What each PWHL team needs ahead of free agency

PWHL New York GM Pascal Daoust doesn’t expect to have a busy opening day of free agency.

Daoust has already filled 12 of his 23 roster spots and like most GMs across the league, he will likely sign some of his top draft picks after the PWHL free agent window opens on Friday.

But Daoust plans to leave as many as seven jobs open for competition when training camp begins in November. 

“Sometimes we evaluate a player the wrong way, we miss on someone or we might invite a player at the camp and she might do better than some who were drafted,” Daoust said.

It’s a sign that recent draft picks and veteran players could spend the summer without job security. With only six teams and 42 players drafted earlier this month, it’s only going to get harder for players to get a roster spot in the PWHL.

“It is nerve-racking for players because obviously the competition is very high to find a job in this league,” Montreal GM Danièle Sauvageau told reporters earlier this week.

“This is the beauty of it but I do understand how hard it could be for players to say, am I going to have a job in November?”

Here’s what each team needs heading into the free agency period:

Toronto

Toronto has 12 players under contract including the starting goaltender (Kristen Campbell), top defensive pairing (Jocelyne Larocque and Renata Fast) and top two scorers (Natalie Spooner and Sarah Nurse). 

Spooner alone accounted for nearly one-third of Toronto’s goals last season, but GM Gina Kingsbury has been preparing for the possibility that Spooner may not be ready to start next season, as she recovers from knee surgery.

Step one in replacing that scoring is re-signing a key part of last year’s top six, Hannah Miller. A steal in the 13th round of the 2023 draft, Miller racked up 14 points in 23 games.

Offense could also come from first-round draft pick Julia Gosling, who brings many of the same elements as Spooner. Her size and shot, which Spooner described as better than her own, should allow her to contribute right away.

Another option is Izzy Daniel, who put up a ton of points at Cornell University en route to winning the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best female player in college hockey.

On the blue line, Toronto will add second-round draft pick Megan Carter to a physical, tough-to-play against defensive corps that already includes Fast, Larcoque, Kali Flanagan and Allie Munroe. 

Montreal

Montreal’s picture is set in net and on the back end for next season, after announcing several contract extensions earlier this week. Teams have been able to re-sign players since June 1.

Goaltender Elaine Chuli is back for another season behind starter Ann-Renée Desbiens, after posting stellar numbers over eight regular-season games.

Montreal also re-signed defenders Amanda Boulier (two seasons) and Mariah Keopple (one season). They’ll join Erin Ambrose, Kati Tabin and a healthy Dominika Lásková on next year’s defensive depth chart. First-round draft pick and Olympic gold medallist Cayla Barnes should also grab a top-four role and time on the power play.

It’ll be a deeper blue line than the one Montreal finished the season with, and leaves only one or two jobs up for grabs at camp.

The team’s top six looks strong once you add draft picks Amanda Kessel, Abby Boreen and Jennifer Gardiner to the mix. But should a player like Kessel not play for Montreal, the team will have a hole to fill. One possibility is re-signing Mikyla Grant-Mentis, who spent time in Montreal’s top six at the end of the season.

Ottawa

As of Thursday afternoon, two of Ottawa’s top scorers still appeared to be unsigned: Daryl Watts and Kateřina Mrázová.

Watts, Mrázová and captain Brianne Jenner made up Ottawa’s best line from the time head coach Carla MacLeod put them together in mid-February until the squad’s push for a playoff spot ended on the last day of the regular season.

Before the draft, GM Mike Hirshfeld said both players showed interest in returning to Ottawa, and he felt the team could offer them competitive contracts. (The league has agreed with the players’ union to not release specific salary amounts.)

Ottawa will have a hole to fill in its top six should one or both not return. On the plus side, the team added world champion Danielle Serdachny second overall in the draft, and her size and skill should allow her to slide into the top six seamlessly.

The team lacked depth on the back end last season after trading away a top-four defender and immediately losing another to a season-ending injury. It’s a mistake Hirshfeld vowed he wouldn’t make again, and he had five defenders under contract heading into the draft.

Hirshfeld then selected another three, including veteran Finnish defender Ronja Savolainen, who will add size and grit.

Boston

After a solid draft in 2023, GM Danielle Marmer went into this off-season feeling like her team was missing only a couple of pieces to complete the puzzle she’s trying to build.

One was a dynamic play-making forward who can get other players the puck, and she found that in Team USA forward Hannah Bilka, who was drafted fourth overall. On a team that struggled to score last season, Bilka’s skating and skill could help create more opportunities for players like Hilary Knight or Loren Gabel to shoot the puck.

Another was a strong skating defender who can break the puck out. Marmer feels she got that in Czech defender Daniela Pejšová, who she traded up to acquire at seventh overall, plus two other puck-moving defenders in Sydney Bard and Hadley Hartmetz.

Fifteen players from last season are also set to return. Key free agents who remain unsigned include steady defender Kaleigh Fratkin and third-line centre Lexie Adzija.

New York

Daoust checked off one of the biggest items on his to-do list when he re-signed goaltender of the year nominee Corinne Schroeder for another two seasons. 

She’s one of 12 players signed to New York ahead of free agency. While Daoust doesn’t plan to give away much job security before training camp, there’s no doubt first-overall pick Sarah Fillier will be a priority to sign, as will other top draft picks like defender Maja Nylén Persson and veteran Finnish forward Noora Tulus.

At Colgate University, Fargo tried to build an environment where players pushed each other to get better every day. It’s something he plans to bring to New York, along with a puck possession style of play.

Minnesota

Minnesota has 11 players under contract heading into free agency, and has yet to announce any player re-signings this off-season. The team is also the only one without a GM, after parting ways with Natalie Darwitz.

The free agent to watch is forward Michela Cava, who played a big role in Minnesota’s Walter Cup win alongside Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield. 

Minnesota seems set in net, with a solid tandem of Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney returning next season, and on the blue line. Third-overall draft pick Claire Thompson should join Sophie Jaques and Lee Stecklein as difference makers on defense.

Up front, the team drafted Britta Curl, who apologized earlier this month for causing hurt by interacting with anti-LGBTQ+ social media posts. But it feels like the team needs a bit more forward depth, with players like Sophia Kunin and Brittyn Fleming retiring this off-season.