The 2026-27 PWHL season is starting to take shape, and fantasy managers finally have some important dates to circle on the calendar.
The PWHL’s expansion to 12 teams has completely changed the fantasy landscape. Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose are joining the eight established franchises, creating more roster spots, more opportunities and, potentially, a much deeper fantasy player pool.
Now we have another piece of the puzzle.
The PWHL has announced that training camps will open November 18, with all 12 teams scheduled to play two preseason scrimmages between November 22 and 30. Training-camp rosters will be announced during the week of October 5, with each team inviting between 28 and 32 players.
For fantasy managers, those dates are extremely important. This is when we’ll start getting answers to some of the biggest questions surrounding the 2026-27 season: Who is playing on the top line? Which rookies are making an immediate push? Who gets the first power-play unit? Which goaltenders are emerging as starters? And perhaps most importantly, which players are about to become fantasy relevant?
Here’s what I’m watching.
Training Camp Opens November 18
All 12 PWHL teams will open training camp on Wednesday, November 18. The timing is significant because the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship runs from November 6-16 in Denmark, with PWHL camps opening shortly after the tournament concludes.
Before that happens, however, we’ll get our first major look at the players each organization is bringing into camp. Training-camp rosters will be announced during the week of October 5, with each club allowed to invite between 28 and 32 players.
Why This Matters for Fantasy
This is the first date I’ll have circled when updating the PWHL rankings. A player’s fantasy value can change dramatically based on opportunity, and a young forward who enters camp competing for a fourth-line job could suddenly become interesting if she’s skating alongside a top offensive player. The same goes for defensemen and goaltenders. We’re not going to know everything from a camp roster, but we’ll know a lot more than we do today.
The Add List Take: October 5 could be the first major fantasy-information day of the PWHL offseason. Once those rosters are released, we’ll be able to start identifying which players have a legitimate path to top-six, power-play and starting-goaltender roles.
The 2026-27 PWHL Preseason Schedule
The league will hold preseason scrimmages across five markets, with each of the 12 teams playing twice between November 22 and 30.
Here’s the complete schedule.
Las Vegas
America First Center
- Nov. 22: Las Vegas vs. Minnesota — 6:50 p.m. PT
- Nov. 23: Minnesota vs. Vancouver — 1 p.m. PT
- Nov. 24: Vancouver vs. Las Vegas — 12 p.m. PT
This is a particularly interesting group for fantasy managers because Las Vegas gets to face an established Minnesota team while Vancouver also gets an opportunity to test its roster against both teams.
Fantasy watch: Las Vegas’ inaugural lineup, Vancouver’s young players and Minnesota’s depth.
Boston
Boston Sports Institute
- Nov. 23: Boston vs. New York — 6 p.m. ET
- Nov. 24: New York vs. Montréal — 4 p.m. ET
- Nov. 25: Montréal vs. Boston — 1 p.m. ET
This is the most veteran-heavy preseason group. Boston, Montréal and New York all have established cores, making these games particularly useful for evaluating new additions and potential line changes.
Fantasy watch: Power-play combinations, veteran usage and rookies competing for roster spots.
Hamilton
Morgan Firestone Arena
- Nov. 23: Detroit vs. Ottawa — 1:30 p.m. ET
- Nov. 23: Toronto vs. Hamilton — 5:30 p.m. ET
- Nov. 24: Hamilton vs. Detroit — 1:30 p.m. ET
This is one of the most interesting preseason locations from a fantasy perspective. Both Detroit and Hamilton are expansion teams, so we’ll get an early look at how their rosters are coming together, while Toronto and Ottawa provide established competition.
Fantasy watch: Expansion-team top lines, rookies and goaltending.
Toronto
Mattamy Athletic Centre
- Nov. 24: Ottawa vs. Toronto — 7 p.m. ET
Toronto is hosting one preseason game, giving us another opportunity to see the Sceptres and Charge in a more traditional competitive environment.
Fantasy watch: Toronto’s power play and any changes to its established offensive combinations.
San Jose
Tech CU Arena
- Nov. 29: Seattle vs. San Jose — 5 p.m. PT
- Nov. 30: San Jose vs. Seattle — 1 p.m. PT
This is the final preseason stop and, for fantasy managers, potentially one of the most intriguing. San Jose will play Seattle twice, giving us back-to-back opportunities to evaluate the Sharks’ inaugural roster.
Fantasy watch: Laila Edwards, San Jose’s rookie class, the Sharks’ top offensive line and their goaltending situation.
What Makes This Preseason Different?
The PWHL’s expansion from eight to 12 teams creates a unique fantasy situation. The four expansion teams — Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose — aren’t simply adding four more teams to the schedule. They’re adding dozens of new roster opportunities.
The league’s expansion process was designed to give each expansion club a foundation of 10 players before moving into the next stages of roster construction. The result is a larger player pool and potentially more opportunities for players who might have been depth pieces on an established team.
That’s where I think fantasy managers can find some of the biggest bargains.
5 Things Fantasy Managers Should Watch at Camp
1. First-Line Combinations
This is probably the most obvious one. Who is skating with the team’s best offensive players? Line combinations aren’t guaranteed to remain intact, but they’re one of the first clues we get about how coaches view their players. If an under-the-radar forward suddenly finds herself on a first line, her fantasy value should immediately get our attention.
2. Power-Play Units
For fantasy hockey, power-play deployment can be just as important as even-strength ice time. A player who moves onto the first power-play unit can see a significant increase in offensive opportunity, and that’s especially important for defensemen. Watch the power-play quarterbacks.
3. Starting Goaltender Battles
Expansion makes the goalie position especially interesting. A goalie doesn’t need to be the best player on her team to have fantasy value. If the workload is there, volume can create opportunities, which is why San Jose, Detroit, Hamilton and Las Vegas will be particularly interesting.
The Add List Take: I’m going to be watching preseason goalie usage very closely. Two games isn’t enough to make a definitive judgment, but it should give us our first indication of how each coaching staff is approaching the position.
4. Rookie Deployment
This could be one of the biggest fantasy stories of the season. A rookie who makes an expansion-team roster already has an opportunity that might not have existed on an established team. If that player starts seeing first- or second-line minutes — or power-play time — fantasy managers need to pay attention.
The 2026 draft class includes several players who could become relevant quickly, and expansion gives them more paths to opportunity.
5. Players Who Changed Teams
Don’t overlook veterans. A player who was a secondary option on one team could suddenly become a primary offensive piece somewhere else. That’s particularly important with the expansion clubs, which acquired players from the established teams through the league’s expansion roster process.
The Add List Take: These are often the players I find most interesting. Fantasy managers naturally gravitate toward rookies, but opportunity-driven veteran breakouts can be just as valuable.
The Expansion Teams I’m Watching Closely
Detroit
Detroit will be one of the most interesting teams to watch because it’s entering the league with a completely new roster structure. The Red Wings’ preseason games against Ottawa and Hamilton should give us an early look at how the organization intends to build its offensive hierarchy.
Fantasy question: Who becomes Detroit’s No. 1 offensive option?
Hamilton
Hamilton enters the league with a strong hockey market behind it and will play two preseason games at Morgan Firestone Arena. Its games against Toronto and Detroit should provide a fascinating first look at the team’s roster construction.
Fantasy question: Which Hamilton players emerge as legitimate top-line options?
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is perhaps the most unique expansion market geographically, and the team will play its preseason games at America First Center. The club gets Minnesota and Vancouver as its first opponents.
Fantasy question: Which players become the faces of the inaugural lineup — and which ones become fantasy contributors?
San Jose
San Jose is the team I’m especially interested in watching from a fantasy perspective. The Sharks will play Seattle twice, giving us a relatively clean comparison against another West Coast team. The roster also includes several young players who could become interesting fantasy assets.
Fantasy question: How aggressive will San Jose be with its young talent?
The Players Who Could Gain the Most
The preseason isn’t only about rookies. There are three groups of players I’m going to be watching particularly closely: young players entering bigger roles, veterans joining expansion teams and goaltenders.
Young players who already have PWHL experience could move up the depth chart, while veterans who were buried in deeper lineups could suddenly become first- or second-line players. Goaltenders may be particularly interesting because four new teams means more starting and high-volume opportunities.
The Add List Preseason Checklist
When the first preseason games begin, these are the numbers and situations I’ll be watching.
Forwards: Top-six deployment, first power-play unit, shots on goal, offensive-zone usage and line combinations.
Defenders: First power-play unit, ice time, offensive-zone starts, shot volume and quarterback role.
Goaltenders: Starting assignments, number of preseason starts, save percentage, team defensive structure and expected workload.
And perhaps most importantly: Who is playing with whom?
When Should Fantasy Managers Start Paying Attention?
I’d break the offseason into three stages.
Now Through October 5
Focus on signings, roster construction and organizational changes. Don’t overreact to anything yet.
October 5 Through November 17
This is where things should get much more interesting. Training-camp rosters will be known, and we’ll be able to start identifying legitimate roster battles and potential fantasy sleepers.
November 18 Through Preseason
This is the money period. Line combinations, power plays, goalie rotations, rookie deployment and veteran roles will all begin to take shape. This is when fantasy rankings should start moving quickly.
The Add List Fantasy Outlook
The PWHL is entering its third season, but the 2026-27 campaign could feel like an entirely new league. Four expansion teams have joined the league, the player pool has grown dramatically and there are now more opportunities than ever for players to move from the fantasy radar onto fantasy rosters.
Training camps open November 18, preseason begins November 22, and the first camp rosters arrive the week of October 5. That gives fantasy managers plenty of time to prepare, and the biggest mistake would be waiting until opening night to start figuring everything out.
The players who become obvious fantasy targets by opening night may have already revealed themselves during training camp.
The Add List will be watching for them.
– The Add List +