90 players chosen in 15-round process led by first overall pick Taylor Heise
TORONTO, ON (September 18, 2023) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) welcomed 90 of the league’s founding players as part of the inaugural PWHL Draft presented by Canadian Tire. The event was hosted at CBC’s headquarters in downtown Toronto and streamed live in partnership with CBC Sports and Radio Canada.
Taylor Heise was selected first overall by Minnesota, with legendary sports icon Billie Jean King announcing the historic pick. The 23-year-old from the University of Minnesota was one of two forwards and recent NCAA graduates chosen in the first round, joined by Alina Müller (Northeastern University) who went third overall to Boston. The first round featured four defenders, with Jocelyne Larocque chosen second by Toronto, Ella Shelton went fourth to New York, Savannah Harmon was picked fifth by Ottawa, and Erin Ambrose was called sixth by Montreal.
The top three selections of Heise (United States), Larocque (Canada), and Müller (Switzerland) led the way for three of the nine different nationalities represented across the draft. 48 Canadians were picked in total, followed by 29 Americans, and 13 European-born players. Dominika Lásková was the first of five players chosen from Czechia, Susanna Tapani the first of two from Finland, Emma Söderberg the first of two from Sweden, and Theresa Schafzahl (Austria), Chloe Aurard (France), and Sandra Abstreiter (Germany) were each their country’s first picks in PWHL history.
By position, the 90 players selected in the 15-round process include 53 forwards, 29 defenders, and eight goaltenders, led by Nicole Hensley, who went 12th overall to Minnesota. Professional hockey was the largest source of talent in the draft, with 33 players who competed last season in the PHF, 27 players who suited up for the PWHPA, and two players from the SDHL. 26 players were selected from NCAA programs, while recent University of Montreal graduate Audrey-Ann Veillette is the only player from the U SPORTS class of 2023.
268 players were eligible for the inaugural PWHL Draft, with the 90 selected players joining the league’s initial 18 free agent signings announced this month. All 178 undrafted players are now free agents and may sign with any of the league’s six teams. Final PWHL rosters will include 23 players each.
2023 PWHL DRAFT RESULTS
1-1. Taylor Heise (F) Minnesota
1-2. Jocelyne Larocque (D) Toronto
1-3. Alina Müller (F) Boston
1-4. Ella Shelton (D) New York
1-5. Savannah Harmon (D) Ottawa
1-6. Erin Ambrose (D) Montreal
2-7. Kristin O’Neill (F) Montreal
2-8. Ashton Bell (D) Ottawa
2-9. Jamie Bourbonnais (D) New York
2-10. Sophie Jaques (D) Boston
2-11. Emma Maltais (F) Toronto
2-12. Nicole Hensley (G) Minnesota
3-13. Grace Zumwinkle (F) Minnesota
3-14. Kristen Campbell (G) Toronto
3-15. Jamie-Lee Rattray (F) Boston
3-16. Jessie Eldridge (F) New York
3-17. Jincy Dunne-Roese (D) Ottawa
3-18. Maureen Murphy (F) Montreal
4-19. Dominika Lásková (D) Montreal
4-20. Gabrielle Hughes (F) Ottawa
4-21. Chloé Aurard (F) New York
4-22. Loren Gabel (F) Boston
4-23. Natalie Spooner (F) Toronto
4-24. Maggie Flaherty (D) Minnesota
5-25. Susanna Tapani (F) Minnesota
5-26. Jesse Compher (F) Toronto
5-27. Hannah Brandt (F) Boston
5-28. Élizabeth Giguère (F) New York
5-29. Hayley Scamurra (F) Ottawa
5-30. Kati Tabin (D) Montreal
6-31. Kennedy Marchment (F) Montreal
6-32. Daryl Watts (F) Ottawa
6-33. Corinne Schroeder (G) New York
6-34. Jessica DiGirolamo (D) Boston
6-35. Kali Flanagan (D) Toronto
6-36. Clair DeGeorge (F) Minnesota
7-37. Natalie Buchbinder (D) Minnesota
7-38. Victoria Bach (F) Toronto
7-39. Theresa Schafzahl (F) Boston
7-40. Jill Saulnier (F) New York
7-41. Aneta Tejralová (D) Ottawa
7-42. Tereza Vanišová (F) Montreal
8-43. Madison Bizal (D) Montreal
8-44. Kateřina Mrázová (F) Ottawa
8-45. Brooke Hobson (D) New York
8-46. Emily Brown (D) Boston
8-47. Brittany Howard (F) Toronto
8-48. Denisa Křižová (F) Minnesota
9-49. Sidney Morin (D) Minnesota
9-50. Allie Munroe (D) Toronto
9-51. Taylor Girard (F) Boston
9-52. Jade Downie-Landry (F) New York
9-53. Zoe Boyd (D) Ottawa
9-54. Gabrielle David (F) Montreal
10-55. Maude Poulin-Labelle (D) Montreal
10-56. Kristin Della Rovere (F) Ottawa
10-57. Paetyn Levis (F) New York
10-58. Emma Söderberg (G) Boston
10-59. Melissa Channell (D) Toronto
10-60. Sophia Kunin (F) Minnesota
11-61. Amanda Leveille (G) Minnesota
11-62. Maggie Connors (F) Toronto
11-63. Sophie Shirley (F) Boston
11-64. Abigail Levy (G) New York
11-65. Lexie Adzija (F) Ottawa
11-66. Jillian Dempsey (F) Montreal
12-67. Claire Dalton (F) Montreal
12-68. Sandra Abstreiter (G) Ottawa
12-69. Olivia Zafuto (D) New York
12-70. Shiann Darkangelo (F) Boston
12-71. Rebecca Leslie (F) Toronto
12-72. Michela Cava (F) Minnesota
13-73. Liz Schepers (F) Minnesota
13-74. Hannah Miller (F) Toronto
13-75. Emma Buckles (D) Boston
13-76. Kayla Vespa (F) New York
13-77. Amanda Boulier (D) Ottawa
13-78. Elaine Chuli (G) Montreal
14-79. Ann-Sophie Bettez (F) Montreal
14-80. Caitrin Lonergan (F) Ottawa
14-81. Emma Woods (F) New York
14-82. Tatum Skaggs (F) Boston
14-83. Alexa Vasko (F) Toronto
14-84. Minttu Tuominen (RD) Minnesota
15-85. Sydney Brodt (F) Minnesota
15-86. Olivia Knowles (D) Toronto
15-87. Jess Healey (D) Boston
15-88. Alexandra Labelle (F) New York
15-89. Audrey-Ann Veillette (F) Ottawa
15-90. Lina Ljungblom (F) Montreal
Online results from the inaugural PWHL Draft can be viewed at thepwhl.com/2023-draft.
Fans can stay connected to the PWHL and register for email updates at thepwhl.com.
Fans can also secure their spot in line for buying tickets by placing a deposit at thepwhl.com.
Follow the new league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six new team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.
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Media Contact:
Paul Krotz
PWHL Director of Communications
647-505-8010
paul.krotz@thepwhl.com