PWHL expansion draft: Rules, format and key details for Vancouver & Seattle

While preparing to close the books on its second season since launching on Jan. 1, 2024, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will soon be writing a new chapter this summer.

In April, the league announced its westward expansion to Vancouver and Seattle, increasing the number of teams in the PWHL to eight from the original six founding franchises located on the east coast of the United States and Canada.

With Vancouver and Seattle set to make their highly anticipated debuts for the 2025-26 season, the PWHL created procedures and rules to fairly integrate the two new squads. On Monday, the league announced it will hold the 2025 expansion draft on June 9, followed by the PWHL draft on June 24.

Here is a breakdown of the rules and format, which include key details about the roster-building process with the expansion:

Rules:

Every PWHL team’s standard roster consists of 23 active players. To promote balance while supplying Vancouver and Seattle with solid foundations, each of the six founding teams (Minnesota, New York, Boston, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal) will relinquish four of their players from the 2024-25 roster.

Each founding franchise can also protect four of its players, with the player protection lists due on June 3 at noon ET. The teams will initially protect three players from being selected during the exclusive signing window (June 4-8) and the expansion draft (June 9).

After the founding team has relinquished two players, whether via the signing window or the expansion draft, the team can then protect its fourth player.

Format:

The exclusive signing window opens on June 4 at 9 a.m. ET, the day following the submission of the player protection lists, and closes on June 8 at 5 p.m. ET, one day before the expansion draft.

During that period, Seattle and Vancouver will be granted a five-day window to sign a maximum of five players from those who are unprotected or on an expiring contract. There is no minimum number of players that teams are required to sign during the window.

2025 Expansion Draft: June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET

During the expansion draft, Vancouver and Seattle will select a minimum of seven players each until they both reach a roster of 12. Unprotected players who are under contract for the 2025-26 season and players whose playing rights are held through the 2025-26 season are eligible to be drafted. The draft order has yet to be announced.

2025 PWHL draft June 24 at 7 p.m.:

All eight teams will participate in the six-round draft and can select eligible players from other professional leagues as well as recent college graduates.

The New York Sirens have the first pick in this year’s draft due to the gold plan system, in which teams accumulate draft order points after being eliminated from postseason contention.

Further details regarding the player signing window and the order of the drafts have yet to be announced.

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PWHL Finals begin Tuesday: Ottawa vs. Minnesota

The Ottawa Charge will face the reigning Walter Cup champion, Minnesota Frost, in the 2025 PWHL Finals. The best-of-five game series begins on Tuesday, with Minnesota visiting Ottawa.

Minnesota Frost vs. Ottawa Charge - Source: Getty

The Frost defeated the Toronto Sceptres in four games in the semifinals, winning their last three contests to clinch the series. In Game 2, the Frost posted a whopping seven goals to defeat the Sceptres 7-5.

The Charge also clinched their semifinal series in four games after taking down the top-seeded Montréal Victoire. Montréal only secured Game 2 of the series after winning 3-2 in quadruple overtime.