• Loading stock data...
Friday, June 20, 2025

PWHL Expansion Rules Threaten Budding Minnesota Dynasty

The Minnesota Frost earned back-to-back PWHL titles just weeks before the expansion draft threatens their three-peat chances.

Jan 6, 2024; St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota goalie Maddie Rooney (35) defends her net against Montreal during the second period in a PWHL ice hockey game at XCel Energy Center.
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Frost won back-to-back Walter Cups in the PWHL Finals Monday over the Ottawa Charge.

Captained by Kendall Coyne-Schofield, the Frost clinched the title in Game 4 of the best-of-five series. All four games went to overtime, including a triple overtime Game 3. 

The Frost have won both of the league’s first two championship trophies, but the PWHL’s first potential dynasty could be nipped in the bud.

The league launched its first ever season with six teams in January 2024 just months after announcing its existence, and it’s maintaining that quick turnaround pace with expansion teams. The PWHL said last month that Vancouver and Seattle will each earn a franchise next year after packing arenas on the league’s “Takeover Tour” this season. The expansion draft rules revealed earlier this month demonstrate the league wants its newest teams to be competitive in their first year, potentially at the detriment of existing franchises.

The inaugural six teams will only be allowed to protect four players from Vancouver and Seattle: three players to start, and an additional one after the first two depart. New teams can get players during a five-day exclusive signing window or the expansion drafts. Each of the six teams will lose four players during this process until Vancouver and Seattle each get to 12 players, and will fill out the rest of their rosters through the entry draft.

Because the league has so few teams, each one is brimming with talent—every game nears the caliber of an All-Star game or Olympic matchup. The expansion rules will smooth out that talent, making sure Vancouver and Seattle actually have some of the league’s biggest stars, which will help with competition on the ice as much as it does with marketing and building a fanbase off the ice. This will avoid a model like the WNBA, which allowed teams to protect six players from the new Golden State Valkyries, resulting in the new Bay Area squad lacking any 2024 WNBA All-Stars or Team USA players.

But the four-player protection also means the league is breaking up its existing squads, including the budding Frost dynasty. Say, for example, Minnesota chooses to protect Coyne-Schofield, goalie Maddie Rooney, and the next two leaders in points this season, forward Taylor Heise and defender Sophie Jaques. That leaves Michela Cava and Britta Curl-Salemme, who tie for the second-most Frost goals this season behind Coyne-Schofield, up for grabs. Liz Schepers, who scored the game-winning goal to win the 2024 and 2025 trophies, would also be on the table. And one more player will still be plucked away, bringing the total losses to four. Minnesota sports fans can’t be happy about the circumstances, as it jeopardizes the state’s dominance with the WNBA runner-up Lynx, Western Conference Finalist Timberwolves, and back-to-back champion Frost.

It’s not just Minnesota’s roster that will be splintered. Montreal led the league in points at the end of the regular season, and boasts some of the best attendance numbers in the league. But that fanbase will lose some of its favorite players to the West Coast next year.

The Frost only have a short period to celebrate their victory before the shuffle begins. Protected player lists are due June 3, and the exclusive signing window begins the next day. The expansion draft is scheduled for June 9, followed by the entry draft June 24.

Expansion teams are a sign of a healthy league, and trying to even out the talent among all eight teams is a noble effort. Perhaps the ultimate test of a true dynasty will be whether Minnesota’s star roster can be gutted and still go for the three-peat.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Fire Rekindled? WNBA’s Portland Expansion Team Eyes Original Name

WNBA trademarks hint at Portland Fire revival as league expands and honors history.
Washington's Ben Gorsage, right, and Orland Park Sandburg's Mateo Ramiro-Garcia tangle at the start of the Class 3A state 800-meter run Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Gorsage took third place, followed by Ramiro-Garcia in fourth.

Dozens of Olympic Sports Have Been Cut in Wake of House v...

Tennis, track and field, and swimming and diving appear heavily impacted.
Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the hoop past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8), guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the third quarter of game four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Pacers, Fever Overwhelmed by Demand for Merch

“We have people waiting to get in the store at 10 in the morning.”

Featured Today

Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.
Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park
June 14, 2025

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.
June 6, 2025

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
Club World Cup
June 18, 2025

Club World Cup Attendance Plummets for Weekday Games: 3,700 in Orlando, ‘Almost..

Chelsea’s manager bemoaned an “almost empty” stadium in Atlanta.
June 18, 2025

Dana White’s Next Frontier: Making Jiu-Jitsu Mainstream

The TKO Group Holdings–owned competition expands once again.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
June 18, 2025

Premier League Embraces NFL-Style Flex Scheduling for 2025–26

The league warns of additional games “moving at relatively short notice.”
Sophie Cunningham
June 18, 2025

Fever and Sun Hit With Tiny Fines After Wild Melee

WNBA coaches have long complained about a lack of transparency in fines.
Lydia Ko
June 17, 2025

PGA Championship Ties U.S. Open for Richest Purse in Women’s Golf

This week’s tournament will offer $12 million in prize money.
June 17, 2025

Rolapp Weighs In on PGA Tour–LIV Golf Talks, NFL After Goodell

Brian Rolapp is becoming CEO as commissioner Jay Monahan steps down.