The games are still nearly half a year away, but Manon Rheaume sounds like she can’t wait to see her team take the ice. And that’s with only about a fourth of it in place.
Rheaume, named general manager of Detroit‘s PWHL franchise, has five foundational players in place – and a superstar sixth reportedly on the way – ahead of the June 17 expansion draft. She cautioned her comments on two-time Olympic gold medalist Hilary Knight coming to Detroit while talking to reporters on Tuesday, June 9, because the trade was not official.
Five players are under contract: Forward Hannah Bilka, defenseman Cayla Barnes, forward Jesse Compher, forward Britta Curl-Salemme and forward Daryl Watts.
“We’re really excited about the five first players, having the chance to have five Olympians to start your roster when you’re an expansion team,” Rheaume said. “And not only that, but five players that played together in either college hockey or with their PWHL team, with the national team. When you’re a new expansion team, to create some of that chemistry early on, I think it’s important.”
Knight is expected to be announced via a sign-and-trade with the Las Vegas expansion squad. She’s the most recognizable name in U.S. women’s hockey, and a sure draw even as she’s 37 next month.
“I can say that Hilary Knight is one of the most accomplished players in hockey, and I have so much respect for what she did for the game of hockey,” Rheaume said, leaving it at that until the news is official.
Cayla Barnes was teammates with Knight at the 2026 Milano Olympics, where they won the gold medal, and played professionally for the Seattle Torrent.
“I can speak to is Hillary as a person and as a player,” Barnes said. “She brings so much to any team she will be on. Any team she is a part of, she will make an immediate difference. She is a great human and a great leader, and I think that she’s an important piece to any puzzle.”
Rheaume said at the end of May that, “long term, it’s really important to have Michigan players here,” but so far the closest to local name recognition is Compher, whose brother, J.T., plays for the Detroit Red Wings.
“For me the main focus was this hockey organization that we’re building here in Detroit in the PWHL,” Compher said. “That’s definitely my first priority, but the thought of playing in the same city as my brother and seeing what the fans bring to Little Caesars, how passionate they are, that was just something that was added to the extra bonus and how excited I am to be there.
“Obviously, I’ll take a free dinner here and there, so it’ll be fun and I know my family’s really excited about it.”
Compher, 26, has spent the past two seasons playing for the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres. That led to a little slip-up as she discussed her familiarity with the Detroit sports scene.
“I’ve been in that building a bunch of times, Little Caesars Arena, and I’ve seen how passionate the fans are,” she said. “The Red Wings have been pushing for playoffs year after year, and you can see how passionate the fans are. They want a playoff team, and I think that we here in the PWHL, we’re going to be able to bring that to them with our signings and what we’re building.
“I think you can even see it with the Lions and the Raptors, or sorry, not the Raptors, the basketball team in Detroit. They just support their sports team so much. It’s such a sports city, and I think that they’re going to do such a great job supporting us.”
Britta Curl-Salemme, another 2026 U.S. Olympian, is a high-end forward who has drawn controversy for her social media activity advocating against trans woman athletes. Rheaume said that, “I understand that some of the fans have strong feeling about this signing, and we don’t take that lightly. We want to make sure that people know we want a place where everybody feel welcome.
“We did put a lot of time in talking to people that either coach Britta or played with Britta, and everybody that talks about how she is as a teammate and how she treats every player on the team. We felt confident within the teammate we were bringing into our organization.”
Curl-Salemme acknowledged her reputation, saying that, “there’s some upset fans and I get that, it’s not something new to me. Manon wouldn’t have taken this on if she didn’t do her research and talk to the right people.”
For Rheaume, her first five players signed represent a chance to forge a team that will be competitive when games start in late November/early December.
“I look at our player like Daryl Watts, her skills, her vision, she can score goals,” Rheaume said. “Hannah Bilka with her speed, she opens up space for our forwards to create offensive chance. Britta Curl and Jesse Comfort, two power forwards that can play a 200 foot game. They both can play center or wing. And Cayla Barnes, quiet leader that leads by example, another player that can play both on a PK and PP. We’re really excited about this group.”
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
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