Complex, but necessary, is what the general managers of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s four new teams say about the expansion process.
The PWHL held a seven-round expansion draft last year when it added teams in Vancouver and Seattle.
But this year’s system swung heavily to negotiating with players and signing them.
A selection process will be held only if Hamilton, Detroit, Las Vegas and San Jose, Calif., or any combination thereof, can’t sign their first five “foundational” players by June 8, or haven’t come to terms on contracts with at least 10 players by June 15.
The league is attempting to balance fairness between new and existing teams, as well as give the players more control over where they end up, as the PWHL embarks on becoming a 12-team league in 2026-27.
The six-phase plan started Thursday, when each of the existing eight teams submitted a negotiation list to the league. What follows is a process that’s laid out in over 100 bullet points in a 13-page PWHL document.
“That’s the end goal, is to allow the expansion teams to build a competitive team but also allow the players to have a bit of a say and to have the (Players’ Association) happy with the process,” said Hamilton’s general manager Meghan Duggan on Thursday. “This is unique, right? We’re all kind of learning.
“There’s a lot of dates as part of this and deadlines where things need to be submitted and I am just ready to get it going.”
Existing teams can lose up to four players under contract for next season during the first four phases ending June 15.
All dozen teams can start talking to players Sunday, but only the existing eight can sign three players to protect by Tuesday.
Expansion teams have three days starting June 5 to sign their first five players and have a two-day window June 14-15 to get to 10.
Unsigned or unprotected players on expiring contracts can negotiate with all 12 teams June 10-12.
The six-round entry draft June 17 in Detroit is also where the new teams can flesh out inaugural rosters from the 236 women who are eligible for it.
But there are also exclusive one-day signing periods for the existing eight the day before and after the entry draft. That’s when they can re-sign their players on expiring contracts who didn’t end up elsewhere.
It’s also when teams must make qualifying offers to players whose rights they hold for 2026-27 to keep them. After that, the doors open June 19 to sign any free agents.
“I have reminders on my computer. I have a reminder on my phone,” said San Jose general manager and coach Troy Ryan.
“The league already has done an unbelievable job at just keeping all the general managers up to date on where we’re at in the process. All you can really do is educate yourself as much as you can, collect as much information as you can, tap into the resources that you have around you, and try to build the best decisions you possibly can make.
“The complexity of it . . . is what gives me optimism that it is going to be fair, it is going to be beneficial to both existing teams and expansion teams. It shows that there’s been collaboration, I assume, with the athletes, with existing staff and also with the Players’ Association.”
Las Vegas GM Dominique DiDia has sat on the other side of the negotiation table with players as an agent with CAA.
“The expansive process is definitely complex,” DiDia said. “I was an agent in the last expansion and was able to be an agent for a lot of these players from the first free agent signing ahead of the 2023 draft.
“There’s a great opportunity for us to have discussions with players and make sure that our players that we have on our team want to be a part of our team from the beginning. We’re really excited to begin the conversations next week with players and agents and just have the opportunity for discussion, which is a different aspect from last year.”
Detroit’s GM Manon Rheaume acknowledged there are many moving parts to manage over the next three weeks as she pieces together a roster from current and new players.
“The league is so well organized and prepared us to be the most prepared we can for that expansion,” she said.
“The rules, like everybody else, you read them quite a few times, you ask a lot of questions, and they’re all there to help you and support you and really make sure that you’re ready for that.
“It’s just a lot of hours in the next few days to get ready for next week, that’s for sure.”
Rheaume’s Detroit team announced Thursday that Josh Sciba will be its first head coach.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2026.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
