Only two weeks after an expansion draft that restructured the PWHL, the teams will have the opportunity to address the talent in the entrance draft this year.
The PWHL draft, set for Tuesday at 7 PM et in Ottawa, will see each team select players in six rounds.
New York sirens will first choose, followed by Boston’s fleet, Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost, Pwhl Vancouver and Pwhl Seattle. Vancouver and Seattle will alternate Draft positions in each round, while the rest of the teams will keep the same order.
Unlike 2023 and 2024, which brought Taylor Heise (Minnesota) and Sarah Fillier (New York) to the League, the election at the beginning in general is not so clear this season. The draft is not as deep as last season, when the teams could choose from a large cohort of players who finish their NCAA races and veterans from Europe.
But that does not mean that there is no high -end talent available.
The main contestants that will be taken first include Casey O’Brien, a center of the University of Wisconsin that obtained a prolific score at the university, the eaves of sharp shots Kristýna Kaltounková (University of Colgate) and the bidirectional defender Haley Winn (University of Clarkson).
Here is a look at what each team needs to add and what Draft prospect could meet those needs.
New York Sirens
Pick: Casey O’Brien, striker (Wisconsin)
The sirens have large holes in the future after losing Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge for Pwhl Seattle.
The best result for sirens would see the team acquiring a superior striker who can play with Fillier, who is a restricted free agent who needs a new contract.
Leadership will also be a key factor to whom GM Pascal Daouust selects in the draft. Last season, the seven selections were ex -captains.
The obvious choice would be O’Brien, the 2025 Patty Kazmaier winner who has intelligence to play with one of the best strikers in the world. No Wisconsin player, a man or woman, scored more career points than the 267 of O’Brien, a number that only seven players in history have exceeded during their university careers.
What lacks the center of five feet and four feet, compensates with its skating and IQ.
“She plays well above her size,” Gordie Stafford, who trained O’Brien at the preparatory school in Shattuck-ST. Mary’s, he told CBC Sports. “His strength in his skates is incredible, but also skating on ice as he does, I think that is one of the things that has been really remarkable. You can’t hit that album child.”
Alternatively, New York could opt for Kaltounková, who Sirens coach Greg Fargo, would know well, having trained Colgate before coming to the PWHL.
Boston fleet
Pick: Haley Winn, defender (Clarkson University)
The GM Danielle Marmer has prioritized the reconstruction of its defense, where five players have left due to free agency or expansion.
Marmer added size and hardness in the free agency with Zoe Boyd and Rylind Mackinnon, but a defender of the first four who can move the album will probably be on his shopping list.
Winn would be the perfect candidate. I could play in the best pair of Boston with Megan Keller or anchor a second pair.
The chief coach of the University of Clarksson, Matt Desrosiers, described Winn as a dynamic defender that stands out at both ice ends. She is a strong skater, but she also works harder than in any other person.
“I’ve been lucky that some really good players go through our program, but Haley is definitely at the top of someone who puts in time, effort, preparation,” Dersiers told CBC Sports. “She has really marked to achieve her goals to make the Olympic Games and be in the national team and reach the PWHL.”
Toronto Sceptres
Pick: Nicole Gosling, defender (Clarkson University)
It would not be an exaggeration to imagine the meditation management Gina Kingsbury and the chief coach Troy Ryan opting for a player who knows well in Gosling, who became the world champion with the Canada team in 2024.
She models her game after Renata Fast, who would become her teammate.
“She has the skill as a defense to stop the game, but then also accelerates it,” said Clarkson coach, Decrosiers.
Victoreal
Pick: Rory Guilday, defender (University of Cornell)
The GM Danièle Sauvageau has done a formidable job by rebuilding the defense of the team after losing several key pieces due to expansion or free agency. She signed Kati Tabin again and brought Jessica Digirolamo and Maggie Flaherty through free agency.
But adding another first level defender should be the goal in the first round of the draft. Winn or Gosling would be an ideal adjustment.
Assuming that both have gone for when Montreal chooses in number four, the next best bet could be the guide.
The 11 -inch five -inch defender is more a type of closure than Gosling or Winn. She won a world championship with the US team. In 2023.
Anna Wilgren and Mariah Keopple blocked 117 combined shots in the blue line of Montreal last season. With both in Seattle next season, Guilday could be the perfect candidate to collect the slack.
Ottawa Charge
Pick: Kendall Cooper, defender (University of Quinnipiac)
The consensus is that there is a gap between the four main defenders available in this draft and the rest that play the position.
With that in mind, it would not be surprising to see them leave the board early in the first round. Each team, except for New York, needs at least one defender of the first four, and Ottawa is no different.
The GM Mike Hirshfeld knows exactly how difficult it is to find defensive talent in this league. He used his first three selections in the 2023 draft to select defenders.
Guilday fits a little more in Ottawa Charge’s DNA, but assuming that he left, Hirshfeld could opt for Cooper.
“I think that size and physical are important to us,” said Hirshfeld on Monday, when asked what kind of defender could be looking to add. “But at the same time, we need to improve our power game next year, so the offensive defenders of Puck Moving are also of interest.”
Only one team allowed less goals than the University of Quinnipiac last season, and Cooper was a large part of that. It also has the record of most of the points of a defender in the history of Quinnipiac female hockey.
Frost of Minnesota
Pick: Kristýna Kaltounková, striker (Colgate University)
It would be surprising to see Kaltounková fall so far, but that is more a statement about the supply and demand of defenders throughout the league.
Kaltounková was the first Czech player to be a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier award this season after scoring 26 goals in 37 Colgate games, where he is the leader of goals of all time.
He also tied Natálie Mlýnková, who has also declared for this draft, about the Czech team classification table in his World Championship debut in April, registering six points in seven games.
Pwhl Vancouver
Pick: Anne CherkowskiF (Clarksson University)
“She can play in any situation,” said DesroSiers, who trained Cherkowski in Colgate.
“She can play the center. He can play wing. [the PWHL] Level, if you need a third line verifier that can contribute to the offensive side, you can do it. But if they need someone in the top six, she can do it. “
As additional benefit, Cherkowkski is from Coldstream, BC
PWHL Seattle
Pick: She Huber, F (University of Minnesota)
Seattle does not have many holes to fill. On the night of the expansion draft, the GM Meghan Turner already had a solid top six outlined.
A versatile striker like Huber seems to fit in the DNA Turner is looking in a PWHL Seattle player: someone who is fast and can do plays quickly, knowing that a success is approaching.
