PWHL Hamilton announced their training camp roster for the team’s inaugural season on Wednesday. The 31-player roster features 17 forwards, 10 defenders, and 4 goaltenders. It’s a sizable group — the most of any team this season, and only smaller than the 2025-26 Fleet and Goldeneyes (32) in the last two years. Let’s take a closer look at the roster, with a focus on the players attending on an invite basis.
Unsigned draft picks are listed in italics, while camp invitations are bolded.
Forwards (17)
- Elyssa Biederman, Brooke Campbell, Emily Clark, Joelle Fiala, Kate Ham, Peyton Hemp, Abby Hustler, Jade Iginla, Brianne Jenner, Alina Müller, Anneke Rankila, Anna Shokhina, Sara Stewart, Alexa Vasko, Mya Vaslet, Kayla Vespa, Megan Woodworth
With the recent signing of second-rounder Jade Iginla, nine forwards enter training camp under contract. They’re joined by three draft picks and five camp invites. The math works out to a clear four lines with the rest fighting for an extra spot. However, keep in mind that one-year contracts aren’t guaranteed. Given the solid group of tryouts, we could be in for some surprises when Hamilton look to trim their roster.
Brooke Campbell played on a line with fourth-rounder Megan Woodworth at UConn last season. Of Campbell’s 20 points, 12 (60%) came on a scoring play involving Woodworth. Campbell won more faceoffs than she lost in each of her four college seasons, finishing 52.9% across over 2,000 draws. With Hamilton’s situation down the middle far from sorted, Campbell’s prowess in the dot as well as her chemistry with another likely bottom-sixer could very well land her a spot on the team.
Similarly, Sara Stewart played alongside third-round pick Elyssa Biederman at Colgate, though she spent her career year in 2024-25 primarily with other linemates. Stewart will be well warmed up for camp, having already started her season with MoDo in the SDHL. She’s the third member of the hottest line in the league alongside Frost draft pick Viivi Vainikka and September’s Player of the Month Mira Hallin. However, Stewart has no points of her own to show for it through four games.
Of the five invitees, Anneke Rankila is the only one with PWHL experience. Following a breakout senior year at Minnesota Duluth, she was a 2024 sixth-round pick of the Toronto Sceptres. Rankila played in three games for the Sceptres and spent significant time practising with the team as a reserve. With a 0.81-points-per-game rate in the SDHL also on her résumé, Rankila has a lot going for her heading into camp.
(If you’ll allow me a tangent that I may not get a better chance to go on, Rankila’s PWHL debut lives rent-free in my head, for all the wrong reasons yet through no fault of her own. She was given her first and only shift in the second period, recorded a hit on the forecheck, could only watch as her teammate got absolutely posterized by Abby Boreen, and was given a minus for it. I digress; let’s move on.)
Joelle Fiala has spent the last two seasons with HC Davos in Switzerland. She finished top-10 in league scoring in 2024-25 with comparable numbers to Charge camp invite Maggy Burbidge and Finnish Olympian Julia Liikala. Kate Ham, meanwhile, topped out at 17 points in 2024-25 with Boston College, though her scoring touch shows in how she recorded more goals than assists in each of her NCAA seasons. She could project as a depth option similar to Las Vegas’ Jada Habisch, a fellow shoot-first forward out of Hockey East.
Defenders (10)
- Zoe Boyd, Riley Brengman, Maeve Carey, Cristina Cavaliere, Payten Evans, Nicole Gosling, Anna Kjellbin, Nelli Laitinen, Olivia Muhn, Allyson Simpson
Hamilton might just have the best blueline in the PWHL under contract heading into preseason. So, it follows that their contingent of camp invites is strong in its own right. While none have PWHL experience, Olivia Muhn participated in Fleet training camp last season. The defender out of Burlington, ON, will look to crack her hometown team’s roster this time.
Maeve Carey (Boston University) and Cristina Cavaliere (Providence) are coming off workhorse seasons for Hockey East schools. Both were realistic options for a late-round swing in the 2026 Draft. Payten Evans, who also spent three years in Hockey East before transferring to Mercyhurst for her senior season, has taken a significant role on Skellefteå AIK to begin her pro career. She notched her first SDHL goal in a 4-2 victory over Stewart’s MoDo on Sep. 25.
Goaltenders (4)
- Sandra Abstreiter, Lucy Morgan, Emma-Sofie Nordström, Kayle Osborne
Now, this is where it gets interesting — at least, once you get past Kayle Osborne on the depth chart. She’s the only goaltender currently under contract and the only one with starting experience in the PWHL. She’ll get the nod on opening night, barring unforeseen circumstances.
The backup spot should be straightforward as well, if it weren’t for the fact that Sandra Abstreiter hasn’t actually signed a contract yet. It could be related to the new rule enforcing a maximum of 19 players under contract heading into training camp, although Hamilton have signed only 16. Nonetheless, Abstreiter is the frontrunner among the unsigned goalies. She has an extensive record on the international stage and solid play when called upon in the pros.
The remaining two netminders are actually former college teammates, albeit only briefly. Emma-Sofie Nordström and Lucy Morgan both suited up for St. Lawrence in 2022-23. While the latter got the vast majority of the starts that season, the former has the inside track for a spot with Hamilton. Nordström, the team’s fifth-round selection, has put up three consecutive seasons of at least a .931% save percentage since becoming the Saints’ go-to in goal. Morgan missed the entirety of the last year due to injury. She does have PWHL experience on her side, playing one game with the Frost while primarily occupying a reserve spot as well as one game with the Charge. If there’s a roster-spot battle to keep an eye on once Hamilton training camp opens, this is undoubtedly it.
PWHL Hamilton’s two preseason scrimmages are scheduled for Nov. 23 (vs. Toronto) and 24 (vs. Detroit), taking place at Morgan Firestone Arena in Hamilton.
