SAN JOSE, CA (June 6, 2026) – PWHL San Jose today announced that forward Kristin O’Neill received an Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO) and has signed a two-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. O’Neill joins PWHL San Jose as a cornerstone player through the 2027-28 campaign and becomes the fourth of five players to be added to the team during Phase 2 of the PWHL’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process.
O’Neill played for the New York Sirens during the 2025-26 PWHL season, registering five points (4G, 1A) while appearing in all 30 regular-season games. O’Neill also led the Sirens and ranked fourth in the league in faceoffs won (272), trailing only Forward of the Year finalists, Kelly Pannek and Brianne Jenner, and 2024 PWHL Billie Jean King MVP award finalist, Alex Carpenter, and ranks fourth all-time in the category. In three seasons split between New York and Montréal, the 28-year-old from Oakville, Ontario, has notched 19 points (9G, 10A) in 83 games. She also skated in two postseasons with the Victoire, totaling four points (3G, 1A) in seven games. O’Neill was originally selected by Montréal with the seventh overall pick in the second round of the inaugural PWHL Draft. Before turning pro, O’Neill starred at Cornell University where she served as captain for three seasons and tallied 145 points (81G) in 125 games, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2017) and Ivy League Player of the Year (2018) honors. Internationally, she has represented Team Canada, with five straight medals (three gold, two silver) playing for Head Coach Troy Ryan at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and made her Olympic Winter Games debut in 2026 at Milano Cortina, earning a silver medal.
Each expansion team was granted one binding EFO to pursue a player on an expiring PWHL contract through a premium multi-year contract opportunity. Players who received an EFO were permitted to choose a contract length ranging from one to four years.
With PWHL San Jose, O’Neill joins fellow forward and former Sirens teammate Anne Cherkowski, defender and fellow Cornell alumna Rory Guilday, and goaltender Corinne Schroeder, each signed to two-year contracts.
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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