📸: Jenny Karamus
The Professional Women's Hockey League staged its third Entry Draft on Wednesday night, streaming live on YouTube as all 12 clubs kept stocking their rosters ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
It didn't take long for the night's first piece of history. The Vancouver Goldeneyes used the No. 1 selection on Wisconsin defender and Team USA mainstay Caroline Harvey.
Caroline Harvey goes No. 1 to the Vancouver Goldeneyes
Held inside Detroit's Fox Theatre, the 2026 edition ran six rounds and produced 72 picks in all.
First Round
| Pick | PWHL Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver Goldeneyes | Caroline Harvey (D) | USA | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 2 | Seattle Torrent | Abbey Murphy (F) | USA | Minnesota (NCAA) |
| 3 | PWHL Las Vegas (from DET) | Tessa Janecke (F) | USA | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 4 | PWHL San Jose | Laila Edwards (D/F) | USA | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 5 | PWHL Las Vegas | Lacey Eden (F) | USA | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 6 | PWHL Hamilton | Nelli Laitinen (D) | Finland | Minnesota (NCAA) |
| 7 | New York Sirens | Emma Peschel (D) | USA | Ohio State (NCAA) |
| 8 | Toronto Sceptres | Kirsten Simms (F) | USA | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 9 | Minnesota Frost | Sara Swiderski (D) | Canada | Ohio State (NCAA) |
| 10 | Boston Fleet | Grace Dwyer (D) | USA | Cornell (NCAA) |
| 11 | Ottawa Charge | Vivian Jungels (D) | USA | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 12 | Montreal Victoire | Petra Nieminen (F) | Finland | Luleå (SDHL) |
Analysis: Wisconsin's fingerprints were all over the opening round — five of the first 11 names called were Badgers: Caroline Harvey (1st, Vancouver), Laila Edwards (4th, San Jose), Lacey Eden (5th, Las Vegas), Kirsten Simms (8th, Toronto), and Vivian Jungels (11th, Ottawa). Eden, who grew up in Annapolis, MD, lands in Las Vegas under head coach Kim Weiss, herself a Maryland product from Potomac.
Every one of the draft-eligible 2026 Olympic gold medalists from Team USA was off the board in the first round, with four of them slotting inside the top five. The college pipeline also dominated: more than half of all declared players came out of the NCAA, and all but a single first-rounder arrived from the college ranks.
Second Round
| Pick | PWHL Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | PWHL Las Vegas (from VAN) | Isabel Wunder (F) | Canada | Princeton (NCAA) |
| 14 | Seattle Torrent | Sydney Morrow (D) | USA | Minnesota (NCAA) |
| 15 | PWHL Detroit | Andrea Brändli (G) | Switzerland | Frölunda HC (SDHL) |
| 16 | PWHL San Jose | Sloane Matthews (F) | USA | Ohio State (NCAA) |
| 17 | Vancouver Goldeneyes (from LV) | Thea Johansson (F) | Sweden | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) |
| 18 | PWHL Hamilton | Jade Iginla (F) | Canada | Brown (NCAA) |
| 19 | New York Sirens | Elisa Holopainen (F) | Finland | Frölunda HC (SDHL) |
| 20 | Toronto Sceptres | Jamie Nelson (F) | USA | Minnesota (NCAA) |
| 21 | Minnesota Frost | Viivi Vainikka (F) | Finland | Brynäs (SDHL) |
| 22 | PWHL Detroit (from BOS) | Casey Borgiel (D) | USA | Colgate (NCAA) |
| 23 | Ottawa Charge | Jordan Ray (F) | USA | Yale (NCAA) |
| 24 | Montreal Victoire | Avi Adam (F) | Canada | Cornell (NCAA) |
Analysis: The host franchise, PWHL Detroit, christened its draft history at No. 15 by taking goaltender Andrea Brändli, then circled back to add defender Casey Borgiel. There was a milestone in the middle of the round, too: Jordan Ray, off the board at 23rd to the Ottawa Charge, became the first Florida-born player ever drafted into the PWHL.
Third Round
| Pick | PWHL Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Vancouver Goldeneyes | Jules Constantinople (D) | USA | Northeastern (NCAA) |
| 26 | Seattle Torrent | Emerson Jarvis (F) | Canada | Quinnipiac (NCAA) |
| 27 | Boston Fleet (from DET) | Leah Stecker (D) | USA | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 28 | PWHL San Jose | Tia Chan (G) | Canada | UConn (NCAA) |
| 29 | PWHL Las Vegas | Josefin Bouveng (F) | Sweden | Minnesota (NCAA) |
| 30 | PWHL Hamilton | Elyssa Biederman (F) | USA | Colgate (NCAA) |
| 31 | New York Sirens | Carina DiAntonio (F) | Canada | Yale (NCAA) |
| 32 | Toronto Sceptres | Brooke Disher (D) | Canada | Ohio State (NCAA) |
| 33 | Minnesota Frost | Madelyn Christian (F) | USA | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 34 | PWHL Detroit (from BOS) | MaryKate O'Brien (F) | USA | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) |
| 35 | Ottawa Charge | Tereza Pištěková (F) | Czechia | SDE (SDHL) |
| 36 | Montreal Victoire | Zoe Uens (D) | Canada | Quinnipiac (NCAA) |
Analysis: American skaters and the NCAA kept setting the pace. By this point, more than 52 percent of the players taken were from the United States, and 86 percent had come up through college programs.
One name to watch is MaryKate O'Brien, whose calling card is heavy, physical play. That style occasionally landed her in the penalty box earlier in college — body checking still isn't formally permitted in NCAA women's hockey — but hits are part of the game in the PWHL, where her edge should translate cleanly.
Fourth Round
| Pick | PWHL Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Vancouver Goldeneyes | Katelyn DeSa (G) | USA | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 38 | Seattle Torrent | Grace Elliott (F) | Canada | British Columbia (USports) |
| 39 | PWHL Detroit | Kyla Josifovic (F) | Canada | UConn (NCAA) |
| 40 | PWHL San Jose | Lily Shannon (F) | USA | Northeastern (NCAA) |
| 41 | PWHL Las Vegas | Saskia Maurer (G) | Switzerland | SC Bern (SWHL) |
| 42 | PWHL Hamilton | Megan Woodworth (F) | Canada | UConn (NCAA) |
| 43 | New York Sirens | Katelyn Roberts (F) | USA | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 44 | Toronto Sceptres | Jane Kuehl (F) | USA | Princeton (NCAA) |
| 45 | Minnesota Frost | Tova Henderson (D) | Canada | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) |
| 46 | Boston Fleet | Jaden Bogden (F) | Canada | Northeastern (NCAA) |
| 47 | Ottawa Charge | Victoria Mariano (D) | USA | Northeastern (NCAA) |
| 48 | Montreal Victoire | Hailey MacLeod (G) | Canada | Ohio State (NCAA) |
Analysis: San Jose's fourth-round choice, Northeastern captain Lily Shannon, brings a story unlike anyone else's in the class. Born with hearing loss and a lifelong hearing-aid wearer, she pushed through that obstacle to reach the sport's highest level.
A few picks later, Ottawa grabbed Victoria Mariano at No. 47 — a player who came close to choosing college softball over hockey. Her route to the pros has been anything but typical: she sat out last season to wrap up her Northeastern degree, dropping in on team practices here and there along the way.
Fifth Round
| Pick | PWHL Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | PWHL Las Vegas (from VAN) | Kendall Butze (D) | USA | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 50 | Seattle Torrent | Gracie Gilkyson (D) | Canada | Yale (NCAA) |
| 51 | PWHL Detroit | Sena Catterall (F) | Canada | Clarkson (NCAA) |
| 52 | PWHL San Jose | Mckenna Van Gelder (F) | Canada | Cornell (NCAA) |
| 53 | PWHL Las Vegas | Alexis Petford (F) | Canada | Colgate (NCAA) |
| 54 | PWHL Hamilton | Emma-Sofie Nordström (G) | Denmark | St. Lawrence (NCAA) |
| 55 | New York Sirens | Grace Wolfe (D) | USA | St. Cloud State (NCAA) |
| 56 | Toronto Sceptres | Emerson O'Leary (F) | USA | Princeton (NCAA) |
| 57 | Minnesota Frost | Daria Gredzen (G) | Russia | Biryusa Krasnoyarsk (ZhHL) |
| 58 | Boston Fleet | Jenna Goodwin (F) | Canada | Frölunda HC (SDHL) |
| 59 | Ottawa Charge | Neena Brick (F) | Canada | MoDo (SDHL) |
| 60 | Montreal Victoire | Erica Rieder (D) | Canada | Luleå (SDHL) |
Analysis: The two-sport athletes kept showing up. Detroit's 51st pick, Sena Catterall, has demonstrated soft hands in more than one arena — she reeled in a remarkable catch for Team Canada at the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Finals.
San Jose's fifth-rounder, Mckenna Van Gelder, has been chasing records since childhood. At eight years old she set out to top Wayne Gretzky's then-standing goal mark, and promptly ripped off a 50-goal, 31-game season. Alex Ovechkin's record may be next on her list.
Sixth Round
| Pick | PWHL Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Vancouver Goldeneyes | Ashley Messier (D) | USA | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) |
| 62 | Seattle Torrent | Gabriella Durante (G) | Italy | Real Torino (IHLW) |
| 63 | PWHL Detroit | Georgia Schiff (F) | USA | Cornell (NCAA) |
| 64 | PWHL San Jose | Reichen Kirchmair (F) | Canada | Providence (NCAA) |
| 65 | PWHL Las Vegas | Sydney Healey (F) | Canada | Boston University (NCAA) |
| 66 | PWHL Hamilton | Mya Vaslet (F) | Canada | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 67 | New York Sirens | Naomi Boucher (F) | Canada | Yale (NCAA) |
| 68 | Toronto Sceptres | Alyssa Regalado (D) | Canada | Cornell (NCAA) |
| 69 | Minnesota Frost | Lara Beecher (F) | USA | Clarkson (NCAA) |
| 70 | Boston Fleet | Maeve Kelly (D) | USA | Boston University (NCAA) |
| 71 | Ottawa Charge | Taylor Otremba (F) | USA | Minnesota State (NCAA) |
| 72 | Montreal Victoire | Emilie Lavoie (F) | Canada | Concordia (USports) |
The takeaways: What may be the deepest and most loaded draft the PWHL has ever run is in the books — and it closed without a single trade across the entire event. Nine nations, six leagues, and 72 players now carry a place in the league's history.
If there was any doubt about how women's hockey players are currently breaking into the pro game, this draft settled it: 59 of the 72 selections — nearly 82 percent — came straight out of college hockey.
Penn State ran the table, with all seven of its declared players hearing their names. For a program that's only held official Division I status for 13 seasons, it's a remarkable arc — the Nittany Lions have ruled their conference, won their first-ever NCAA tournament game this past season, and reached their debut Frozen Four.
Yale matched the feat, sending all four of its available draftees into the league and doubling the school's PWHL alumni count in one night. The ECAC kept its strong showing rolling, as all three of Princeton's eligible players were also drafted.