Ottawa's new professional women's hockey team has its first players

Canada's Emily Clark (26) and Canada goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer (38) pose in front of Olympic workers after defeating United States in the women's gold medal hockey game at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Ottawa's new professional women's hockey team has its first three players.

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced Tuesday that forwards Emily Clark and Brianne Jenner and goalie Emerance Maschmeyer signed free agent contracts with the team. The trio have agreed to three-year deals for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 PWHL seasons.

The league is not announcing salary terms, as per the PWHL Players' Association, it said in a news release.

Each team will be limited to 20 standard player agreements ahead of training camp in November. Six players on each team will be signed to three-year deals at a minimum of $80,000 USD (approx. $108,600 CAD) per year.

"We are thrilled with the three players we have signed as the inaugural players for the Ottawa franchise," said Mike Hirshfeld, General Manager of PWHL Ottawa. "We truly believe that we have signed three incredible hockey players."

Clark, 27, won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics and gold in 2022. She has seven IIHF women's world championship medals, including two gold, as well as two gold under-18 world championship medals in 2012 and 2013.

Jenner, 32, has three Olympic medals, two gold (2014, 2022) and one silver (2018) and nine world championship medals, three of them gold.

Maschmeyer, 28, was also on Canada's gold medal-winning 2022 Olympic team. She has also won two gold medals in the women's worlds and a gold in the world uner-18 championship in 2012.

The PWHL is assembling its players for the original six teams playing in the league's inaugural season. Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston, and Minneapolis-St. Paul are also hosting teams. There will be 24 games in the first season, which is expected to begin in January.

The 2023 PWHL Draft is scheduled for Sept. 18 where Ottawa holds the fifth overall pick.

Ottawa will play at TD Place.