PWHL Detroit Signs Top Picks Andrea Brändli and Casey Borgiel

PWHL Detroit today announced that goaltender Andrea Brändli has been signed to a three-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement through the 2028-29 season, and defender Casey Borgiel has been signed to a one-year agreement for the team’s inaugural 2026-27 campaign. Both players made history in the second-round of the 2026 PWHL Draft on June 17 at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, with Brändli (15th overall) representing the team’s first-ever pick and the first goaltender selected in the draft, while Borgiel (22nd overall) of nearby Port Huron was the team’s first-ever pick from Michigan.

“We could not have asked for a better start to the draft by selecting an experienced goaltender like Andrea and a reliable defender like Casey in front of our hometown fans,” said PWHL Detroit General Manager Manon Rheaume. “Andrea’s performance at the Olympics showed the world that she is one of the best at her position and somebody who will make an immediate impact in the PWHL with her maturity and confidence. I’ve had the privilege of watching Casey’s career develop through the Little Caesars program as a player who stands out for her consistency, physicality, and stability on the blue line. Both players are important to the foundation we are building for our inaugural season.”

Brändli is a three-time Olympian who backstopped Switzerland to a bronze medal victory in February, named Best Goaltender and a Tournament All-Star with a 1.94 goals-against average and a.953 save percentage. Swiss Hockey’s Woman of the Year in 2023, her international experience also includes eight appearances in the top division of the IIHF Women’s World Championship. The 29-year-old spent the 2025-26 season with Frölunda HC of the SDHL where she posted a league-leading.945 SV% and a 1.49 GAA that ranked second. She also played two seasons with MoDo Hockey, earning SDHL Goaltender of the Year honors in 2025. Brändli won a National Championship with Ohio State in 2022 and capped her five-year NCAA career at Boston University in 2022-23.

“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to commit to Detroit for the next three years and call this vibrant city home,” said Brändli. “Experiencing the draft at the Fox Theatre and the amazing atmosphere throughout the city gave me a sense of how special Detroit’s sports culture and community are. The passion and support from the fans is something I’ll never forget. This organization is already something special, and I feel very fortunate to be part of this team and build something amazing together and can’t wait for opening night at Little Caesars Arena.”

Borgiel joins her hometown team following two seasons as the top scoring defender at Colgate University, most recently tallying four goals and 21 points in 36 games during the 2025-26 campaign. Her first season as a Raider in 2024-25 was the most productive offensive season of her collegiate career, contributing 29 points (3G, 26A) in 39 games on the heels of two seasons at College of the Holy Cross where she earned Hockey East All-Rookie honors in 2023. Last August, Borgiel represented the U.S. in the 2025 Collegiate Series against Canada, coached by PWHL Detroit assistant coach Molly Engstrom. The 22-year-old is a product of Detroit’s Little Caesars program, winning back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022, and lettered in soccer at Port Huron Northern High School.

“It’s a dream come true to come home and play in the same arena that helped me fall in love with hockey and find my passion for the game,” said Borgiel. “Hockeytown has shown it’s ready for the PWHL and I am super excited to get started in Detroit, to meet all of the fans, and honored to help make this inaugural season special.”

Brändli and Borgiel are the first of the team’s six-player inaugural draft class to sign and brings PWHL Detroit’s roster up to 18 players under contract, now with two goaltenders and seven defenders. Brändli is one of nine on the team who competed in Milano Cortina counting Americans Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Britta Curl-Salemme and Hilary Knight, Canada’s Daryl Watts, France’s Alice Philbert, Germany’s Nina Jobst-Smith, and Japan’s Akane Shiga. Borgiel is one of four Michigan-area players on the roster joining Mellissa Channell-Watkins (Plymouth), her former Little Caesars coach, and forwards Shiann Darkangelo (Brighton) and Taylor Girard (Macomb).

A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here. 

ABOUT PWHL DETROIT 
PWHL Detroit is one of 12 teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which was founded in 2023. The PWHL began its inaugural season in January 2024 and features the best women’s hockey players in the world. PWHL Detroit was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 6 and will debut at Little Caesars Arena in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit here, opens in a new tab to secure priority access to season tickets for PWHL Detroit’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit DetroitPWHL.com, subscribe to the newsletter here, opens in a new tab and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, and Bluesky @PWHL--Detroit, opens in a new tab.

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