Hilary Knight agrees to join Seattle PWHL expansion team; Vancouver lands Frost duo Thompson, Jaques

Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight is heading to the PWHL's expansion team in Seattle, while Vancouver landed the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost's blue-line duo of Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques to start the league's expansion signing period Wednesday.

Knight, one of the league's three MVP finalists, agreed to a one-year contract in becoming Seattle's first player. The agreement moves Knight closer to her offseason home in Idaho, and provides the team an immediate high-profile presence in a city that already features NWSL and WNBA franchises.

She leaves Boston following a season in which she had 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) to tie for the league lead with New York rookie Sarah Fillier. And it comes as Knight, who turns 36 in July, is winding down her international career upon announcing the 2026 Winter Games will be her fifth and final representing the United States.

Knight is reuniting with Seattle general manager Meghan Turner, who spent the past two years as the Fleet's assistant GM.

''Signing Hilary Knight was an absolute no-brainer. She's the heartbeat of any team she joins,'' Turner said. ''Hilary's not just a game-changer on the ice, she's the kind of person who defines a culture, and we're incredibly proud to have her as the first-ever player to join PWHL Seattle.''

Vancouver struck first in opening the five-day signing period in landing two of among the league's top-scoring defensemen. Thompson, Jaques and Toronto's Renata Fast are finalists for the defender of the year honor, and the Minnesota pair represented Canada at the world championships in April.

The two expansion teams are allowed to sign up to five players who were either left unprotected by their current teams or eligible to become unrestricted free agents and then then take part in an expansion draft on Monday. After that, each team will have a dozen players. Then they will fill out their rosters during the PWHL draft on June 24 and during the league's free agency period.

Thompson was Minnesota's first-round pick in the PWHL draft last year. She will be reunited with her coach at Princeton, Cara Gardner Morey, who left the Tigers last month to become Vancouver's general manager.

''Having had the privilege of coaching Claire at Princeton, I know how exceptional she is as a player and as a person and couldn't be prouder to build our foundation with her contributions both on and off the ice,'' Gardner Morey said.

Thompson had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) to tie with Toronto's Jennifer Gardiner for the PWHL lead among rookies.

She was a rookie at 27 after forgoing turning pro in 2024 to focus on her medical studies at NYU. Still undecided on when she'll return to medical school, Thompson signed a one-year contract with Vancouver while preparing to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics in February.

Jaques, who signed a three-year contract, had seven goals and 22 points in 25 games to finish tied with Fast for the league lead among defensemen. She completed her first full season with the Frost after being involved in the PWHL's first trade, a three-player deal that sent Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook to Boston in February 2024.

''I'm incredibly honored to sign with PWHL Vancouver and to help lay the foundation for something truly special in this city,'' Jaques said. ''I want to thank the Minnesota Frost for the opportunity the past two seasons, and I am so proud of the work we did to win two championships.''

After losing two players, the Frost added forward Britta Curl Salemme to their protected list, which already included captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, forward Taylor Heise and defenseman Lee Stecklein.

The league's six existing teams will lose four players each during the expansion process.

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AP women's hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey