The 2025 PWHL Draft will offer another wave of talent to the league, including more national team members and college stars. Here's an early look.

2025 will be a year unlike any for professional sports in terms of the PWHL Draft. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players were given an additional season of NCAA eligibility. That however, comes to an end following next season, so there will be a double cohort of players finishing their fifth year alongside players finishing their fourth year, who did not have the extra year of eligibility, graduating simultaneously. 

There will be the odd player, like Minnesota's Abbey Murphy and Wisconsin's Lacey Eden who entered the NCAA during the COVID eligibility years, and took a season off to prepare for the 2022 Olympics, who could claim an extra season of eligibility, but it will not be the norm. It's more likely that Murphy and Eden declare for the draft this year.

For the NCAA this means larger than normal graduating classes, for the PWHL, this means twice the players looking to enter the league. It's set to create a massive influx of talent.

Every member of the top 12 would be a surefire pick in this year's draft and capable of playing in the league this season had they declared. There's also plenty to watch in terms of European veterans who could declare including Viivi Vainikka, Hanna Olsson, Michaela Pejzlova, Elisa Holopainen, and Michelle Karvinen who could all be top picks.

Beyond the top twelve, we've compiled an early watch list for NCAA/U Sports players, and another for players competing overseas. We did not include current players who declared for this year's draft who are likely to end up in Europe and could declare a second time for the draft in 2025. There's also a likelihood we see a few players like Abbey Murphy and Lacey Eden bypass a fifth year of eligibility as two of only a handful with that remaining from their Olympic year.

Here's a look:

Early Top 15

1. Abbey Murphy, F, 2002, Minnesota / Team USA
2. Natalie Mylnkova, F, 2001, Minnesota / Team Czechia
3. Haley Winn, D, 2003, Clarkson / Team USA
4. Krystina Kaltounkova, F, 2002, Colgate
5. Nicole Gosling, D, 2002, Clarkson / Team Canada
6. Rory Guilday, D, 2002, Cornell / Team USA
7. Viivi Vainikka, F, 2001, Lulea / Team Finland
8. Michaela Pejzlova, F, 1997, Ambrì-Piotta / Team Czechia
9. Hanna Olsson, F, 1999, Frolunda / Team Sweden
10. Lacey Eden, F, 2002, Wisconsin / Team USA
11. Casey O'Brien, F, 2001, Wisconsin
12. Abby Hustler, F, 2003, St. Lawrence
13. Anne Cherkowski, F, 2002, Clarkson
14. Sara Hjalmarsson, F, 1998, Linkoping / Team Sweden
15. Elisa Holopainen, F, 2001, Frolunda / Team Finland

College Hockey Watch List

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European Watch List

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