On Wednesday night, the PWHL held its 2026 Draft, with Caroline Harvey (D) going first overall to the Vancouver Goldeneyes.PWHL Hamilton, still waiting to announce their team name, had the No. 6 pick, selecting Finnish defenseman Nelli Laitinen. With their next pick at No. 18, they selected Jade Iginla, daughter of Calgary Flames icon Jarome Iginla. 

As the former captain at Brown University, Jade is about to extend the family legacy in professional hockey, joining her father, who spent 20 seasons in the NHL, and her brother, Tij Iginla, a prospect for the Utah Mammoth and a 6th-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. 

The 21-year-old right-winger from Lake Country, BC, just finished her fourth season at Brown, scoring a personal best 17 goals and 33 points in 32 games. Overall, during her time in the NCAA, Iginla has compiled 56 goals with 43 assists for 99 points in 123 games. 

In addition to an outstanding college career that earned her a spot in the PWHL Draft, Iginla won a gold medal in 2021-22 as a member of Canada's WJC-18 team, the only time she's worn the Maple Leaf jersey. 

Following the success of the PWHL Takeover Tour during the 2025-26 season, which featured high-profile games across North America, PWHL Hamilton will join the league alongside PWHL Detroit. 

The team's General Manager is Meghan Duggan, an Olympic Gold Medalist and seven-time World Champion with Team USA. Meanwhile, their head coach is Kris Sparre, a former player whose career spanned over a decade in the OHL, ECHL, and DEL.

Interestingly, PWHL Hamilton is the only team at the moment in a city without an NHL team and will play its home games at TD Coliseum, which recently underwent a $300 million renovation. The PWHL's newest team will share the arena with the AHL's Hamilton Hammers, an affiliate of the New York Islanders.