The deal is a Standard Player Agreement — not one of the unique expansion contracts available to teams in Phase 2 of the league’s six-phase process — and runs through the 2028-29 season.
The PWHL’s four new expansion teams — in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose — currently have a three-day window, which began Friday, to acquire five players through signings and, if necessary, a player selection process.
PWHL expansion rules allowed the eight existing teams to protect three players from the “roster distribution process.” As expected, the Ottawa Charge protected star goalie Gwyneth Philips and defender Ronja Savolainen, both of whom were protected last season when the PWHL added teams in Vancouver and Seattle.
But, with its final slot, the team opted to protect forward Rebecca Leslie — who had a breakout season with 14 goals and 23 points in 30 games — which left Jenner, the team’s captain, exposed.
As a free agent, Jenner would have needed to sign a new contract with Ottawa before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline to be shielded from the next phase of the process. Ottawa general manager Mike Hirshfeld said in a Thursday media availability that the organization had conversations with Jenner, but that she and her family were “looking at different options.”
In an Instagram post on Friday, Jenner said it was her intention to finish her career in Ottawa.
“The organization decided to move in a different direction, and my time here has come to a close,” the post read. “From the bottom of my heart thank you for the memories.”
Jenner was one of Ottawa’s three foundational signings ahead of the PWHL’s first season in 2024, the organization’s first-ever captain and Ottawa’s all-time leading scorer with 61 points in 82 career games.
In a statement shared on X on Friday Hirshfeld said: “We want to wish Brianne, her wife Hayleigh and their three kids the best of luck in a new chapter of a brilliant career.
“Brianne was pivotal in setting the foundation of the culture of a new franchise in Ottawa. She made an impact in our dressing room with exceptional sportsmanship, leadership skills and work ethic. Her contribution on and off the ice made her a pillar of our organization and the community for the past three seasons. It was an honour to have her as our first ever captain.”
For Hamilton, making a player with Jenner’s leadership — and production — the team’s first signing is an easy win for new GM, and U.S women’s hockey legend, Meghan Duggan, who played several years against Jenner for club and country.
Jenner is from nearby Oakville, Ont., and grew up playing youth hockey in the Stoney Creek Girls Hockey Association; Stoney Creek is a community in the City of Hamilton. The 35-year-old was also one of the best players in the PWHL in 2025-26, scoring a career-high 26 points in 30 games, which ranked fourth in league scoring, and was named a finalist for Forward of the Year.
“I could not be more excited to announce that my new chapter begins today with PWHL Hamilton,” Jenner said in a subsequent Instagram post on Friday. “As a family we have deep ties to the Golden Horseshoe, and I can’t wait to get started and help build the culture and identity of the team that gets to represent this region.
“Hamilton, I promise to bring my everything to this team, everyday, and I know that in return you will show up with unrivalled support and enthusiasm.”
Internationally, Jenner is a four-time Olympian, winning gold medals in 2014 and 2022, and a four-time world champion.
Hamilton has until Monday at 1 p.m. ET to sign four more foundational players. If the team fails to reach five signings, there will be a player selection process on Monday evening. Only players identified on an expansion team’s 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. The PWHL’s full rules are here.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Ottawa Charge, NHL, Women’s Hockey
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