SAN JOSE, CA (June 5, 2026) – PWHL San Jose today announced that defender Rory Guilday has been signed to a two-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Guilday, who was under contract with the Ottawa Charge, joins PWHL San Jose with a new deal through the 2027-28 campaign and becomes the second of five players to be added during Phase 2 of the PWHL’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process following goaltender Corinne Schroeder.
Guilday was selected fifth overall by Ottawa in the first round of the 2025 PWHL Draft. The 23-year-old registered nine points (1G, 8A) in 30 games during her rookie season, finishing fourth among first-year defenders in points and assists. A physical presence on the blue line, the Chanhassen, MN, native ranked third among all players in hits (57) and led the Charge in blocked shots (35). Guilday also appeared in eight postseason games, totaling a pair of assists while helping Ottawa reach the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals. Following a standout four-year collegiate career at Cornell University, Guilday has also excelled on the international stage, earning a gold medal at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina and winning three medals with Team USA at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (one gold, two silver).
Phase 2 of the Expansion Player Distribution Process, which began Friday at 12 p.m. ET and continues until Monday, June 8 at 1 p.m. ET, allows each expansion team to build the foundation of its roster by acquiring five players through signings and, if necessary, a player selection process. Only players identified on an expansion team’s initial 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List are eligible to be signed during Phase 2. Existing teams can lose a maximum of three players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season during this phase. Read the full rules here.
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 ahead of Phase 2, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.
ABOUT PWHL SAN JOSE
PWHL San Jose 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 San Jose was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 19 and will debut at SAP Center 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 San Jose’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit PWHLSanJose.com, subscribe to PWHL San Jose’s newsletter here, opens in a new tab, and follow the team on Facebook PWHL San Jose, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL_SanJose, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL_SanJose, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL_SanJose, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL San Jose, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL_SanJose, opens in a new tab, Bluesky @PWHL-SanJose, opens in a new tab, and LinkedIn PWHL San Jose, opens in a new tab.
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