- May 21, 2026
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A young blueliner is staying on the West Coast, but moving a little south.
On Friday, PWHL San Jose announced that the team has signed defender Mariah Keopple to a two-year contract that will run through the 2027-28 season.
Keopple is the third and final player San Jose is allowed to sign during the third phase of the 2026 PWHL Expansion Roster Distribution Process. The team also signed forward Maggie Connors and defender Hadley Hartmetz. The trio joins the expansion franchise’s initial signings during Phase 2 – Kristin O’Neill, Maddi Wheeler, Anne Cherkowski, Corinne Schroeder and Rory Guilday.
San Jose is the second expansion team that Keopple has signed with in as many seasons. The Wisconsin native joined the Seattle Torrent as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year contract last summer. It was a tough year for Keopple and the team around her. The Torrent struggled to find much camaraderie, leading to the new team hanging near the bottom of the standings for most of the year. Seattle set a league record for most losses in a single season (21).
Keopple, a stay-at-home defender, only registered three assists in 29 appearances, posting a plus/minus of -5 while averaging 13:30 of ice time. She failed to score a goal after finding the back of the net three times with the Montreal Victoire during the 2024-25 season.
Keopple entered the PWHL as a free agent in 2023, signing with Montreal prior to the inaugural season. In 82 regular-season games, she has scored seven goals and seven assists for 10 points, with no points coming in seven Walter Cup Playoff games.
Phase 3 of the expansion process continues through 3 p.m. ET on June 12. San Jose won’t be able to add any more players until the fourth phase, which is set to begin on Monday.
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On Friday, PWHL San Jose announced that the team has signed defender Mariah Keopple to a two-year contract that will run through the 2027-28 season.
Keopple is the third and final player San Jose is allowed to sign during the third phase of the 2026 PWHL Expansion Roster Distribution Process. The team also signed forward Maggie Connors and defender Hadley Hartmetz. The trio joins the expansion franchise’s initial signings during Phase 2 – Kristin O’Neill, Maddi Wheeler, Anne Cherkowski, Corinne Schroeder and Rory Guilday.
San Jose is the second expansion team that Keopple has signed with in as many seasons. The Wisconsin native joined the Seattle Torrent as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year contract last summer. It was a tough year for Keopple and the team around her. The Torrent struggled to find much camaraderie, leading to the new team hanging near the bottom of the standings for most of the year. Seattle set a league record for most losses in a single season (21).
Keopple, a stay-at-home defender, only registered three assists in 29 appearances, posting a plus/minus of -5 while averaging 13:30 of ice time. She failed to score a goal after finding the back of the net three times with the Montreal Victoire during the 2024-25 season.
Keopple entered the PWHL as a free agent in 2023, signing with Montreal prior to the inaugural season. In 82 regular-season games, she has scored seven goals and seven assists for 10 points, with no points coming in seven Walter Cup Playoff games.
Phase 3 of the expansion process continues through 3 p.m. ET on June 12. San Jose won’t be able to add any more players until the fourth phase, which is set to begin on Monday.
Read more PWHL stories on DFO
Continue reading...