LAS VEGAS, NV (June 12, 2026) – PWHL Las Vegas today announced that forward Maureen Murphy has been signed to a one-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Murphy becomes the eighth player and third, following defender Megan Carter and goaltender Nicole Hensley, to complete the team’s Phase 3 additions in the PWHL’s Expansion Player Distribution Process.
Murphy has spent her entire three-year PWHL career with the Montréal Victoire, skating in 21 games in the team’s first Walter Cup-winning season in 2025-26, recording seven points (4G, 3A). The 26-year-old native of Buffalo, NY, added three points (1G, 2A) in the playoffs, which marked her third postseason appearance in as many seasons. Murphy was originally selected by Montréal with the 18th overall pick in the third round of the inaugural PWHL Draft, and went on to contribute 29 points (12G, 17A) in 73 career regular-season games, and totaled eight points (4G, 4A) in 16 career playoff games. Off the ice, Murphy earned the PWHL’s Hockey For All Award in 2024, recognizing the player who made the greatest impact in their community. Prior to her professional career, Murphy played collegiately at Providence College and Northeastern University, earning Hockey East All-Star honors four times. On the international stage, Murphy won a gold medal representing the United States at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.
On PWHL Las Vegas, Murphy is the fifth Walter Cup champion on the roster, reuniting with her Montréal teammates in defender Erin Ambrose (three seasons as teammates) and forward Hayley Scamurra (2025-26 season with the Victoire), and joins former Minnesota Frost winners in Hensley (2024 and 2025) and defender Mae Batherson (2025). Murphy is also reunited with Carter, her former teammate at Northeastern, and rounds out the list of PWHL Las Vegas acquisitions with defender Kendall Cooper and forward Hilary Knight.
At the end of the Phase 3 signing period, each expansion team will have up to eight total players by signing a maximum of three players on expiring contracts during this phase. Existing PWHL teams may protect three players under contract for the 2026-27 season, and/or players on expiring contracts signed during this phase, to bring their total protected lists to six players. The Phase 3 signing period was open until Friday, June 12 at 3 p.m. ET, followed by a 5 p.m. ET deadline for existing teams to submit their protection lists prior to the Phase 4 signing period.
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 LAS VEGAS
PWHL Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 13 and will debut at T-Mobile Arena 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 Las Vegas’ historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit LasVegasPWHL.com, subscribe to PWHL Las Vegas’ newsletter here, opens in a new tab, and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Las Vegas, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Las Vegas, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, Bluesky @PWHL-LasVegas, opens in a new tab, and LinkedIn PWHL Las Vegas, opens in a new tab.
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