PWHL expansion signings: Seattle lands Barnes and Serdachny, Vancouver adds goalie Maschmeyer

By Canadian Press on June 5, 2025.

Hilary Knight has company in Seattle, with the new PWHL team adding two 2024 first-round draft picks — Ottawa forward Danielle Serdachny and Montreal defenseman Cayla Barnes — on Thursday during the league’s expansion signing period.

The league announced Serdachny agreed to sign a two-year contract and Barnes reached a three-year deal to join Knight as the yet-to-be-named franchise’s first three players.

The PWHL’s other expansion team, Vancouver, agreed Thursday to a two-year contract with Ottawa Charge goalie Emerance Maschmeyer. A day earlier, Vancouver opened the five-day signing period by reaching agreements with Minnesota defensemen Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques.

Both teams can add up to five players during the signing period, which ends Sunday. The expansion draft is Monday, after which Seattle and Vancouver will have 12-woman rosters. All eight teams will then take part in the PWHL draft on June 24.

After losing two players, the Charge added forward Gabbie Hughes to their protected list, which already included forward Emily Clark, goalie Gwyneth Philips and defenseman Ronja Savolainen.

The 24-year-old Serdachny was the second pick in last year’s draft, while Barnes went fifth overall.

The 26-year-old Barnes, from Southern California, led PWHL rookie defensemen with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) last season. She is a two-time U.S. Olympian who won a gold medal in 2018 and ssilver in 2022. Barnes also won an NCAA title with Ohio State last year.

“She’s a dynamic defender who moves the puck well and consistently contributes offensively,” Seattle general manager Meghan Turner said. “Even as a rookie last season, she played with the poise and presence of a veteran, and we see her playing a key role on our blue line.”

Serdachny finished with two goals and six assists in 30 regular-season games. She had two assists to help the Charge reach the Walter Cup Finals, which they lost in four games to Minnesota.

Serdachny is from Edmonton, Alberta, and played collegiately at Colgate. She scored the 2024 world championships gold-medal clinching goal in Canada’s 6-5 overtime win over the United States.

“She’s strong, plays through contact, and she’s only beginning to tap into her full potential,” Turner said.

Maschmeyer is from Edmonton, and joins Vancouver after two seasons as Ottawa’s starter. This year, she became the league’s first goalie to register 1,000 career saves. He season was cut short when she suffered a lower-body injury in March.

Philips took over as the Charge’s starter through the playoffs, and that contributed to the team’s decision to make Maschmeyer available in the expansion process.

In 2024, Maschmeyer led PWHL goalies in games played (23) and finished second in wins with a 9-9-4 record.

The 30-year-old has been mostly a backup while representing Canada. She won an Olympic gold medal in 2022 and has medaled in eight world championships.

“Her veteran leadership, relentless compete, and poise under pressure are contagious qualities that our team will feed off of and will give us a chance to win every game,” Vancouver general manager Cara Gardner Morey said of the former Harvard player.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

John Wawrow, The Associated Press