SEATTLE torrent

Growing Pains: Unpacking Phase 2 of PWHL Expansion

by Matt Giesbrecht, June 9, 2026

Captain Hilary Knight playing in a game against the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Photo Credit: PWHL 2025

We all knew it was coming, but that didn’t make Phase 2 of PWHL Expansion any easier for Seattle Torrent fans. 

Days before the blockbuster report that Captain Hilary Knight would be leaving the Seattle Torrent, the roster had already lost three players. 

The process of expansion powered on after Phase 1 saw existing teams select what three players they wanted to protect and secure for the upcoming season. For General Manager Meghan Turner, those decisions came down to Center Alex Carpenter, Defender Anna Wilgren, and Goaltender Hannah Murphy.

These decisions were met with a vast array of reactions, but the most prominent responses on social media were frustration and confusion. This anger surely intensified on the first day of Phase 2 where the expansion teams – Detroit, Las Vegas, Hamilton, and San Jose – were able to start acquiring the first five players of their inaugural rosters. 

The three contracted players from Seattle that were acquired in this Phase were cornerstones of the team in the Torrent’s first season. 

Exactly one year to the day since Cayla Barnes joined the Torrent from the Montreal Victoire as one of the First Five, she was on the move again. The three-time Olympian signed a three-year standard player agreement with PWHL Detroit. 

Barnes – who was the 5th overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft – played in all 30 games this season for the Torrent. In this time, she accumulated 3 goals and 5 assists. 

The Detroit Front office dealt a devastating two-punch combo to Torrent fans when it was announced at the same time that Hannah Bilka would be moving to the Motor City on a two-year standard player agreement. Bilka was also a member of the gold-medal champion squad from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and joined the Torrent as the team’s second pick in the Expansion Draft. Bilka did not play for the Torrent after the Olympics due to injury, but in the 14 games she played she logged 4 goals and 5 assists. 

The Torrent’s Phase 2 losses ended up mirroring their Phase 1 protections as the final announcement revealed that goaltender Corinne Schroeder was heading down the West Coast to PWHL San Jose on a two-year deal. Like Barnes, Schroeder was brought to Seattle during the 2025 Exclusive Signing Window. The Elm Creek, Manitoba, native suited up 17 times for the Torrent, recording a 2.56 GAA and 0.915 Sv%.

All three of these moves hit the fanbase hard.

When GM Turner opted to leave Bilka exposed, vocal fans hit social media with pitchforks and torches in-hand. The excitement felt during the 2025 Expansion Draft when she was acquired paled in comparison to the agony expressed at her departure. She has an incredibly high ceiling and was a surefire star in the making! 

Barnes leaving casts a shadow of the resumé that she brought to the Pacific Northwest. Two Olympics Golds and one Silver, along with six World Championship medals, is an amazing list of accomplishments! At 27-years-old, there is still plenty of time for her to add a Walter Cup Championship Ring to her trophy case. 

When it comes to Schroeder, fans appeared split between wanting to keep her or Murphy between the pipes. Personally, I draw a parallel between this tandem and the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer joined the Kraken as a known-quantity with a Stanley Cup Ring and Vezina finalist nomination. The presumed starter was eventually unseated by rising star Joey Daccord. Looking at the Torrent, Schroeder was 1A and then Murphy started to emerge. 

At the end of the day, I’m happy for these players and jumping at this (second) new opportunity. 

Growth is good. But it also comes with some growing pains. And Torrent fans were forced to treat that pain with a taste of their own medicine.