With the PWHL expanding for the second consecutive year, the league is making a concerted effort to maintain healthy competition as four new teams enter the fold.

The PWHL unveiled a six-phase expansion process that is “designed to support roster construction for the league’s four expansion teams while maintaining competitive balance and roster continuity for the league’s existing teams,” according to a statement released by the league.

The PWHL is expanding to Hamilton, San Jose, Las Vegas and Detroit next season, just one year after adding teams in Vancouver and Seattle.

Jayna Hefford, the league’s executive vice president of hockey operations, emphasized a major priority was to allow players to have a meaningful voice in the process.

“We believe this framework accomplishes both goals and reflects the collaborative and forward-thinking approach that has helped shape the PWHL since Day 1,” Hefford added, per the league’s statement.

Below is a brief overview of all six phases, which begin on June 2 and end on June 19.

Phase 1: Existing team foundational signings/protections
Key dates: June 2, June 3

In the first phase, existing PWHL teams will choose three players under contract for the 2026-27 season to protect during the expansion process. This list must be submitted to the league by June 3 at 5 p.m. ET.

Prior to this, existing teams may sign players on expiring contracts or issue qualifying offers to players who have their rights held for the 2026-27 season, which must include a salary increase of three per cent. The signing period opens on June 2 at noon ET and closes June 3 at 3 p.m. ET.

Players on expiring contracts are eligible to sign with any existing team during this period, but each team can only lose up to one player through that process.

Players signed during this period are automatically considered one of the three protected players for their new teams.

Phase 2: Expansion team foundational signing period
Key dates: June 5, June 8

In this phase, expansion teams are permitted to sign their first five players. Expansion teams may sign any PWHL player who was on an existing team’s roster at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season and has not been protected by their team, regardless of contract status.

Existing teams can lose up to three players under contract, though teams may lose an unlimited number of players on expiring contracts to the expansion process.

The signing period opens on June 5 at noon ET and closes June 8 at 1 p.m. ET.

If an expansion team does not have five players at the conclusion of the signing period, that team will enter a post-signing selection process which, if necessary, will take place June 8 from 3 p.m. ET to 5 p.m. ET.

Phase 3: Preliminary open signing period
Key dates: June 10, June 12

In the third phase, expansion teams will sign up to three players on expiring contracts. If expansion teams do not sign three players, they will be permitted to sign additional players in Phase 4 to ensure they finish the fourth phase with 10 roster players.

Existing teams are permitted to protect three more players for whom they hold rights, but must extend a qualifying offer. This protection list is to be submitted to the league by June 12 at 5 p.m.

Like in Phase 1, any player who signs with an existing team during this time is automatically considered to be one of the team’s three protected players in Phase 3. Existing teams will now have a total of six protected players.

The signing period opens June 10 at noon ET and closes June 12 at 3 p.m. ET.

Phase 4: Expansion team signing period
Key dates: June 14, June 15

Expansion teams are permitted to sign any player who has not been protected by their existing team, regardless of contract status.

By the end of this phase, expansion teams will have 10 roster players. If they have not reached that threshold, they will undergo another player selection process.

This signing period opens on June 14 at noon ET and closes June 15 at 3 p.m.

Phase 5: Existing team exclusive re-signing period
Key dates: June 16, June 18

In the fifth phase, existing teams are offered an exclusive window to negotiate and sign their own players on expiring contracts. These players may also choose to wait until the open signing period.

The first window opens on June 16 from 9 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET. The second window opens on June 18 from 9 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET. The PWHL Entry Draft will take place on June 17.

Existing teams must also issue qualifying offers to 2025 draftees in order to retain their rights.

Phase 6: Open signing period
Key date: June 19

Taking place two days after the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft, both expansion teams and existing teams are permitted to sign any additional player on an expiring contract starting June 19 at noon ET.

By the end of the process, all 12 PWHL teams should have a maximum of 23 active players plus three additional reserve players.