their rosters, without any restrictions on positional players. Seattle and Vancouver can each sign up to five free agents, including those with contracts expiring after this season, during the signing period.

The expansion draft will then be used to fill the remaining roster spots to reach a 12-player limit for the new teams. Additionally, the expansion teams will participate in the PWHL draft on June 24 to further build their rosters.

League’s Focus on Competitive Balance

The PWHL, which oversees all its franchises, has designed the expansion guidelines to promote competitive balance and help the new teams establish a strong foundation. The league has yet to disclose how the expansion teams will be integrated into the draft order, and is currently in the process of hiring general managers and coaching staff for the Seattle and Vancouver franchises.

Both Vancouver and Seattle were chosen as the PWHL’s inaugural expansion franchises in separate announcements made last month. As the league wraps up its second season, the defending champions Minnesota Frost are gearing up to face the Ottawa Charge in the upcoming best-of-five championship final series set to begin on Tuesday.