PWHL Las Vegas adds pair of defenders as first signings

PWHL Las Vegas has its first signings.

Defenders Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper are joining on two-year deals, the team announced Saturday.

Batherson and Cooper come from the Minnesota Frost, where they were part of the highest-scoring blue line in the league last season.

Cooper, 24, was the sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft. She had 19 points in 30 games during her rookie season, which was tied for second among rookies.

She averaged 21:29 in ice time per game, which was second among rookies.

Batherson, 25, had 15 points in 30 games last season after finishing with just three in her rookie season.

The Minas, Nova Scotia, native was a sixth-round pick in 2024. She was a plus-10 last season.

Both earned valuable big-game experience over the past two years.

Though Batherson had little production in 2025, she was a contributor in the Frost winning the Walter Cup in 2025.

This season, Minnesota lost in five games to the eventual champion Montreal Victoire. Batherson had two assists in the five-game loss, while Cooper didn’t register a point in her first taste of playoff action.

Players not protected by the eight original teams were eligible to sign with the four expansion teams — Las Vegas, Hamilton, San Jose and Detroit — on Friday.

Phase 2 of the PWHL’s expansion process runs through 10 a.m. Monday, where the expansion teams can sign five players. The preliminary open signing period, where unsigned and unprotected players can negotiate with all 12 teams, opens June 10.