It was a quiet week in the PWHL with only a handful of signings. Teams continue to negotiate contracts, at this point primarily with draft picks. The league is about to enter into full offseason mode when staff contracts roll over to a new year on June 30. There's a lot to do this offseason from finalizing team names, choosing home rinks, scheduling the season, and planning for what's certain to be an even bigger and better season on and off the ice for the league.
Here's a look at what we're hearing and seeing around the league this week.
Camp Invites Can Begin July 8
Many fans have been asking when or if we'll see more free agent movement, including the invitation of unsigned and undrafted free agents to camps. The date to watch is July 8. That's the date teams are eligible to extend invites to free agents for training camps. There's a chance that process will lead to a few more signings as teams will need to weigh whether they want to lose a camp invite to another team if they choose to accept a different invitation, or if they'd rather extend a contract offer to guarantee they start camp with an organization. There are still a group of undrafted free agents who are likely to join PWHL teams as free agent invites, a list that could include players like Klara Peslarova, Laura Kluge, and Rylind MacKinnon.
U Sports Players Heading Back To School
Unlike NCAA players, it's become clear that U Sports players are unaffected by declaring for the PWHL Draft. Many of the players who declared for the PWHL Draft from U Sports will be heading back to their programs next season including Waterloo's Leah Herrfort and Nipissing's Kara den Hoed. Declaring for the draft does not make U Sports players ineligible for school as it does with NCAA players. In fact, declaring a season early for many U Sports players could help them in the future as any player who declares twice for the draft becomes a free agent moving forward and does not need to declare again meaning they can choose their destination if a team wishes to sign them.
No PWHL Players In Summer Leagues?
Last offseason, expectant fans clung to online feeds of Minnesota's Celly League and Montreal's Living Sisu Hockey League. The Celly League is already underway filled with NCAA talent, but there's a clear difference this season: no pros. Last season the Minnesota league featured many future PWHL players like Denisa Krizova, Abby Boreen, Maggie Flaherty, and Liz Schepers, but none were rostered when the summer league began last week . Article 26 of the PWHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement players are "forbidden from engaging in activities that may involve significant risk of personal injury or illness" which includes "any competitive game (that is, other than a casual pickup game) or exhibition of hockey." NHL players regularly participate in summer leagues including Living Sisu and Da Beauty League, so it will be interesting to see if players can return to Living Sisu which begins on July 8. Last summer the league included many future PWHL players including Laura Stacey, Jade Downie-Landry, Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Sophie Bettez, Gabrielle David, Sarah Lefort, Maude Poulin-Labelle, Samantha Isbell, Alexandra Labelle, Alexa Vasko, Jessie Eldridge, Jill Saulnier, Lauriane Rougeau, Savannah Harmon, Catherine Daoust, Melodie Daoust, and others.
Related: No Pros But Minnesota's Celly League Is Back For Another Season
All Quiet On The Minnesota General Manager Role
Waiting for the dust to settle. That's the best way to describe what appears to be happening in Minnesota. A new general manager in Minnesota would be a league level hire and the league is certainly working to resolve the situation in Minnesota. The team however, just went through the most important weeks for any general manager in the PWHL Draft and opening of free agency. The next step will be inviting free agents to camp beginning July 8, and with no general manager in place, Minnesota will likely continue to operate under Ken Klee's dual role as coach and GM, and undoubtedly the input of players in guiding who gets a camp invite. No new news has emerged from the debacle that resulted in Natalie Darwitz's dismissal, sparked on by the influence of a small group of Minnesota veterans and their head coach. Meanwhile the league held silent when Darwitz was announced as a member of the 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame induction class, choosing not to acknowledge the former staff member.
Related: Darwitz, Wendell-Pohl To Be Inducted To Hockey Hall of Fame
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