PWHL Detroit signs Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes

A couple of American stars are heading to the Motor City.

On Friday, PWHL Detroit announced that the team has signed forward Hannah Bilka and defender Cayla Barnes to standard player agreements. They join former Toronto Sceptre Daryl Watts as the first three players signed to contracts for the team’s inaugural season.

Bilka signed a two-year contract with Detroit, while Barnes is on the books through the 2028-29 campaign.

Both Bilka and Barnes come to Hockeytown after spending the 2025-26 season with the then-expansion Seattle Torrent. Both players tried to be bright spots on what was a miserable season for the first-year team, as the Torrent finished last in the PWHL, setting league records for both regulation (16) and overall losses (21). The two were not protected by Seattle, as general manager Meghan Turner elected to sign Alex Carpenter to a three-year extension, protecting goaltender Hannah Murphy and defender Anna Wilgren.

Bilka, who had one more year on her contract that she signed with the Boston Fleet prior to her rookie season, was taken by the Torrent in the expansion draft last summer, bringing some offensive punch to the Emerald City. However, an upper-body injury suffered at the Winter Olympics ended up knocking the Texas native out for the entire second half of the season. In 14 games, she scored four goals and five assists for nine points.

In 30 PWHL games, the 25-year-old has scored nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points.

After a promising rookie season with the Montreal Victoire, Barnes struggled to find consistency in Seattle. She signed a three-year contract with the new team but wasn’t able to match the scoring she produced in Montreal, and her defensive play was suspect at times. In 30 appearances, she scored three goals and five assists for eight points, with a plus/minus of -16 while averaging a team-leading 23:17 per game.

In 60 regular-season games in the PWHL, Barnes has scored five goals and 16 assists for 21 points.

The former Boston College turned Ohio State teammates were taken back-to-back in the 2024 PWHL Draft, as Bilka was taken fourth overall by the Fleet, with Barnes being selected by the Victoire at No. 5. The duo also represented the United States at the Olympics, with Bilka’s seven points proving crucial in the team’s run to the gold medal.

Detroit now has three of the five roster spots filled for Phase 2 of the Expansion Player Distribution Process. The second phase ends on June 8 at 1 p.m. ET.