After a busy few weeks in the PWHL, league operations have quieted down a bit with Canada Day and Independence Day on the horizon. Last week, I took a look at some of the top PWHL free agents who have prior experience in the league who remain available.
Now, let’s dive into some high-profile free agents without PWHL experience. All of these players declared for the 2026 PWHL Draft and went undrafted.
Again, two caveats here before we dive in:
- We don’t know any of these players’ personal situations, health situations, etc. (Unfortunately or fortunately, I am not a mind-reader.) There could be specific reasons they haven’t signed anywhere yet that we aren’t privy to.
- It’s possible that any or all of these players could already be signed, if the PWHL is still working through a backlog of free agency signings. For all I know, half of them could be signed and announced as soon as I hit publish. That’s the way she goes.
Sarah Marchand
Sarah Marchand, 23, is a native of Belle River, Ontario who has twice entered the PWHL draft. The forward is coming off her first season in the SDHL. She was second on MoDo in scoring with 25 points, including a team-leading 16 assists. Only Ebba Hedqvist scored more points (27). Marchand previously played at St. Lawrence and Syracuse with 100 points in 149 combined NCAA games.
Marchand does have an SDHL contract to return to MoDo for the 2026-27 season.
Lilli & Luisa Welcke
Lilli & Luisa Welcke are both PWHL free agents after going undrafted this year. The 24-year-old twin sisters are both coming off their final years at Boston University.
Lilli had 11 points in 28 games, for 60 points in 130 career NCAA games. Luisa had 13 points, including eight assists, in 28 games. She recorded 63 points in 131 career NCAA games. Both also have international experience representing Germany at multiple levels, including the 2026 Winter Olympics and four Women’s Worlds.
For more on the Welcke twins, check out Lydia’s piece from 2025.
Méghane Duchesne-Chalifoux
Méghane Duchesne-Chalifoux is a 23-year-old defender from Montréal, Quebec. She’s fresh off four seasons with the University of Connecticut and went undrafted in the PWHL draft.
Duchesne-Chalifoux registered 15 points, including 12 assists, in 33 games this past season. In her NCAA career, she had 24 points in 84 games and was a plus-15.
Emma highlighted Duchesne-Chalifoux as of the top PWHL draft defensive prospects from Hockey East, noting:
“She’s able to step into any role necessary and performs in the system UConn has created perfectly. She also has experience succeeding in a variety of situations. Duchesne-Chalifoux is reliable in any place you put her, and that causes her to stand out in this draft class.”
Rhea Hicks
Forward Rhea Hicks, 21, is coming off four years of NCAA hockey, including the last three at Clarkson. Between Syracuse and Clarkson, she’s skated in 114 NCAA games and registered 75 points, including 48 assists. She was seventh on the team in scoring this past season.
She’s previously represented Canada at the U18 level.
Josey Dunne-Weeks
Josey Dunne-Weeks, 24, captained Lindenwood in her final NCAA season. She spent three seasons at Minnesota prior, then shifted to Lindenwood in 2024. As a defender, her offensive production ramped up quite a bit with the transfer. She had seven points in three years at Minnesota, but had 18 points in her final season at Lindenwood.
Overall, Dunne-Weeks appeared in 112 NCAA games. She is the latest in the Dunne family looking to make a splash in pro hockey, joining sister Jincy Roese. Joy Dunne, meanwhile, is entering her fourth season at Ohio State.
