With four expansion franchises preparing to enter the PWHL this fall, many fans have been left wondering how Hamilton, Detroit, Las Vegas and San Jose are assembling their first-year rosters. The answer lies in a six-phase player distribution process unlike anything used before in professional hockey. The PWHL abandoned the traditional expansion draft model and replaced it with a plan to stock the new franchises without completely dismantling the league’s eight existing teams.
The Phase 1 process began with each established club protecting three players under contract for the 2026-27 season. Any player not protected became vulnerable to recruitment by the expansion clubs.
In Phase 2, the expansion teams began signing unprotected players from existing clubs, allowing them to quickly establish the foundation of their inaugural rosters. Each new team was allowed to negotiate exclusively with players from pre-submitted 20-player target lists, enabling them to sign exactly five foundational players through special multi-year offers.
Phase 3 expanded the process league-wide. Existing franchises gained the ability to protect three more of their own players, while their remaining unsigned and unprotected players on expiring contracts were allowed to negotiate with all other interested teams. For the established teams, this increased the number of protected players from three to six and helped limit further roster losses as the expansion process continued.
Phase 4 required the expansion teams to complete the foundation of their inaugural rosters. Each club was tasked with reaching exactly 10 players under contract, either through additional free-agent signings or, if necessary, through a league-guided player selection process designed to ensure all four franchises met their roster requirements.
Phase 5 gave existing teams a final opportunity to retain their own remaining unsigned free agents. A split exclusive re-signing period before and after the entry draft allowed clubs to negotiate with players whose rights they already held and issue qualifying offers to preserve those rights.
Phase 6 marked the beginning of true open free agency. Following the draft, all remaining eligible players became available to negotiate throughout the league, allowing teams to fill out their final rosters and prepare for the upcoming season.
Supporters of the process argue that it provides expansion teams with a realistic opportunity to compete immediately while avoiding the disruption that can accompany a traditional expansion draft. Critics counter that the system is complicated and can be difficult for fans to follow, particularly when player movement occurs across multiple signing windows rather than during a single headline-grabbing event.
What cannot be disputed is that the PWHL chose a unique approach that aligns with many of their previous creative decisions. Instead of stocking new teams through a one-day expansion draft, the league turned roster construction into a carefully staged process involving protected lists, exclusive negotiating windows, foundational signings, free-agent movement and the entry draft. The goal was to give Hamilton, Detroit, Las Vegas and San Jose a realistic chance to compete immediately without stripping the league’s existing franchises bare.
And of course, the repeated media coverage spread out over several weeks is a secondary bonus that was almost certainly no accident. Rather than generating a single day’s worth of headlines, the six-phase process created a steady stream of news, speculation and roster announcements that kept the PWHL front and centre throughout the offseason.
