2025 PWHL Expansion Draft: Top Players Available at Each Position

The initial PWHL expansion lists have been announced, and now PWHL Seattle and Vancouver get to salivate over the number of bona fide stars teams had to leave exposed. With so much talent available, I decided to take a look at the the top three players available at each position. For the purposes of this exercise, only players eligible for protection were considered, so no pending unrestricted free agents.

Forwards

Alex Carpenter (New York Sirens). In perhaps the most stunning move of the pre-draft period, the Sirens left star forward Alex Carpenter exposed in favor of defender captain Micah Zandee-Hart. Carpenter is easily the most tantalizing forward on the board, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is practically a bidding war for her services during the exclusive free agency window. The Sirens alternate captain is third all-time in league scoring with 43 points (19 goals and 24 assists) despite playing on an iffy team. She has proven that not only can she produce with anyone as her linemates, but she elevates the play of those around her. If I was a GM, getting her would be my top priority, and it wouldn’t be a very difficult choice.

Hilary Knight (Boston Fleet). Another bombshell exposure, the Fleet did not protect Knight, their captain, who tied for the league scoring lead last season. The Fleet had an excruciating choice between protecting her and likely losing both Alina Müller and Hannah Bilka, or sacrificing the significantly older Knight to hang on to one of them. Ultimately, the Fleet probably made the right decision for their long-term success, given the 35-year-old Knight has already announced her Olympic retirement, and her PWHL retirement won’t be far behind. In fact, this move makes me wonder if that’s also coming next season. Regardless, Knight is a future Hall of Famer, Team USA’s all-time leading scorer at the women's Worlds, and overall one of the game’s most decorated players. Both GMs emphasized the importance of leadership and culture in their first media availabilities, and Knight brings that in droves. Add in her still-prolific scoring and the name recognition that will help get people in seats, and she’s the kind of player you don’t pass on, even if it’s just for one season. She’s spoken very highly of Seattle, so if that interest is mutual, don’t be shocked if she lands there during the exclusive signing window.

Sarah Nurse (Toronto Sceptres). Keeping with the surprising exposure theme, let’s talk about Nurse. I anticipated that the Sceptres would protect her over captain Blayre Turnbull, whose contract in comparison to her production made her less likely to be picked in the first half of the draft. But the Sceptres prioritized keeping their captain, and now Seattle or Vancouver has the chance to grab a prolific scorer and one of the game’s best ambassadors. Nurse has had success everywhere she's played, proven by her holding the record for most points in a single Olympics tournament (18 points in 2022) and sitting fifth in all-time PWHL points per game with 0.82. She’ll be a foundational piece of whichever team lands her for years to come.

Defenders

Cayla Barnes (Montréal Victoire). Barnes being available is not a surprise, but that doesn’t mean losing her won’t be a big blow to the Victoire. She's one of the game’s best young defenders and brings an excellent transition game. Her 13 points in 30 games last season led all rookie defenders and tied for the team defensive scoring league. Plus, Barnes also brings a wealth of experience that few 26-year-olds can claim, having already been to two Olympics and six World Championships. She’s also under contract for two more seasons, so all things considered, picking her should be a no-brainer.

Erin Ambrose (Montréal Victoire). The Victoire defense core is really not going to have fun in the first half of the expansion draft. Ambrose is arguably the best all-around defender in the game. Her offense wasn’t quite where she wanted it to be last season, but 13 points in 30 games while eating tough minutes (and staying out of the box) is nothing to sneeze at. Ambrose is also an outstanding leader who would have a strong case to wear the “C” for whichever franchise selects her. If you’re talking about winning now, there’s no better available player to build your defensive core around.

Sophie Jaques (Minnesota Frost). Now let’s get back to some surprise moves. Lee Stecklein is one of best shutdown defenders in the game who brought unexpected offense after the 2025 Worlds, but it was a surprise to see the Frost protect her over Jaques. Jaques had a breakout season this year, and she was a consistently dominant force at both ends of the ice. Her 22 points were tied with Toronto’s Renata Fast for the league lead in defensive scoring, while her 0.88 points per game were comfortably in the lead (excluding Toronto's Jessica Kondas, who only played in one game). The 24-year-old might be the best young defender in the game, and she will surely shine bright for whichever team selects her.

Goaltenders

Corinne Schroeder (New York Sirens). Returning to the expected albeit painful decisions, Schroeder is the best goaltender available in this expansion draft. She doesn’t get the credit she deserves for the performances she put on these past two seasons behind a frequently dreadful Sirens club. Her 0.924 career SV% percentage is tied for third in the league with Boston's Aerin Frankel, while her five shutouts lead all goaltenders. With the way the expansion process is set up, it’s likely that whichever team she lands on will be better than the Sirens one she’s been behind, so look for those numbers to only get better on the West Coast. I expect her to be the first goaltender taken in the draft.

Emerance Maschmeyer (Ottawa Charge). Next up for best available netminders, Maschmeyer looked like a lock to be protected until she was injured in March, sparking Gwyneth Phillips’ brilliant run. After that, exposing Maschmeyer quickly became the right, albeit still difficult, call for the Charge. She hasn’t played in a game since that injury, but there isn’t much doubt that she’ll pick up right where she left off, which was having an MVP-caliber season behind a then-hapless Ottawa squad. Her stats aren’t quite as dazzling as Schroeder’s, but they’re still great. Add in her wealth of international experience, and you have all the makings of a goaltender to build your franchise around.

Kayle Osborne (New York Sirens). Luckily for the Sirens, they had two great goaltenders last season. Unluckily for the Sirens, that wasn’t enough for them to make playoffs and to rub salt in the wound, now they have to expose them both in the expansion draft. However, also luckily for the Sirens, it’d be a shock if they lost both their goaltenders in the first half of the draft, so they should get the chance to protect Osborne. That said, if they choose to hang on to another skater with their fourth protection, Osborne should be near the top of each expansion club’s list for a backup netminder. The 23-year-old was the youngest goaltender in the league last season, yet she still managed to sport a solid 2.22 GAA and 0.916 SV% in ten games behind a rocky Sirens squad. She looks like she’s going to be a bona fide star in the league, so I wouldn’t hesitate to grab her as the draft winds down. This should especially be the case for whichever team snags Maschmeyer, who is five years older than Schroeder and will almost certainly retire first.

The 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft is set for June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET. More details will be announced in the coming days. In the meantime, an exclusive signing window for the expansion clubs opens tomorrow, June 4, at 9 a.m. ET and runs through June 8 at 5 p.m. ET. In that time, teams will be able to sign a maximum of five exposed players or pending free agents, with each signing counting toward the total each original six team must relinquish.