HAMILTON, ON (June 20, 2026) – PWHL Hamilton today announced that forward Peyton Hemp has signed a one-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement through the 2026-27 season as part of Phase 5 of the league’s Expansion Player Distribution Process. Hemp’s contract rights were acquired by PWHL Hamilton from the Ottawa Charge through the Expansion Roster Completion process to conclude Phase 4; Phase 5 provided teams with an exclusive window to re-sign their own players.
Hemp registered nine points (2G, 7A) in 30 regular-season games and one goal in eight playoff matchups during her 2025-26 rookie season for Ottawa. The 23-year-old from Andover, MN, tied for seventh in assists among the 2025 draft class, tied for second in scoring among Charge rookies, and was one of three PWHL newcomers with a shorthanded goal in 2025-26. Her playoff goal came in Ottawa’s only win against the Montréal Victoire when facing elimination in Game 3 of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals. Prior to her fourth-round selection by Ottawa in the 2025 PWHL Draft, Hemp played four NCAA seasons at the University of Minnesota where she tallied 123 points (58G, 65A) in 156 career regular-season games and served as captain for her junior and senior campaigns. Internationally, Hemp won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.
PWHL Hamilton now has 10 players under contract for the upcoming season, including Hemp, alongside Charge teammates and fellow forwards Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark (both Phase 2); forwards Alina Müller (Phase 2) and Abby Hustler (Phase 4); defenders Riley Brengman (Phase 4), Allyson Simpson (Phase 4), Nicole Gosling (Phase 2), Zoe Boyd (Phase 3), and goaltender Kayle Osborne (Phase 2).
The team also selected six players in the 2026 PWHL Draft presented by Upper Deck, adding four forwards, one defender and one goaltender to the organization’s roster on Wednesday.
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.
ABOUT PWHL HAMILTON
PWHL Hamilton is one of 12 teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which was founded in 2023. The PWHL began its inaugural season in January 2024 and features the best women’s hockey players in the world. PWHL Hamilton was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 13 and will debut at TD Coliseum in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit here, opens in a new tab to secure priority access to season tickets for PWHL Hamilton’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit HamiltonPWHL.com, subscribe to PWHL Hamilton’s newsletter here, opens in a new tab, and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Hamilton, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Hamilton, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, Bluesky @PWHL-Hamilton, opens in a new tab, and LinkedIn PWHL Hamilton, opens in a new tab.
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