Troy Ryan Builds San Jose With Expansion Lessons in Hand

The temptation with an expansion roster is to collect as many proven players as possible and trust the rest to sort itself out. Seattle and Vancouver spent last season showing that it does not always work that way. Vancouver stayed in the race until the final week and eliminated Seattle on April 14. Neither first season was a failure, but both offered the same lesson: a collection of good players still has to become a team.

Troy Ryan, who is both general manager and head coach of PWHL San Jose, watched that process before building his own expansion roster.

The individual talent is there. Laila Edwards went fourth overall in the 2026 PWHL Draft and signed a three-year standard player agreement through the 2028-29 season, becoming the first member of San Jose's draft class to sign. The 22-year-old defender also played for the United States at the Olympics, giving Ryan a young player with experience on the international stage.

Rory Guilday arrives after eight playoff games during Ottawa's run to the Walter Cup Final and a regular season in which she finished third in the PWHL in hits. Kristin O'Neill won 272 faceoffs last season, fourth-most in the league. Daniela Pejšová brings years of experience with Czechia's national team.

San Jose also added three former Seattle players in Corinne Schroeder, Mariah Keopple and Brooke Bryant, giving the new locker room several players who have already experienced a PWHL expansion season.

As of Sept. 14, San Jose had 14 players under contract. Training camps open Nov. 18 after the IIHF Women's World Championship, and San Jose will host Seattle in a preseason scrimmage Nov. 29 at Tech CU Arena.

How those pieces fit together will become clearer once the team gets on the ice.