PPC Board of Directors meeting – Tuesday, June 2 at 7 pm
We provide a reminder that the next meeting of the Power Play Club's Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday evening, June 2, at 7 p.m. online via Zoom. One of the meeting topics will be the Locker Sponsor membership tier for the 2026-2027 season.
Board meetings are open to all club members enrolled in the past season, including those in either the Locker Sponsor or Base Membership tiers. Please contact PPC president Bill Johnson (billjohnson013@gmail.com) or vice president Dave Malerich (dmalerich@yahoo.com) if you wish to attend.
Mlýnková, Montréal Victoire win 2026 Walter Cup Championship
We send congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Natálie Mlýnková as she became a PWHL Walter Cup champion as a member of the Montréal Victoire. The Victoire defeated the Ottawa Charge three games to one in the Walter Cup Finals, clinching the title with a 4-0 Game 4 victory in Ottawa this past Wednesday, May 20. Montréal became the first Canadian team to win the Walter Cup and the first top-seeded squad entering the playoffs to claim the championship.
GWH career scoring leader Hannah Brandt announces retirement
Next, we congratulate and thank Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Hannah Brandt on a stellar career, concluding with the Boston Fleet earlier this month.
Brandt first announced her retirement plans on Instagram in November, indicating the 2025-2026 season would be her last. Her immediate future features a return to the classroom as she seeks to become a physician assistant.
Though ten years have passed since Brandt's collegiate career with the Gophers concluded, she remains the program's all-time leading scorer with 285 career points, coming on 115 goals (3rd best) and 170 assists (1st). She also holds the Gopher record for career plus-minus rating at +236. Her 82 points and 49 assists in the 2012-2013 season are both fourth in Gopher history and lead the rookie records, along with being her career bests. She netted a single-season high of 34 goals in 2014-2015. A three-time First Team All-American and four-time All-USCHO selection, she was later also recognized as a member of the WCHA's 25-player 25th Anniversary Team.
Following her time at the U., Brandt first joined the then-independent Minnesota Whitecaps in 2016-2017. After an Olympic centralization year, she returned the to Whitecaps as they joined the then-NWHL (later renamed to the PHF) in 2018-2019, winning an Isobel Cup Championship. Brandt moved to the PWHPA when it formed later in 2019 to push for a sustainable professional league in North America and remained with that organization for three years. With the creation of the PWHL in 2023, Brandt declared for the league's inaugural draft and was selected 27th overall by Boston; she played in 96 games with them (including playoffs) over three seasons, tallying 26 points on 9 goals & 17 assists.
Brandt also appeared on the international stage, being selected for the U.S. Women's National & Olympic Teams. In five IIHF World Championships (2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022), she recorded 12 points on 6 goals and 6 assists. She earned gold and silver medals in two Olympic Games (2018 & 2022), scoring a goal and dishing out 7 assists.
Best wishes, Hannah!!
(Some information sourced from TheIXSports' and The Ice Garden's article on Brandt's retirement.)
Heise, Pannek named PWHL Forward of the Year finalists
Meanwhile, we also send out both congratulations and wishes of good luck to Gopher alumnae Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek upon being named finalists for the 2026 PWHL Forward of the Year award. Heise & Pannek, both members of the Minnesota Frost, are joined on the finalist list by Brianne Jenner of the Ottawa Charge.
In regular-season play, Pannek set new league records for both total points and goals, with 33 and 16 respectively, and dished out 17 assists as well (placing her in a tie for second); her 59.3% face-off efficiency ranked third among centers with more than 15 draws, her 341 faceoff wins put her third all-time, she earned a share of the league lead with four game-winning goals, and her 27.6% shooting percentage led skaters having a minimum of 15 shots on goal. In five postseason games, she added another four points with a goal and 3 assists.
Heise was second in the regular season total scoring with 30 points, coming on 13 goals (4th best) and 17 assists (tied for 2nd). Heise set a PWHL single-season record with six multi-assist games, shared the league lead with eight multi-point contests, and finished second in plus-minus rating at +18. She added two more assists in the postseason.
Jenner was the fourth-highest scorer in the league, setting a new Charge team record with 26 points, coming on 12 goals and 14 assists. She recorded three game-winning goals, tied for second-most in the league, and helped Ottawa post a 5-4-0-1 record in games where she lit the lamp. Jenner also became the fourth player in PWHL history to eclipse 300 faceoff wins in a single season, winning 311.
The Forward of the Year winner will announced at the PWHL Awards on Tuesday, June 16 in Detroit.
Hamilton, Las Vegas, San Jose named as PWHL expansion teams
While their 2026 playoffs were continuing, the Professional Women's Hockey League made two more expansion announcements. New teams were announced for Las Vegas, Nevada, and Hamilton, Ontario on Wednesday, May 13, and for San Jose, California this past Tuesday, May 19. With the previous announcement of an expansion team in Detroit, the league is now up to 12 clubs for the 2026-2027 season.
Per initial reporting by the Hockey News, the league announced a five-step process for expansion roster building and existing team player protection. Adjusted process dates were released last Friday, May 15. Summarized here (with AI assistance; see linked articles for full details), the five steps include...
Phase 1 (June 2–3): Unrestricted and restricted free agents can negotiate with all teams, though they can only sign with existing franchises. Existing teams can protect three players, including signed players or by signing a free agent, but can lose up to one free agent to another existing team.
Phase 2 (June 5–8): Any player not protected or signed in Phase 1 can only sign with an expansion team. Expansion teams release a 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List (ENTL). New teams can sign up to five players during this window (including those on expiring contracts or under existing contracts, provided the current team loses no more than three contracted players).
Phase 3 (June 10–12): Existing teams can protect signed players or sign free agents, up to a maximum of 3 contracts (in addition to the 3 in Phase 1). Expansion teams can sign up to 3 free agents.
Phase 4 (June 14–15): Any player not protected or signed can sign with an expansion team. Expansion teams can’t sign players who were on their Phase 2 ENTL. If a team can’t get to 10 players, they will be allowed to select unprotected players with contracts or whose rights are held by existing teams.
Phase 5 (June 16–18): Trading of 2026 draft picks is permitted during this timeframe. Free agents have the option of signing with their existing team, and players with their rights held by a team may receive a qualifying offer (or become free to sign with another team later).
As shared previously, the Fox Theater in Detroit will host the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft on Wednesday evening, June 17, with the Vancouver Goldeneyes having the first overall draft pick; however, the full draft order is still to be announced in the coming weeks. The league's open signing period begins Friday, June 19.
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