A Look at What Meghan Duggan is Building in Hamilton

Rebecca Labaj

This off-season has been a busy one with four new expansion teams entering the league, including another Ontario team, Hamilton. This location starts rivalries from day one with Toronto just down the road and Detroit not that far away. So here’s a look at what Meghan Duggan has built so far: 

Forwards 

The team made waves with their first ever signing, Brianne Jenner. Before joining Hamilton, the Oakville native was the Captain in Ottawa, where she helped lead the team to back-to-back Finals. Over the last three seasons, Jenner has appeared in 98 games, putting up 65 points, including 6 game-winners. More impressive when Jenner recorded at least one point the Charge were 14-3 this past season. Beyond the PWHL Jenner is known for her presence on Team Canada where she serves as an Alternate Captain. 

Joining her from Team Canada and the Ottawa Charge is Emily Clark who reached 100 games played in Game 4 of this year's Finals. In her three seasons with Ottawa, she recorded 48 points, with 4 game winning goals two of which came back-to-back in the Charge’s 2025 playoff run, where she led the team in scoring. 

Adding to the international talent was Alina Müller who led the way for Switzerland at the 2026 Olympics, scoring half of the team's goals. In the tournament Müller set the Swiss record for all-time goals with 16 and assists with 13, as Switzerland won their first medal in 12 years. Well in the PWHL, she has been playing with Boston since their inaugural season, recording 63 points in 92 games including two playoff appearances. 

Adding to the forward group is Abby Hustler, who is joining Hamilton after an incredible rookie season with the Minnesota Frost. She made history as the first P.E.I native to be drafted into the PWHL. She made her presence known, appearing in all 35 games for the Frost this season, recording 4 goals and 10 assists. Her physical presence and grit on the ice, made her rookie year so successful, now with a year under her belt expect her to take off as Hamilton looks to make their mark in their inaugural season. 

Also joining from the 2025 draft class is Peyton Hemp, who was drafted 29th overall by the Ottawa Charge. She appeared in all 38 of the Charge’s games this season, recording 9 points in the regular season, and 1 goal in the PWHL Finals, as the Charge looked to stay alive down 2-0 in the series against Montreal. 

Also joining from the Charge is Golden Horseshoe native, Alexa Vasko. Vasko began her career in Toronto, before signing with the Charge in season 2. She has made three straight playoff appearances, and will look to continue this trend with her hometown team. 

Rounding out the forward group is Hamilton native, Kayla Vespa who has spent the last three seasons in New York. She is a small but mighty presence on the ice forcing turnovers, setting up plays, and taking the faceoff. 

Defenders

After an incredible rookie season that ended with the Walter Cup win, London native, Nicole Gosling joins PWHL Hamilton. Last season the defender scored 19 points in 30 regular season games, making her presence known all over the ice. This continued into the playoffs where the rookie put up 3 points, including the game tying goal in Game 1 of the Walter Cup Finals with just 3 seconds left on the clock, forcing overtime, where the Victoire found the series lead. 

Joining from the Boston Fleet is fan favorite, Zoe Boyd. After spending the later part of the 205-26 season on the injury reserve Boyd is looking to make a major comeback as she reunites with former Charge teammates Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark. 

Also joining from the Fleet is Riley Brengman, who was drafted 26th overall in the 2025 PWHL Draft. Last season Brengman fought to earn her spot on Boston’s roster, being signed after training camp amongst a strong rookie group and seasoned vets. 

Adding to the blue line is Allyson Simpson, who joins from the New York Sirens. In her two seasons with New York, Simpson recorded 10 points and 77 blocks in 60 games. She adds to international presence Meghan Duggan has built winning back-to-back gold medals with the USA at the 2017 and 2018 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships. 

Extending the international presence is Anna Kjellbin, who represents Sweden on the international stage. Kjellbin joins Hamilton from the Toronto Sceptres after being traded from the Montreal Victoire in the 2024-25 season. Throughout her PWHL career she has appeared in 59 games recording 9 points. 

Goalie

Kayle Osborne adds to the international presence throughout Hamilton’s roster, most recently representing Canada at the 2026 Olympics. This past season was a long one for Osbourne as she started in 27/30 games for New York. She posted an incredible year in net, despite New York's struggles with only 65 goals against on 685 shots, earning a 0.906 save percentage. 

Draft: 

Nelli Laitinen (D) University of Minnesota 

Jade Iginla (F) Brown University

Elyssa Biederman (F) Colgate University 

Megan Woodworth (F) University of Connecticut 

Emma-Sofie Nordström (G) St. Lawrence University 

Mya Vaslet (F) Penn State