The Professional Women’s Hockey League expansion team in Las Vegas has secured its first two players, both from the Minnesota Frost. Defenders Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper signed two-year contracts on Saturday, the team announced.
Cooper, 24, was selected sixth overall in the 2025 PWHL draft. She tallied 19 points in 30 games as a rookie, tying for second among first-year players, and averaged 21:29 in ice time per game, also second among rookies.
Batherson, 25, recorded 15 points in 30 games last season after managing just three points in her rookie campaign. The Minas, Nova Scotia, native was a sixth-round pick in 2024 and posted a plus-10 rating last season.
Both players contributed to Minnesota’s Walter Cup championship in 2025. This season, the Frost lost in five games to eventual champion Montreal Victoire. Batherson had two assists in that series, while Cooper did not record a point in her first playoff action.
The signings come during Phase 2 of the PWHL’s expansion process, which runs through 10 a.m. Monday. Expansion teams can sign up to five players during this window. The preliminary open signing period, when unsigned and unprotected players can negotiate with all 12 teams, begins June 10.
