Two of the four Seattle Torrent who helped Team USA win gold in Milan in February aren’t Torrent players any longer. Defender Cayla Barnes and forward Hanna Bilka were claimed Friday by the new Detroit PWHL expansion team.
In addition, PWHL San Jose selected goalie Corinne Schroeder.
Barnes signed a three-year contract. The defender played all 30 games last season on the Torrent blueline. She’s represented the United States at each of the last three Olympic Winter Games, earning two gold medals (2018 and 2026) and a silver medal (2022).
Bilka inked a two-year deal. She scored four goals during the Olympics, but suffered an upper-body injury and wasn’t able to play for Seattle after that. Bilka played 14 games with the Torrent, scoring four goals and five assists.
Schroeder also signed for two years. She started 17 games for the Torrent, earning five wins. The netminder posted a .915 save percentage and 2.56 goals-against average.
Torrent Plan On ‘Punishing’ Opponents
Although Torrent general manager Meghan Turner can’t know the full makeup of her own 2nd season roster, she has a clear idea of its ideal identity.
“Players that are willing to be first to pucks, battle, come away with those pucks, make good decisions, and also not be afraid to jump into the offense and get into the interior in the o-zone.
“The goal is to get a Walter Cup,” Turner said. “We have to play a punishing game. We have to be relentless in the offensive zone and solid in our transition game. And we need scoring throughout the lineup.
“You look at teams that had success this year like Boston. They just came in waves and it was relentless pressure. That is a big part of the identity we want to have next year, not allowing teams in the middle, being relentless in the o-zone, and smart around our blue line.
“We want to play a fast, punishing, heavy game, where teams feel like they can’t get their footing under them. It’s a little bit cliche; everyone says, ‘fast and physical.’ But speed is only going to become more important as we’ve grown to 12 teams.
“As far as traits go, we want players who want to win and want to be in Seattle. Every player on our team felt that way this year, which is great.”
Building For The Long Term
Having fired first-year coach Steve O’Rourke on May 22, the Torrent are in need of a bench boss to help develop their Year 2 identity.
“We’re close on the coaching search,” says Turner. “I feel really good about the candidate pool. Part of that is finding someone who feels the same as I do about playing that game.”
More members of the 2025-26 Torrent could be playing elsewhere this coming season. Each existing PWHL team was allowed to protect three players, as phase one of the multi-stage process to fill expansion team rosters. For Seattle, the protected trio were veteran forward Alex Carpenter, as well as young defender Anna Wilgren and goalie Hannah Murphy.
“We want to create solid rosters for years to come. What we do today will impact how our teams look in five, ten years. You’re always considering veteran status versus youth. We wanted to make sure that we had a good core group that could have longevity. It’s important to have a good balance of experience but also young potential.”
Turner On Protected Torrent Defender Anna Wilgren, 26
“Sky’s the limit for Anna. We feel that Anna is a heavy ‘D’ player. She also has huge offensive upside, she’s young and has that potential. I don’t think we’ve seen what she can really do in this league.
“She’s not afraid to block shots. She’s not afraid to to make checks and finish hits. She’s not afraid to get into the hard areas of the ice. She’s also offensive-minded. She’s good at transporting the puck through the neutral zone. And she’s got speed to get up into the play and be that fourth activation. I think we’re going to see a lot more of that.
“Within her game, it’s fine-tuning some of those areas. It’s making sure she comes away with pucks from those battles, continuing to get shots through. So I think it’s about refining her game within the identity that she already has.”
Turner On Protected Torrent Goalie Hanna Murphy, Turns 23 On Aug. 3
“We have a good goaltender who can be the backbone for us. You look at the teams that are championship-driven, and it starts from the net out. We felt good about Murphy’s potential and what we saw in Hannah this year.
“If you don’t protect a goalie, you’re going to have to find one some other way. It’s difficult to wait for the draft where you don’t exactly know what’s going to fall where.”
Earlier Torrent:
— Torrent Leave Captain Hilary Knight Unprotected
Earlier Kraken:
— Do Seattle Kraken Youngsters Need More Tough Love
