Lou Orlando
The New York Sirens bolstered their forward group Monday, acquiring Denisa Křížová from the Minnesota Frost in exchange for defender Jincy Roese. It marked the first and only trade of the day ahead of the PWHL’s 5 p.m. EST deadline.
New York’s offense has four goals over three games since losing its second-leading scorer, Taylor Girard, to a season-ending knee injury on March 15. Křížová notched one goal and five points in 23 games with Minnesota this season, largely playing top-six minutes.
Křížová is on the move for the third time in less than a year. She was selected 12th overall by the Seattle Torrent in the 2025 PWHL expansion draft after helping the Frost to a pair of Walter Cup championships in 2024 and 2025. Seattle traded her back to Minnesota in November before the start of the 2025-26 season.
“Adding Denisa Křížová allows us to strengthen our offensive group at an important time,” New York general manager Pascal Daoust said in a team statement Monday. “She brings experience, composure, and leadership, along with a style of play that fits well with the identity we’re building with the Sirens.”
Roese was New York’s lone free-agent addition in the 2025 offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Sirens in June. She recorded six assists and a plus-one rating in 22 games after finishing fifth among PWHL defenders in scoring with 14 points on the Ottawa Charge in 2024-25.
The Sirens host the Frost on Wednesday at Prudential Center, where Roese and Křížová will have an immediate opportunity to face off against their former squads.
Key takeaways after Sirens trade Jincy Roese to Frost for Denisa Křížová
‘Healthy defensive group’ still in good shape after Roese trade
The Sirens have depth on the blue line and a clear need at forward. On paper, the swap makes sense.
“Having the benefit of a healthy defensive group gives us the flexibility to address a need up front due to injuries in our lineup,” Daoust explained.
The Sirens still have six active defenders, plus two more on the reserve roster with Nicole Vallario and Olivia Knowles. In light of recent injuries, New York needed to reinforce its forward group amid a crowded playoff race.
In terms of Roese, the Sirens can afford to part ways with an offensive-minded bottom-pair defender — especially one whose even-strength production slowed in the second half. The 28-year-old was minus-four and did not record a point in six games after the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Roese is a gifted puck mover, but the former US Olympian struggled to lock down a consistent role on either of New York’s power-play units, quarterbacked by Maja Nylen Persson and Jaime Bourbonnais, respectively. She’s a better fit for a Minnesota team that needed reinforcement on the backend.
The move leaves the Sirens with only two left-shot defenders on their active roster, but it shouldn’t drastically alter New York’s pairings. Bourbonnais is already playing on her off-hand with Allyson Simpson, while the left-handed Lauren Bernard is expected to slide over to her strong side on the third pair.
Křížová adds much-needed help to forward ranks
The Sirens entered the 2025-26 season with 13 forwards, but that group has taken a hit in March. Girard ranked top 10 among all PWHL skaters with seven goals at the time of her injury, and New York struggled to replace her output. Injuries to rookie stars Kristyna Kaltounkova (No. 1 overall) and Casey O’Brien (No. 3 overall) — each of whom missed two games apiece — only compounded issues for a slumping offense.
O’Brien returned from an upper-body injury March 25, and Kaltounkova is listed day-to-day, but New York’s top nine is light on scoring depth and desperately needs another veteran presence, even after signing former Toronto Sceptres forward Clair DeGeorge on March 18.
Křížová isn’t among the League’s top goal scorers, with eight goals and 20 points in 77 career PWHL games. Still, her high motor fits the Sirens’ system, and she brings top-six experience to the League’s youngest roster. At 31, Křížová is the oldest player on New York’s roster — and its only one over 30.
Křížová will have a clear path to middle-six minutes in New York, even when Kaltounkova returns. She hasn’t had the best puck luck this season — as evidenced by a 3.2 shooting percentage — but the Czech native posted career-best marks with four goals and nine points in 2024-25, and tallied two goals during the 2024 Walter Cup playoffs.
Given her playstyle, don’t be surprised if Daoust looks to bring Křížová back next season. That is, if she survives another expansion draft.
Increased role for Dayle Ross?
Sirens coach Greg Fargo used rookie defender Dayle Ross (No. 25 overall) sparingly in New York’s last two contests — a pair of losses to the Seattle Torrent and Montreal Victoire. Ross skated a season-low 17 seconds in a 4-1 loss to Seattle on Wednesday, and saw just 58 seconds in a 3-1 Victoire win Saturday.
That should change with Roese’s departure.
Ross began the season on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after getting surgery to repair a torn ACL in March 2025. The 22-year-old is fully healthy now, though, and poised for her largest workload yet.
Rookie defender Nicole Vallario averaged 11:07 of ice time (ATOI) in four games with New York this season — well above Ross’ average of 5:40 — but barring injury, the Sirens would have to waive or release a skater to fit Vallario on the active roster.
That leaves Ross as the most likely candidate to take on the bulk of Roese’s minutes (15:24 ATOI). The fourth-round pick was a proficient shot-blocker with a physical edge at St. Cloud State University, and has appeared in all 13 games since the Sirens activated her on Jan. 6.
A Leaguewide roster freeze takes effect March 31, preventing teams from adding players outside their active or reserve rosters. Players already within the organization remain eligible for activation.
