PWHL’s new Vancouver team lands Frost defensemen Thompson and Jaques in expansion signing period

By Canadian Press on June 4, 2025.

The PWHL’s new Vancouver franchise went defense first by landing the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost’s blue-line duo of Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques to start the league’s expansion signing period on Wednesday.

The Frost teammates were among the league’s top-scoring defensemen. Thompson, Jaques and Toronto’s Renata Fast were the finalists for the defender of the year honor, and the Minnesota pair represented Canada at the world championships in April.

Seattle, the other expansion team, has remained quiet so far in the five-day signing period, during which both franchises are allowed to add up to five players who were either left unprotected by their current teams or eligible to become unrestricted free agents.

Vancouver and Seattle will then take part in an expansion draft on Monday. After that, each team will have a dozen players. Then they will fill out their rosters during the PWHL draft on June 24 and during the league’s free agency period.

Thompson was Minnesota’s first-round pick in the PWHL draft last year. She will be reunited with her coach at Princeton, Cara Gardner Morey, who left the Tigers last month to become Vancouver’s general manager.

“Having had the privilege of coaching Claire at Princeton, I know how exceptional she is as a player and as a person and couldn’t be prouder to build our foundation with her contributions both on and off the ice,” Gardner Morey said.

Thompson’s 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) were tied with Toronto’s Jennifer Gardiner for the PWHL lead among rookies.

She was a rookie at 27 after forgoing turning pro in 2024 to focus on her medical studies at NYU. Still undecided on when she’ll return to medical school, Thompson signed a one-year contract with Vancouver while preparing to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics in February.

Jaques, who signed a three-year contract, had seven goals and 22 points in 25 games to finish tied with Fast for the league lead among defensemen. She completed her first full season with the Frost after being involved in the PWHL’s first trade, a three-player deal that sent Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook to Boston in February 2024.

“I’m incredibly honored to sign with PWHL Vancouver and to help lay the foundation for something truly special in this city,” Jaques said. “I want to thank the Minnesota Frost for the opportunity the past two seasons, and I am so proud of the work we did to win two championships.”

After losing two players, the Frost added forward Britta Curl Salemme to their protected list, which already included captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, forward Taylor Heise and defenseman Lee Stecklein.

The league’s six existing teams will lose four players each during the expansion process.

Boston captain Hilary Knight and Toronto forward Sarah Nurse were are among the high-profile players left unprotected.

Knight, who will be competing in her fifth and final Olympics representing the United States, is considered a strong candidate to sign with Seattle. The 35-year-old has an offseason home in Idaho.

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

John Wawrow, The Associated Press