PWHL Mock Expansion Draft: Part 1
Which PWHL players would teams protect if an expansion draft took place today?
The announcement from the PWHL that the league expects to expand with two more teams by the 2025-26 season has inspired buzz about how new rosters would be created. The PWHL has strongly emphasized the parity in the league. Even one new team’s induction would have to be managed carefully to maintain an even spread of talent, much less two new teams.
With this balancing act in mind, the writers at the Ice Garden have put together a two-part expansion draft made of protected lists from the established teams and the selections our two mystery teams could make from those players left behind. While a fun exercise, this is also an opportunity to examine the limitations of the expansion draft system and what procedures would have to be enacted to make sure new teams aren’t at a disadvantage out of the gate.
