The PWHL has been in absolute roster frenzy for the past few weeks as expansion franchises began building their rosters with 10 signings each prior to the draft.

The early identities of some of these teams are clear through these early signings, with some creating identities through the first five alone.

None of these early rosters has confused people as much as San Jose, which has already seen controversy for its dual-hiring of Troy Ryan as both head coach and general manager. Ryan was previously the head coach of both the Toronto Sceptres and Team Canada.

The expectation for many was that he would bring over players from the Canadian national team. That hasn’t happened for the most part, except for one name.

In Defence of Kristin O’Neill

Before analyzing anything else, it makes the most sense to look at Troy Ryan’s biggest signing. San Jose used their Expansion Franchise Offer on Kristin O’Neill.

This was a move that many criticized, deeming it an overpay for a player who had just five points last season and 19 across three seasons in the PWHL. If you’re just looking at points, it’s a fair argument. The best parts of her game, however, aren’t found on a scoresheet.

Firstly, she’s a force on the dot. Last season, she won 272 face-offs (4th in the PWHL) with a 54.8% success rate.

She’s a great skater with a propensity for involvement in breakouts, including one that put Canada up in the gold medal game at the Olympics. She also has a quality you can’t see unless you watch her game. That is, she just doesn’t give up on a play.

All of this in mind, O’Neill was already making $86,000 in the 2025–26 season. In San Jose, she’s presumably being elevated to a leadership role on a roster that, as it’s constructed currently, isn’t extremely experienced or star-studded. In this context, the raise seems warranted.

The Rest of the Squad

The signing of O’Neill signals the true tenet that Troy Ryan seems to want to build around. Rather than focusing on raw numbers, he’s selected players that play a similar game to her—one that’s fast, detail-oriented and relentless. 60 minutes of grind-it-out hockey with the little things done right and a locker room with no egos.

The result is a very young roster, and one where a majority of players are being entrusted with more responsibility than they saw on previous teams.

It’s antithetical to the Troy Ryan of Toronto and Team Canada. Perhaps this is how he would have created his teams if not for Gina Kingsbury, or maybe he’s turning a new leaf.

Either way, here’s how The Hockey News projects San Jose’s lines so far.

Depth Charts

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Maddi Wheeler	Kristin O’Neill	Anne Cherkowski
Maggie Connors	Sloane Matthews	Natálie Mlýnková
Reichen Kirchmair	McKenna Van Gelder	Lily Shannon
	Kristin Della Rovere

Left Defence	Right Defence	Goaltender
Rory Guilday	Laila Edwards	Corinne Schroeder
Daniela Pejšová	Hadley Harmetz	Tia Chan
Mariah Keopple		Abbey Levy

Who to Look Out For?

With so many players coming up from secondary roles on existing teams, it’s worth asking who can make a real impact out of the gate.

Do note that all three members of the projected first line spent the 25–26 season in New York and might have pre-existing chemistry. Apart from them, here are some names to watch.

Laila Edwards

We had Edwards projected at 4th overall, but it was a shock to many when she wasn’t taken second or third. Either way, San Jose should be grateful she fell to them, because she instantly became the most recognizable player on their roster before even touching the ice.

The Olympic gold medalist and three-time NCAA champion should come as advertised.

Natálie Mlýnková

Mlýnková is a player whose game could make a major upgrade on a new team. In her rookie year, she played a depth role with Montreal’s veteran offence. She scored five goals and five assists.

She was also a standout in a relatively disappointing showing by Czechia in the Olympics. In five games, the Czechs scored just seven goals, and four saw Mlýnková as a contributor. She scored three, becoming the first player in program history to score three goals in a single Olympics, and tallied an assist.

Sloane Matthews

San Jose’s second-round pick is also one worth watching.

In her final season at The Ohio State, she was a point-per-game player for the first time in her collegiate career. She scored 44 points in 41 games—20 goals and 24 assists. Prior to this, her career high in points was 28, with 13 goals and 15 assists in 39 games. In two other seasons, she didn’t surpass 20 points.

Seeing as Matthews is projected to be in San Jose’s top-six from the jump, much of the team’s success will depend on whether she is able to carry her production from her senior season into the pros. If she regresses away from her form in the last year, it could spell trouble for the team’s depth early.

How Good Will They Be?

The nature of this roster construction makes its potential feel entirely unpredictable. The most solid piece is goaltending, and they have an exciting first pair in Guilday and Edwards. However, the forward structure feels as though it has a lot of question marks despite three lines filled out. It’s unclear how the unconventional no-superstar approach will allow them to compete with existing teams and even fellow expansion squads.

Going further into the offseason, the biggest question mark is whether they will prioritize signing a veteran with larger point numbers.

Because the squad as a whole is so young, I’d personally anticipate San Jose facing struggles similar to last season’s New York Sirens. Maybe they’ll be streaky or struggle on the road.

Either way, they honestly look like a fun team to watch out for. Troy Ryan has certainly done a 180 from the Toronto Sceptres.