On Monday, the PWHL’s two newest teams in Vancouver and Seattle chose the seven players to round out their 12-player rosters in the league’s expansion roster building process.
The Montreal Victoire had already lost forward Jennifer Gardiner (who signed with Vancouver) and Cayla Barnes (Seattle) in the league’s exclusive signing period. Both teams signed the maximum five players in that period. The remaining players under contract or whose signing rights are owned by a team were available for selection.
The Victoire lost forward Abby Boreen to Vancouver and defender Anna Wilgren to Seattle. Each team lost four players in the process.
Abby Boreen was the team’s third-round pick in the 2024 Draft and was fourth in team scoring last season with six goals and eight assists in 30 games this season. She won a Walter Cup with Minnesota in the inaugural 2024 season as a reserve player.
Anna Wilgren was a breakout player last season after being a fifth-round pick in the 2024 Draft. She was on the team’s top four for pretty much the entire season, mainly next to Barnes. She had three goals and six assists in 30 games and was a +7. She does not have a contract for the 2025-26 season but was a restricted free agent.
Montreal originally protected Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renée Desbiens. Erin Ambrose was protected once they lost two players, as every team has the right to do.
The focus will now go to the PWHL Entry Draft, which will be held on June 24 in Ottawa and will be six rounds and where the eight teams will start to fill out their roster prior to the league’s free agency.
