The Ottawa Charge will be short a few more familiar faces next season after a pair of players joined new teams this weekend as part of the PWHL’s six-phase expansion process.
Team captain Brianne Jenner signed a contract with PWHL Hamilton on Friday, and she will be joined by fellow team leader Emily Clark, who signed a two-year contract with the expansion team on Sunday.
The Charge will also be going ahead without defender Rory Guilday, who signed with PWHL San Jose on Saturday.
Clark was one of Ottawa’s three foundational players and has acted as the team’s alternate captain since the franchise’s inception, helping the squad to back-to-back Walter Cup appearances.
“It is extremely difficult to put into words what my time in Ottawa has meant to me,” Clark wrote in a post on social media on Sunday.
“Since the inaugural puck drop, I was fueled by your unwavering support and gave everything I had to this amazing city. There are countless moments from TD Place and Canadian Tire Centre where your cheers and energy were felt deeply, and those have become some of my favourite memories of my career so far.”
The three-time Olympic medalist played in 100 per cent of the Charge’s games over three seasons, and in 84 regular-season games, she tallied 16 goals and 27 assists.
“A natural leader with unwavering support for her teammates, a smile that could bring light to any room, and an unbelievable player on the ice,” the Ottawa Charge wrote in a post on social media.
“Both on the ice and behind the scenes, you made an unquestionable impact here in Ottawa and you’ll be so incredibly missed.”
Guilday, a 2025 first-round draft pick, was also another casualty of the expansion process.
The defender from Minnesota added 1 goal and 8 assists in 30 games with the Charge last season and led the team in hits with 57. Guilday won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at Milano Cortina 2026.
“While we only had one season with you, you made your mark from day 1,” the Ottawa Charge wrote in a statement on Instagram on Saturday.
“From your blasts from the point, to the big hits, your off-ice humour and big personality, your impact on the organization was evident and immediate.”
The Ottawa Charge opted not to include Clark or Guilday on their three-person expansion protection list, choosing instead to protect forward Rebecca Leslie, goaltender Gwyneth Philips and defender Ronja Savolainen.
PWHL Hamilton will be joining the league alongside teams in Detroit, Las Vegas and San Jose.
Instead of the traditional expansion draft format, the PWHL has implemented a six-phase “Expansion Roster Distribution Process,” in which the new clubs will build their teams through negotiations with unprotected players, free agents and players on expiring contracts.
