Hamilton solidified its roster Saturday by signing Swiss forward Alina M\u00fcller and Canadian defender Nicole Gosling to three-year contracts as part of the PWHL expansion.<\/p>\n
The new clubs joining the league next season\u2014Hamilton, Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Jose\u2014will bring the total number of teams to 12.<\/p>\n
Each expansion franchise had to secure their first five players by Monday afternoon, concluding the second phase of the six-phase process.<\/p>\n
Hamilton, led by general manager Meghan Duggan, a former U.S. women\u2019s team captain, now has four players signed with the addition of M\u00fcller and Gosling. The team had previously signed Canadian forward Brianne Jenner and goaltender Kayle Osborne.<\/p>\n
Each of the eight existing teams protected three players, but could lose up to three others under contract for next season by the Monday deadline.<\/p>\n
M\u00fcller was the third overall pick by Boston Fleet in the PWHL\u2019s inaugural 2023 draft. The 28-year-old forward recently scored the overtime goal that secured Switzerland\u2019s bronze medal at the Winter Olympics in February. She ranks tied for most assists in PWHL history, with 40 in 80 career games, and posted four goals and 17 assists last season with Boston.<\/p>\n
Gosling, 24, was a finalist for the PWHL rookie award after recording three goals, 16 assists, and a plus-16 rating during the Montreal Victoire\u2019s Walter Cup championship run. She contributed a goal and two assists in nine playoff games. Hailing from London, Ontario, Gosling also won gold with Canada at the 2024 Women\u2019s World Championship in Utica, New York. She was Montreal\u2019s fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, San Jose made a notable signing, securing New York forward Kristin O\u2019Neill to a two-year foundational offer worth at least $100,000 per season. The 28-year-old Canadian Olympian, who earned $86,872 last season, reunites with former Team Canada coach Troy Ryan, now San Jose\u2019s head coach and general manager. O\u2019Neill led the New York Sirens in faceoffs won with 272 and contributed four goals and one assist across 30 regular-season games. San Jose also signed forward Anne Cherkowski, who tallied two goals and seven assists last season, to a two-year deal.<\/p>\n
Las Vegas added Minnesota defenders Kendall Cooper and Mae Batherson on two-year contracts. Batherson, 25, from New Minas, Nova Scotia, won a Walter Cup as a rookie and increased her production to 15 points, including three goals, this past season. Cooper, from Oakville, Ontario, was the sixth overall pick in last year\u2019s draft and tied for second among rookies with 19 points. She holds the league record for defenders with a six-game points streak.<\/p>\n
A landmark signing came Friday as Detroit locked in Toronto forward Darryl Watts with the PWHL\u2019s first-ever four-year contract. The 27-year-old led the Toronto Sceptres in scoring last season with 10 goals and nine assists in 27 games. Watts made her Olympic debut in February with Team Canada, leading the squad with two goals and six assists in seven games, earning a silver medal.<\/p>\n
With files from The Associated Press\u2019 John Wawrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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