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Goaltender Kayle Osborne, who played the past two seasons with the New York Sirens, was a key signing for the new PWHL team in Hamilton.
Osborne, 24, had just completed her second pro season and first as New York’s starting goalie. She logged a heavy workload, earning a spot on Canada’s Olympic team and emerging as a potential goalie of the future for the program.
But like many players, Osborne entered last week’s PWHL expansion draft uncertain about what lay ahead. The league was adding four new teams in Hamilton, Detroit, San Jose, and Las Vegas, with a complex, multi-phase process to build the new rosters.
“There was just so much uncertainty to try to wrap your head around,” Osborne told CBC Sports. “You couldn’t really have conversations because that wasn’t allowed in the rules. You had to wait until a certain day, but then things moved so fast. So it was just very chaotic.”
When it all settled, Osborne was one of five foundational players signed by Hamilton.
She had hoped to stay with New York but wasn’t among the three players protected by the Sirens. New York chose to keep three young forwards: Sarah Fillier, Kristýna Kaltounková and Casey O’Brien.
“They protected three really quality players,” Osborne said. “I definitely understood that. But I think then at that point, I was kind of grasping that this is a new chapter, it’s a new opportunity and then with that came excitement.”
When Osborne finally spoke with expansion teams, she connected well with Hamilton GM Meghan Duggan.
“We’re very aligned on a lot of the things we think about hockey in terms of identity and culture, so that was phenomenal,” Osborne said. “For me, that kind of sealed the deal, just talking to her and realizing we’re on the same page and she’s building something really cool here.”
Osborne also liked playing under head coach Kris Sparre, who came to Hamilton after leading a major turnaround for the Boston Fleet last season. Osborne noted her New York team lost all four games against Boston.
Another plus: Hamilton is less than four hours away from her family home in Westport, Ont., near Kingston.
The first person she called after signing was her mother, Debbie, who was “over the moon” about the news, Osborne said.
Losing Osborne is a blow for the Sirens, the only PWHL team that didn’t protect a goaltender in the expansion draft. The team will need to fill the gap through trades, free agency, or the entry draft next Wednesday in Detroit.
New York GM Pascal Daoust praised Osborne’s impact. “She leaves a lasting impression on our team, and we are better because of her presence, her energy, and her dedication,” he said. “Her impact on our culture and performance will carry forward, and we wish her nothing but success in the next chapter.”
Hamilton’s roster now boasts stars such as former Ottawa Charge teammates Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark, Swiss standout Alina Müller from Boston, and young defender Nicole Gosling, who played a key role in Montreal’s power play during their Walter Cup run.
Jenner, Hamilton’s first revealed signing, is a three-year deal and a team leader Osborne got to know well while living with her during Team Canada training last fall.
“That was a really cool moment,” Osborne said of Jenner’s signing.
The group brings youth and leadership, with Gosling strengthening the defense and Clark known for penalty killing. Jenner consistently elevated every line she played on in Ottawa.
Müller, one of the league’s top two-way centers, is also familiar to coach Sparre from his Boston days.
With this foundation and Sparre’s guidance, Hamilton shapes up as a team to watch next season. Duggan said she aims to build a squad that’s tough to play against, fast, and relentless—much like Sparre’s last Boston team.
“We want to create something that’s sustainable, that people want to be a part of,” Duggan said after her hiring. “That’s including our fans, that’s including our players, that’s including our staff.”
In other expansion news, Detroit signed Daryl Watts, former Toronto Sceptre star, to the PWHL’s first four-year foundational contract, guaranteeing at least $100,000 US per season. Detroit also landed Team USA gold medallists Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, and Britta Curl-Salemme, plus Jesse Compher from the Sceptres.
Detroit will add former Seattle captain Hilary Knight in a sign-and-trade deal with Las Vegas. Knight signed a one-year foundational offer with Vegas, but the trade won’t be official until the league’s trade freeze lifts on June 16.
Detroit now has multiple offensive threats, including Bilka and Watts, two of the Olympic tournament’s top five scorers.
Las Vegas has focused on defense, adding Minnesota Frost’s Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper, along with Walter Cup champion Erin Ambrose from Montreal. Vegas also signed Ambrose’s teammate Hayley Scamurra, a forward with grit and offense.
San Jose’s foundational signing was two-way forward Kristin O’Neill, a key penalty killer under coach and GM Troy Ryan on Team Canada. Last season in New York, O’Neill won more than 270 face-offs, one of the highest totals in the league.
San Jose also signed Ottawa Charge defender Rory Guilday, New York forwards Anne Cherkowski and Maddi Wheeler, and Seattle goalie Corinne Schroeder.
All expansion teams had until Monday afternoon to sign five foundational players, but announcements stretched into the evening.
The next phase begins Wednesday when expansion teams can each sign up to three more players, while existing teams can protect three additional players each.