The WCHA is the best conference in women's college hockey, and it's the best league outside of the PWHL in the world. When you look at who is returning to the WCHA next season and the incoming rookies, it's a 'who's who' of current and future women's hockey stars.
National teams from across the globe have had their players flock to the WCHA to develop, and the conference continues to strengthen as players from all over the world see the value in the league.
While the WCHA lost a long list of top players including Casey O'Brien, Jenna Buglioni, Ella Huber, Emma Gentry, Natalie Mlynkova, Kiara Zanon, Makenna Webster, Olivia Mobley, Nina Jobst-Smith, Sara Wozniewicz, Clara Van Wieren, Dayle Ross, and Riley Brengman, among others, the league also has a slew of talented players incoming. In total, the WCHA had 18 players selected in the 2025 PWHL Draft.
But incoming are national team stars like Adela Sapovalivova (Wisconsin) and Tereza Plosova (Minnesota) from Czechia, Hilda Svensson and Jenna Raunio (Ohio State) from Sweden, and Sanni Vanhanen (Ohio State) of Finland, along with dozens of talented prospects from North America.
The league also has a wealth of returning stars, many of whom will soon be taking the pro game by storm. Here's a look at the top returning players to WCHA women's hockey.
1. Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
Harvey isn't just all-conference or All-American, she's all-world. Harvey is one of the top blueliners on the planet and has proven it with three World Championship All-Star selections, two Best Defender awards, and a USA Hockey Player of the Year award, all by the age of 22. She's the consensus first overall pick for the 2026 PWHL Draft. Wisconsin fans should watch her while they can.
2. Laila Edwards, Wisconsin
She's big, she's played both defense and forward for Team USA, and won a World Championship MVP honor. Laila Edwards is one of the best goal scorers in the game, and her value at the pro level is off the charts, especially given her versatility.
3. Abbey Murphy, Minnesota
One of the sport's most exciting players to watch, Murphy combines speed and scoring with physicality that has earned her a reputation as a pest. Murphy would have gone first overall at the 2025 Draft, but instead chose to return to a stacked 2026 class and take one more kick at the can with Minnesota.
4. Joy Dunne, Ohio State
The power forward and Team USA member looks like the top pick for the 2027 PWHL Draft. Her dominance has only increased in each season. The 2024 NCAA Rookie of the Year is a star on the rise.
5. Lacey Eden, Wisconsin
A 200-foot player on whom Team USA has counted internationally, Eden will be an impact player in the PWHL when she enters the 2026 Draft. She's returning to Wisconsin for one more shot at a national title, and although she's achieved everything she can at the NCAA level, leaving with a title would be icing on the cake.
6. Nelli Laitinen, Minnesota
The Finnish standout is the future anchor of Finland's blue line alongside Ronja Savolainen. Laitinen is a solid two-way blueliner who will be one of the top defenders selected in the 2026 PWHL Draft.
7. Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin
Her heroics in the national championship game spoke volumes. Simms tied it with 18 seconds left on a penalty shot and scored the overtime winner in the title game over Ohio State. She is sublimely talented and has some of the best hands in hockey.
8. Eve Gascon, Minnesota-Duluth
The WCHA and NCAA First Team All-American continues to play stellar hockey and has pushed her way into the conversation for playing time with Team Canada. She was Canada's third goalie at the World Championships this year, and is their likely third for the Olympics.
8. Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin
Selected as WCHA Second-Team All-Conference and the NCAA Goaltender of the Year, McNaughton is big, competitive, and has worked her way into USA's third goalie spot.
9. Chloe Primerano, Minnesota
If there's a defender who could soon challenge the likes of Renata Fast and Caroline Harvey for the title of best blueliner in the world, it's the teenage Chloe Primerano. She made her Team Canada debut at the World Championships this year, and is only going to get better. What will she be capable of this season after entering the NCAA a year early? The sky seems like the limit.
10. Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State
Canada's captain for their national development team, Amos is a 200-foot player who makes those around her better. She's strong on her feet, sees the ice well, and will be a focal point of an Ohio State team receiving an influx of young talent this season.
11. Sydney Morrow, Minnesota
With the need for elite defenders in the PWHL, teams will be watching Morrow's season closely as she prepares to join the league. One of the best offensive defenders in the nation, Morrow will be a key piece in Minnesota's quest to knock off Ohio State and Wisconsin.
12. Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota-Duluth
A budding power forward, Kraeumer entered the NCAA with the distinction of being a player who broke Marie-Philip Poulin's Canadian records at the U-18 level. With one season under her belt at UMD, watch for an offensive explosion from Kraemer as she steps into a more prominent role. UMD has become a factory for PWHL talent, and Kraemer is trending in that direction for 2028.
13. Emma Peschel, Ohio State
The big blueliner is often overlooked in conversations around the USA national team and top NCAA defenders, but she shouldn't be. You can see Peschel's toolset on display every time she touches the ice. She can score, she can play physical, she's mobile.
14. Josefin Bouveng, Minnesota
Bouveng will be at the 2026 Olympics, and she'll be a 2026 PWHL Draft pick. She's an offensive player who has put up big numbers in the NCAA. She's got time to work on her skating, but she gets the job done.
15. Tova Henderson, Minnesota-Duluth
Overlooked in conversations about the conference, Henderson took a massive step forward offensively last season and was recognized as a second-team All-WCHA selection. She moves well and defends better. Henderson doesn't sacrifice her own zone for flash, but she's also a capable puck mover. She's headed for the PWHL, but how high in the 2026 Draft will depend on this season.
Honorable Mention
Sarah Paul, Minnesota; Jamie Nelson, Minnesota; Ava Lindsay, Minnesota; Laney Potter, Wisconsin; MaryKate O'Brien, Minnesota-Duluth; JuliAnna Gadzik, St. Thomas; Jordyn Petrie, Ohio State; Maggie Scannell, Wisconsin; Gracie Graham, Minnesota; Emilia Krykko, St. Cloud State; Ava Murphy, Wisconsin; Sofianna Sundelin, St. Cloud; Ashley Messier, Minnesota-Duluth; Sloane Matthews, Ohio State; Adela Sapovalivova, Wisconsin; Tereza Plosova, Minnesota; Sanni Vanhanen, Ohio State; Mira Jungaker, Ohio State; Jenna Raunio, Ohio State; Hilda Svensson, Ohio State; Emma Venusio, Wisconsin.
