With the announcement that the Skilled Girls’s Hockey League (PWHL) will develop to the West Coast with groups in Vancouver and Seattle, a number of questions have been raised relating to how the league will proceed with an growth draft. On Could 19, the PWHL introduced the way it will proceed with an Enlargement Draft.
Every of the inaugural six groups must hand over 4 gamers, so each groups collaborating within the Enlargement Draft, Vancouver and Seattle, have 12 gamers earlier than all eight groups will partake within the PWHL Draft on June 24.
Whereas every group has to launch 4 gamers from their rosters, they will save three earlier than the growth draft begins. All groups should submit which three gamers they need to shield by midday on June 3. The subsequent day, June 4, an unique signing window will open for Vancouver and Seattle. Each groups are allowed to signal at most 5 gamers from any of the primary six groups. As soon as every of the inaugural six groups releases two gamers to both of the 2 groups, they’re allowed to avoid wasting one other participant, for a max of 4 protected gamers. The official growth draft will happen 5 days later, on June 9. Right here, each Seattle and Vancouver will alternate deciding on gamers till every group has 12 gamers. If one of many two upcoming groups didn’t signal 5 gamers within the 5 days main as much as the growth draft, they are going to be allowed to draft extra gamers till they attain the 12-player most.
The 2025 Enlargement Draft will be certain that all of the groups inside the PWHL are aggressive and balanced. All of the gamers inside the PWHL exhibit distinctive ability and expertise. With an growth draft, each PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle might be in nice form to compete as soon as the 2025-26 season begins up.
