The Professional Women's Hockey League released its Phase 1 protected-player list Wednesday to facilitate the addition of four new expansion franchises [1].
This move allows new teams to begin signing players who were not shielded by existing clubs, effectively redistributing talent across the league to ensure competitive balance as the organization grows.
The expansion will bring professional women's hockey to Detroit, Michigan; Hamilton, Ontario; Las Vegas, Nevada; and San Jose, California [2]. The roster-building process, which consists of six phases, officially opened on Tuesday [2].
Under the current rules, each existing team may protect three players from being signed by the expansion franchises [3]. The league's announcement named several stars on the protected list, including Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Alina Muller, and Brianne Jenner [1].
These protections create a strategic divide between established stars and the pool of unprotected talent. The four new teams must now navigate the remaining phases of the process to fill their inaugural rosters [2].
While the league has released these lists to structure the expansion, some reports suggest a volatile environment as teams decide which big-name players to leave unsigned [4]. The process remains the primary mechanism for the PWHL to scale its footprint across North America [2].
“Each existing team may protect three players from signing with expansion teams.”
The PWHL is utilizing a structured expansion draft similar to those seen in established professional sports leagues to prevent the original teams from hoarding all top-tier talent. By limiting protections to three players per club, the league ensures that the four new franchises in the U.S. and Canada can be immediately competitive, which is critical for attracting fanbases and investors in new markets.
