The Montreal Victoire have officially lost their first two players of the PWHL expansion process, with Cayla Barnes and Jenn Gardiner going to PWHL Seattle and Vancouver respectively.
They also announced they would protect Erin Ambrose as their fourth protected player. Now that they lost two players, they were able to protect a fourth alongside Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renée Desbiens, and Laura Stacey.
PWHL Seattle has officially signed defender Cayla Barnes to a three-year contract, the team and league announced on Thursday. PWHL Vancouver signed Gardiner to a one-year contract.
Barnes was the first Montreal Victoire player to be lost in the expansion process. Every team will lose four players. Expansion teams have a five day window to sign unprotected players to new contracts. Barnes had two years remaining on her original contract.
The 26-year-old was Montreal’s first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She had two goals and 11 assists in 30 regular season games this season. She also played in the team’s four playoff games but did not get a point. She was used on the team’s top two pairs all season, and was the team’s second-most used defender behind Erin Ambrose. She is also a two-time Olympian for Team USA.
Gardiner was Montreal’s second-round choice in the 2024 Draft. She is from Surrey, so this is a homecoming for her. She is the first BC-born player to sign with the Vancouver team.
The 23-year-old had five goals and 13 assists in 30 games this season, adding three assists in four playoff games. She also led the most recent World Championships in goals.
The PWHL’s expansion draft will be held Monday night. The pre-signing period, where expansion teams can sign up to five players each, ends on Sunday.
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