PWHL Detroit has signed goaltender Andrea Brändli to a three-year contract and defender Casey Borgiel to a one-year deal, making the pair the first two members of the expansion franchise's six-player draft class to officially join the roster. The signings push Detroit's roster to 18 players under contract as the club builds toward its inaugural regular-season game in late November.
General manager Manon Rhéaume announced the two signings, according to The Detroit News. Brändli was selected 15th overall in the second round of the 2026 PWHL Draft, making her both PWHL Detroit's first-ever draft choice and the first goaltender taken in that draft, per the PWHL. Borgiel went 22nd overall, becoming the first Michigan-born player drafted by the club.
An Olympic Pedigree in Net
Brändli, a 29-year-old three-time Olympian, backstopped Switzerland to a bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where Switzerland won the bronze medal game 2-1 in overtime. She was named best goaltender and a tournament all-star at those Games, recording a .953 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average, according to the same account. Rhéaume said Brändli brings strong pedigree and Olympic success to the crease.
The Swiss netminder's club form has been just as sharp. Playing for Frölunda HC in Sweden's SDHL during the 2025-26 season, Brändli led the league with a .945 save percentage and ranked second with a 1.49 goals-against average across 22 games, the station notes per The Hockey News. She joins fellow netminder Alice Philbert, who also competed at the 2026 Olympics, as Detroit's other signed goaltender, giving the club two goaltenders, seven defenders and nine forwards on the roster.
A Hometown Pick Comes Home
Borgiel, described by Rhéaume as a solid defender who moves the puck well and brings stability to the blue line, is a Port Huron product who came up through Detroit's Little Caesars hockey program, winning back-to-back national titles with the club in 2021 and 2022. She played two collegiate seasons at the College of the Holy Cross, earning Hockey East All-Rookie honors in 2023, before transferring to Colgate University for two more seasons, per the same account.
At Colgate, Borgiel was the program's top-scoring defender for two straight years, tallying four goals and 21 points in 36 games during the 2025-26 season. Her signing gives Detroit four Michigan-area players on its roster, part of a broader push to blend international talent with local products as the franchise builds its identity ahead of opening night.
Roster Stocked With Olympic Talent
Brändli and Borgiel are hardly the only Olympians on Detroit's roster. The team counts nine players who competed at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, including forwards Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes, goaltender Alice Philbert, and forward Daryl Watts, who also competed at the Games. Others include Akane Shiga, who has added 10 pounds of muscle in recent years, along with Nina Jobst-Smith, Britta Curl-Salemme, Hilary Knight, and Alice Philbert of France.
Watts signed a four-year contract with PWHL Detroit on June 5, marking the first four-year deal in PWHL history and giving the expansion club its marquee cornerstone signing before the draft even took place. The roster also includes local names such as Brighton forward Shiann Darkangelo, Macomb forward Taylor Girard, and Plymouth player Mellissa Channell-Watkins.
How Detroit Built Its Roster Without a Draft
Rather than holding a traditional expansion draft, the PWHL created a six-phase Expansion Roster Distribution Process for 2026, featuring phased signing windows and Expansion Foundational Offers starting May 28, according to the PWHL. That process allowed Detroit and three other new franchises — in Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose — to stock their rosters as the league expanded from eight to 12 teams for the 2026-27 season.
Detroit will host home games at the 19,515-seat Little Caesars Arena and hold daily practices at the BELFOR Training Center, located 40 feet below street level within the arena complex, per Elite Prospects. The franchise was officially awarded on May 6, when it also selected primary colors of black and silver with white and red accents and named Ally Financial as its inaugural jersey patch partner, as reported by The Victory Press.
What's Still Unknown Before the Puck Drops
The PWHL has not yet released the schedule for the 2026-27 season. Last season's schedule was released on October 1, and the upcoming campaign is expected to start shortly after the Women's World Championships, which will be held in Denmark from November 6 through November 16. The league began its previous season in late November, suggesting a similar late-fall opener for Detroit's debut.
Detroit's path to a franchise began well before this summer's roster moves. As Hoodline previously reported, the city earned its expansion bid after four PWHL Takeover Tour games, culminating on March 28 when a crowd of 15,938 fans at Little Caesars Arena set a building record for women's hockey attendance. That local turnout helped seal Detroit's place among the league's four newest markets heading into its first season.
.jpg){kind=link}