SAN JOSE, CA (June 14, 2026) – PWHL San Jose today announced that forward Natálie Mlýnková 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. Mlýnková, whose contract rights were held by the Montréal Victoire, becomes the team’s ninth player and first of two players to be added during Phase 4 of the PWHL’s Expansion Player Distribution Process.
Mlýnková had a productive rookie season for Montréal in its 2025-26 Walter Cup title run. The 25-year-old tallied 10 points (5G, 5A) in 30 regular-season contests and appeared in all nine of the Victoire's postseason games. Mlýnková was one of just 10 rookies leaguewide to reach double digit points and one of two rookies to reach that mark for the Victoire. Selected by Montréal with the 12th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 PWHL Draft, she was also one of just five first-year players leaguewide to register five or more goals and five or more assists during the 2025-26 campaign. Mlýnková hails from Zlin, Czechia, and has competed in six IIHF Women’s World Championships, winning two bronze medals, and two Olympic Winter Games, including 2026 where she became the first Czech women’s player to score three goals at a single Olympic tournament. Mlýnková played four years collegiately at the University of Vermont and a fifth season as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. During her final season at Vermont, Mlýnková garnered the 2024 Cammi Granato Award as Hockey East Player of the Year.
On PWHL San Jose, Mlýnková is the team’s fifth forward following the Phase 2 additions of Anne Cherkowski, Kristin O’Neill and Maddi Wheeler, and the Phase 3 addition of Maggie Connors. The team also added defender Rory Guilday in Phase 2, rearguards Hadley Hartmetz and Mariah Keopple in Phase 3, and goaltender Corinne Schroeder in Phase 2. Mlýnková is the fourth member of the league’s 2025 draft class to join PWHL San Jose alongside Guilday (first-round pick), Cherkowski (second-round pick), and Wheeler (fourth-round pick).
At the end of the Phase 4 signing period on Monday, each expansion team will have 10 total players through signings and, if necessary, a player selection process. Players eligible to be signed in Phase 4 are those not signed or protected in Phases 1-3, including players on expiring contracts and players under contract for 2026-27. Existing teams can lose a maximum of four players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season in Phases 1-4.
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 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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