Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Josefin Bouveng	Tessa Janecke	Lacey Eden
Maureen Murphy	Hayley Scammura	Issy Wunder
Natalie Snodgrass	Katy Knoll	Alexis Petford
Sydney Healey	Darcy Lappan	Jada Habisch

Left Defence	Right Defence	Goaltender
Mae Batherson	Kendall Cooper	Nicole Hensley
Megan Carter	Erin Ambrose	Saskia Maurer
Kendall Butze	Madison Bizal

What’s Worth Noting?

Wealth of Defenders

As stated, this squad was built off of a defence-first mindset, both with its first signings and throughout the expansion process. The projected top-four defenders have all already been trusted with big minutes at the PWHL level, and this gives head coach Kim Weiss a lot of options for how to deploy the blueline.

It’s easy to understand the appeal of keeping Batherson and Cooper on the same pairing because they have already developed chemistry. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine Ambrose on a second pairing role of a brand new squad given the consistency and leadership she brought to Montreal, a perennial contender even before they won the Walter Cup.

Another great first pairing option would be pairing up Ambrose and Cooper, if you’re willing to have one switch sides. In a perfect world, this would create a dynamic similar to the one the former cultivated with Nicole Gosling in Montreal.

Mae Batherson and Megan Carter, in this case, would be the second pairing.

All Rookie First Line

If these projected lines of forwards are to be believed, Vegas’s entire first line has yet to play a minute in the pros. This isn’t incredibly surprising given the handful of trades the team was involved with that saw them receive draft picks in return, and the notable names already in the D core, but it raises questions about how quickly the squad will be able to settle into scoring capability.

There’s little doubt that first-round picks Tessa Janecke and Lacey Eden will be capable of playing a top-six or even top line role on the team, but the prospect of not doing so alongside a forward with pro experience is intriguing and definitely makes Vegas worth keeping an eye on to start the season.

Hensley as a Starter

Nicole Hensley is a proven goaltender in this league. Her resume speaks for itself. She’s a two time Olympian with Team USA and a two-time Walter Cup Champion with the Minnesota Frost. She was particularly integral to Minnesota’s 2024 title. In five starts, she posted a 1.06 GAA and a .945 save percentage.

One thing Hensley hasn’t done in the PWHL, however, is play as a bonafide first-string goalie. For the past three seasons, Minnesota operated with a tandem between Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney.

During the inaugural season of the league (24 games long), Hensley made 14 appearances. In 2024–25, this number dropped to 11 games due to injury, but rose back to 13 in this past season.

Las Vegas used its 4th round pick on Swiss goaltender Saskia Maurer. Many are confident in her ability to be a reliable backup, but the transition from the Swiss league to North America means she won’t be seeing minutes comparable to Maddie Rooney.

If there’s a desire to see Hensley split playing time again, Vegas’s best bet is probably to pick up Sandra Abstreiter in free agency. Otherwise, much of the team’s success will count on her ability to have an additional 10+ starts.

Names to Look Out For

With so much in flux on a new team, here’s some names that could be key contributors early.

Kendall Cooper

Mentioned before as one of Vegas’s projected top-four defenders, Cooper was among the more underrated rookies in the 2025 draft class. The 6th overall pick was regularly trusted with 20+ minutes a game and was a key distributor for the offensively dominant Minnesota Frost.

Her 17 assists led all rookies. That number also landed her in a four-way tie for second in the league in the metric. Of those four, she was the only defender.

If she can continue that production on a new squad with less established forwards, she’ll quickly become an indispensable player for Las Vegas.

Issy Wunder

Vegas’s first-round picks are surefire impact players, but their second-round pick is of note as well. Issy Wunder, selected at 13th overall, was among the best forwards in the ECAC during her time at Princeton.

She finished her senior season with 27 goals and 16 assists for 43 total points in 34 games. Her goals per game ratio of .79 was sixth best in all of college hockey and she co-led the NCAA in game winning goals with 8. (Tied with Kahlen Lamarche, a junior at Quinnipiac.)

Wunder will also be a critical piece of the top-six for Vegas.

Erin Ambrose

Right now, Ambrose is without a doubt the most well-known name on the Vegas roster, but it’s hard to say enough about the impact she’s had in Montreal and is poised to have in Vegas.

Though her offensive production has declined over three seasons in the PWHL, Ambrose remains an incredibly reliable defender. With around 15–20 minutes of ice time on a regular basis, her career plus-minus is at 24, and she has never had a season with a negative rating.

As Montreal’s first-ever draft pick, she was integral to their leadership from day one, so don’t be surprised if she ends up with the captaincy in Las Vegas.

What to Expect

Ultimately, Vegas should be competitive from the jump, though this is moreso for their ability to prevent goals than to score them.

Building out from the blue line is a wise strategy considering how coveted great defenders are in the PWHL, but an all-rookie first line is an incredible gamble when most other teams (with the exception of San Jose and, debatably, Boston) have established, reliable scoring threats on their roster.

Expecting the rookies Vegas has to transition to professional hockey quickly isn’t at all unrealistic for their caliber of play. However, there’s a real need to hope that no one in the first half of their draft class is a bust and that the defence can hold it together for the early portions of the season until that transition happens.

In a league where playoff standings come down to the final game of the season year after year, though, is relying on hope enough?

Only time will tell.