Muller leaves Boston and Gosling leaves Montreal to sign with PWHL expansion team in Hamilton

Audio By Carbonatix

Four-time Olympian Alina Muller of Switzerland is leaving behind her college and pro hockey career in Boston by signing a three-year contract Saturday with the PWHL’s expansion team in Hamilton, Ontario.

Muller will be joined in Hamilton by Montreal defender and rookie of the year finalist Nicole Gosling, who also signed a three-year standard agreement.

San Jose announced the signing of New York forward Anne Cherkowski to a two-year contract.

The moves come on Day 2 of the second phase of the PWHL’s three-day expansion process, in which the four new teams will sign five players.

Hamilton has now signed four players, a day after adding Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner and New York goalie Kayle Osborne. San Jose has two roster spots yet to fill. Detroit has already added four players, with Las Vegas the league's only new team to not yet complete a signing.

The 28-year-old Muller has spent her adult life in Boston following a five-year college career at Northeastern and the past three seasons with the Fleet. Selected third overall by Boston in the league’s inaugural 2023 draft, Muller was the PWHL's first non-North American player selected.

Her 56 PWHL career points (16 goals, 40 assists) lead all Fleet and non-North American players.

Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer grew emotional on Thursday when discussing the possibility of losing Muller. With the eight existing teams allowed to protect only three players each, Marmer said she was left with little choice in filling those spots on captain Megan Keller, rookie of the year finalist Haley Winn and goalie of the year finalist Aerin Frankel ahead of Muller.

Muller has also shined on the international stage in having scored Switzerland’s two Olympic bonze medal-clinching goals, including the overtime-winner over Sweden at the Milan Cortina Games in February.

Gosling is coming off a Walter Cup championship season in Montreal. She was selected fourth overall in the draft last year, and finished tied for first among rookie defenseman with 19 points (three goals, 16 assists).

The 24-year-old Gosling also gets an opportunity to move closer to her hometown of London, Ontario.

___

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey