DETROIT (June 17, 2026) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) welcomed 72 new players Wednesday 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.
DRAFT NOTES:
- 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.
- PWHL San Jose used its first-ever pick to select forward Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin) fourth overall.
- 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 used its first-ever pick to select Switzerland’s Andrea Brändli (Frölunda HC), making her the first goaltender chosen at 15th overall.
- 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.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL DRAFT ORDER OF SELECTION AND RESULTS
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