OTTAWA, ON (July 8, 2026) – The Ottawa Charge today announced that forward Fanuza Kadirova has been re-signed to a two-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement through the 2027-28 season. Kadirova was among the team’s three protections in Phase 3 of the Expansion Player Distribution Process.
Kadirova was very productive in her first PWHL season, scoring 10 goals and 12 points in 28 regular-season games after being selected by the Charge in the sixth round (45th overall) in the 2025 PWHL Draft. The 28-year-old from Kukmor, Russia, tallied two game-winning goals, most notably in a must-win final game of the season at TD Place to secure a playoff berth. She was one of the three Charge players to reach double digits in goals and one of 12 players leaguewide, converting with a 20.8 shooting percentage that ranked second among players with more than three shots on goal. The gritty winger and fan favourite added two goals and five points in the playoffs to finish second on the team and fifth in overall PWHL postseason scoring.
Internationally, Kadirova has competed in two Olympic Winter Games (2018 and 2022) and has one bronze medal (2016) in five appearances at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. Prior to the PWHL, she played for Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg of the ZhHL.
The Charge now have 17 players under contract for the upcoming season, including 15 returnees. Kadirova joins a group of forwards that consists of Rebecca Leslie, Gabbie Hughes, Kateřina Mrázová, Michela Cava and Brooke McQuigge, plus newcomers Dara Greig and Jenna Buglioni. Defenders include Ronja Savolainen, Jocelyne Larocque, Kathryn Reilly, Emma Greco, Brooke Hobson and Vita Poniatovskaia, with the goaltending trio of Gwyneth Philips, Sanni Ahola and Kendra Woodland also coming back.
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.