SAN JOSE, CA\u00a0(June 14, 2026)\u00a0\u2013 PWHL San Jose today announced that forward Nat\u00e1lie Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 has been signed to a one-year Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team\u2019s inaugural 2026-27 season. Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1, whose contract rights were held by the Montr\u00e9al Victoire, becomes the team\u2019s ninth player and first of two players to be added during Phase 4 of the PWHL\u2019s Expansion Player Distribution Process.<\/p>\n
Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 had a productive rookie season for Montr\u00e9al in its 2025-26 Walter Cup title run. The 25-year-old tallied 10 points (5G, 5A) in 30 regular-season contests and appeared in all nine of the Victoire’s postseason games. Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 was one of just 10 rookies leaguewide to reach double digit points and one of two rookies to reach that mark for the Victoire. Selected by Montr\u00e9al with the 12th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 PWHL Draft, she was also one of just five first-year players leaguewide to register five or more goals and five or more assists during the 2025-26 campaign. Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 hails from Zlin, Czechia, and has competed in six IIHF Women\u2019s World Championships, winning two bronze medals, and two Olympic Winter Games, including 2026 where she became the first Czech women\u2019s player to score three goals at a single Olympic tournament. Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 played four years collegiately at the University of Vermont and a fifth season as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. During her final season at Vermont, Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 garnered the 2024 Cammi Granato Award as Hockey East Player of the Year. <\/p>\n
On PWHL San Jose, Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 is the team\u2019s fifth forward following the Phase 2 additions of Anne Cherkowski, Kristin O\u2019Neill and Maddi Wheeler, and the Phase 3 addition of Maggie Connors. The team also added defender Rory Guilday in Phase 2, rearguards Hadley Hartmetz and Mariah Keopple in Phase 3, and goaltender Corinne Schroeder in Phase 2. Ml\u00fdnkov\u00e1 is the fourth member of the league\u2019s 2025 draft class to join PWHL San Jose alongside Guilday (first-round pick), Cherkowski (second-round pick), and Wheeler (fourth-round pick).<\/p>\n
At the end of the Phase 4 signing period on Monday, each expansion team will have 10 total players through signings and, if necessary, a player selection process. Players eligible to be signed in Phase 4 are those not signed or protected in Phases 1-3, including players on expiring contracts and players under contract for 2026-27. Existing teams can lose a maximum of four players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season in Phases 1-4.<\/p>\n
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official\u00a0PWHL Transactions Page<\/a>. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts, visit the PWHL Contract Guide\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n ABOUT PWHL\u00a0SAN JOSE\u00a0 PWHL, the PWHL Logo, and PWHL team names and logos are trademarks of the PWHL. \u00a9 PWHL 2026. All Rights Reserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PWHL\u00a0San Jose\u00a0is one of 12 teams in the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League (PWHL), which was founded in 2023. The PWHL began its inaugural season in January 2024 and features the best women\u2019s hockey players in the world. PWHL\u00a0San Jose\u00a0was\u202fofficially announced<\/a>\u00a0as one of the league\u2019s four new expansion teams on May 19\u00a0and will debut at\u00a0SAP Center\u00a0in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit\u202fhere
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