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2026 PWHL Draft

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) welcomed 72 new players Wednesday, June 17 during the 2026 PWHL Draft presented by Upper Deck. The fourth annual draft took place at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI, with prospects, special guests, and fans in attendance.

Caroline “KK” Harvey was selected first overall by the Vancouver Goldeneyes, who had earned the top pick based on finishing in first place in the ‘Gold Plan’ standings. The 23-year-old defender from Salem, NH, finished her NCAA career as the 2025-26 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient and a three-time National Champion with the University of Wisconsin Badgers. She also won Olympic gold with Team USA, contributing a tournament-high-tying nine points (2G, 7A), and was named Tournament MVP, and earlier in the day was named the 2026 IIHF Female Player of the Year. Harvey was the first defender to be selected first overall in a PWHL Entry Draft.

Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota) was the first forward to be selected, going second overall to the Seattle Torrent. PWHL Las Vegas was the only team with two first-round picks, selecting forward Tessa Janecke (Penn State) third overall (via PWHL Detroit), and forward Lacey Eden (University of Wisconsin) fifth overall, and led the draft with eight picks in total.

The three other new expansion teams made historic picks as well. PWHL San Jose used its first-ever pick to select forward Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin) fourth overall and PWHL Hamilton selected defender Nelli Laitinen (University of Minnesota) with its first-ever pick, making the Finnish rearguard the first international player chosen at sixth overall. PWHL Detroit, which got shoutouts and congratulations from pick presenters all night long, used its first-ever pick to select Switzerland’s Andrea Brändli (Frölunda HC), which also made her the first goaltender chosen at 15th overall.

Scroll down for some pictures from the very special evening, along with a complete list of picks, expanded content about many of the draftees and some additional notes and links. To re-watch the draft in its entirety, click here, opens in a new tab.

2026 PWHL DRAFT IMAGES

31 photos

FINAL 2026 PWHL DRAFT ORDER OF SELECTION

Round | Pick

Team

Player

Position

Previous Team (League)

Nationality

1 | 1

Vancouver Goldeneyes

Caroline "KK" Harvey

D

University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

USA

1 | 2

Seattle Torrent

Abbey Murphy

F

University of Minnesota (NCAA)

USA

1 | 3

PWHL Las Vegas (via Detroit)

Tessa Janecke

F

Penn State University (NCAA)

USA

1 | 4

PWHL San Jose

Laila Edwards

D

University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

USA

1 | 5

PWHL Las Vegas

Lacey Eden

F

University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

USA

1 | 6

PWHL Hamilton

Nelli Laitinen

D

University of Minnesota (NCAA)

FIN

1 | 7

New York Sirens

Emma Peschel

D

Ohio State University (NCAA)

USA

1 | 8

Toronto Sceptres

Kirsten Simms

F

University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

USA

1 | 9

Minnesota Frost

Sara Swiderski

D

Ohio State University (NCAA)

CAN

1 | 10

Boston Fleet

Grace Dwyer

D

Cornell University (NCAA)

USA

1 | 11

Ottawa Charge

Vivian Jungels

D

University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

USA

1 | 12

Montréal Victoire

Petra Nieminen

F

Luleå (SDHL)

FIN

2 | 13

PWHL Las Vegas (via Vancouver)

Issy Wunder

F

Princeton University (NCAA)

CAN

2 | 14

Seattle Torrent

Sydney Morrow

D

University of Minnesota (NCAA)

USA

2 | 15

PWHL Detroit

Andrea Brändli

G

Frölunda HC (SDHL)

SUI

2 | 16

PWHL San Jose

Sloane Matthews

F

Ohio State University (NCAA)

USA

2 | 17

Vancouver Goldeneyes (via Las Vegas)

Thea Johansson

F

University of Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)

SWE

2 | 18

PWHL Hamilton

Jade Iginla

F

Brown University (NCAA)

CAN

2 | 19

New York Sirens

Elisa Holopainen

F

Frölunda HC (SDHL)

FIN

2 | 20

Toronto Sceptres

Jamie Nelson

F

University of Minnesota (NCAA)

USA

2 | 21

Minnesota Frost

Viivi Vainikka

F

Brynäs (SDHL)

FIN

2 | 22

PWHL Detroit (via Boston)

Casey Borgiel

D

Colgate University (NCAA)

USA

2 | 23

Ottawa Charge

Jordan Ray

F

Yale University (NCAA)

USA

2 | 24

Montréal Victoire

Avi Adam

F

Cornell University (NCAA)

CAN

3 | 25

Vancouver Goldeneyes

Jules Constantinople

D

Northeastern University (NCAA)

USA

3 | 26

Seattle Torrent

Emerson Jarvis

F

Quinnipiac University (NCAA)

CAN

3 | 27

Boston Fleet (via Detroit)

Leah Stecker

D

Penn State University (NCAA)

USA

3 | 28

PWHL San Jose

Tia Chan

G

University of Connecticut (NCAA)

CAN

3 | 29

PWHL Las Vegas

Josefin Bouveng

F

University of Minnesota (NCAA)

SWE

3 | 30

PWHL Hamilton

Elyssa Biederman

F

Colgate University (NCAA)

USA

3 | 31

New York Sirens

Carina DiAntonio

F

Yale University (NCAA)

CAN

3 | 32

Toronto Sceptres

Brooke Disher

D

Ohio State University (NCAA)

CAN

3 | 33

Minnesota Frost

Maddy Christian

F

Penn State University (NCAA)

USA

3 | 34

PWHL Detroit (via Boston)

MK O'Brien

F

University of Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)

USA

3 | 35

Ottawa Charge

Tereza Pištěková

F

SDE (SDHL)

CZE

3 | 36

Montréal Victoire

Zoe Uens

D

Quinnipiac University (NCAA)

CAN

4 | 37

Vancouver Goldeneyes

Katelyn DeSa

G

Penn State University (NCAA)

USA

4 | 38

Seattle Torrent

Grace Elliott

F

University of British Columbia (U Sports)

CAN

4 | 39

PWHL Detroit

Kyla Josifovic

F

University of Connecticut (NCAA)

CAN

4 | 40

PWHL San Jose

Lily Shannon

F

Northeastern University (NCAA)

USA

4 | 41

PWHL Las Vegas

Saskia Maurer

G

SC Bern (SWHL)

SUI

4 | 42

PWHL Hamilton

Megan Woodworth

F

University of Connecticut (NCAA)

CAN

4 | 43

New York Sirens

Katelyn Roberts

F

Penn State University (NCAA)

USA

4 | 44

Toronto Sceptres

Jane Kuehl

F

Princeton University (NCAA)

USA

4 | 45

Minnesota Frost

Tova Henderson

D

University of Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)

CAN

4 | 46

Boston Fleet

Jaden Bogden

F

Northeastern University (NCAA)

CAN

4 | 47

Ottawa Charge

Tory Mariano

D

Northeastern University (NCAA)

USA

4 | 48

Montréal Victoire

Hailey MacLeod

G

Ohio State University (NCAA)

CAN

5 | 49

PWHL Las Vegas (via Vancouver)

Kendall Butze

D

Penn State University (NCAA)

USA

5 | 50

Seattle Torrent

Gracie Gilkyson

D

Yale University (NCAA)

CAN

5 | 51

PWHL Detroit

Sena Catterall

F

Clarkson University (NCAA)

CAN

5 | 52

PWHL San Jose

Mckenna Van Gelder

F

Cornell University (NCAA)

CAN

5 | 53

PWHL Las Vegas

Alexis Petford

F

Colgate University (NCAA)

CAN

5 | 54

PWHL Hamilton

Emma-Sofie Nordström

G

St. Lawrence University (NCAA)

DEN

5 | 55

New York Sirens

Grace Wolfe

D

St. Cloud State University (NCAA)

USA

5 | 56

Toronto Sceptres

Emerson O'Leary

F

Princeton University (NCAA)

USA

5 | 57

Minnesota Frost

Darya Gredzen

G

Biryusa Krasnoyarsk (ZhHL)

RUS

5 | 58

Boston Fleet

Jenna Goodwin

F

Frölunda HC (SDHL)

CAN

5 | 59

Ottawa Charge

Neena Brick

F

MoDo (SDHL)

CAN

5 | 60

Montréal Victoire

Erica Rieder

D

Lulea (SDHL)

CAN

6 | 61

Vancouver Goldeneyes

Ashley Messier

D

University of Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)

CAN

6 | 62

Seattle Torrent

Gabriella Durante

G

Real Torino (Italy)

CAN/ITA

6 | 63

PWHL Detroit

Georgia Schiff

F

Cornell University (NCAA)

USA

6 | 64

PWHL San Jose

Reichen Kirchmair

F

Providence College (NCAA)

CAN

6 | 65

PWHL Las Vegas

Sydney Healey

F

Boston University (NCAA)

CAN

6 | 66

PWHL Hamilton

Mya Vaslet

F

Penn State University (NCAA)

CAN

6 | 67

New York Sirens

Naomi Boucher

F

Yale University (NCAA)

CAN

6 | 68

Toronto Sceptres

Alyssa Regalado

D

Cornell University (NCAA)

CAN

6 | 69

Minnesota Frost

Lara Beecher

F

Clarkson University (NCAA)

USA

6 | 70

Boston Fleet

Maeve Kelly

D

Boston University (NCAA)

USA

6 | 71

Ottawa Charge

Taylor Otremba

F

Minnesota State University (NCAA)

USA

6 | 72

Montréal Victoire

Emilie Lavoie

F

Concordia University (U Sports)

CAN

Draft Notes:

  • Three Michiganders were selected in front of the hometown crowd, including forward Kirsten Simms (Plymouth) at eighth overall to the Toronto Sceptres, defender Casey Borgiel (Port Huron) at 22nd overall to Detroit, and forward Elyssa Biederman (Franklin) at 30th overall to Hamilton.
  • The first Canadian selected in the draft was defender Sara Swiderski (Ohio State University) of Langley, BC, going ninth overall to the Minnesota Frost.
  • The 72 players selected in the six-round process include 42 forwards, 22 defenders, and eight goaltenders.
  • Per hometowns, the draft class is represented across eight different countries: United States (31), Canada (30), Finland (4), Switzerland (2), Sweden (2), Czechia (1), Denmark (1), and Russia (1).
  • 14 players competed in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, representing five countries: Americans Edwards, Harvey, Janecke, Murphy, and Simms; Finland’s Laitinen, Elisa Holopainen, Petra Nieminen, and Viivi Vainikka; Sweden’s Josefin Bouveng and Thea Johansson; Switzerland’s Brändli and Saskia Maurer; Italy’s Gabriella Durante.
  • A total of 59 players were selected from NCAA programs, 11 from professional teams, and two from U SPORTS.
  • The 59 NCAA players represent 19 programs: Penn State (7), Cornell (5), Ohio State (5), Minnesota (5), Wisconsin (5), Northeastern (4), Minnesota-Duluth (4), Yale (4), Colgate (3), Princeton (3), University of Connecticut (3), Boston University (2), Clarkson (2), Quinnipiac (2), Brown (1), Minnesota State (1), Providence College (1), St. Cloud State (1), and St. Lawrence University (1).
  • The 10 professional players represent three leagues: SDHL (8), SWHL (1), and ZhHL (1).
  • The two U SPORTS players represent Concordia University and the University of British Columbia.
  • A total of 235 eligible players declared for the draft, representing the largest talent pool of prospective players since the inaugural season.
  • The order of the four expansion teams was determined by a randomized draw in the presence of all General Managers.