Looking out at the panoramic view of New York City from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, New York Sirens' 2026 first-round PWHL draft pick Emma Peschel took a moment to reflect while gazing to the south at the Freedom Tower.

Wearing her teal and orange jersey -- along with a commemorative hockey stick -- that she had earlier received from Sirens' General Manager Pascal Daoust, the former Ohio State defender had a great vantage point to take in all the sights and sounds of The Big Apple.

“This is a dream come true for me," said Peschel, who tied for second nationally among all collegiate blueliners with 39 points (10 goals/29 assists) during her senior season with the Buckeyes.

"To hear my name called by New York, and come to such a prestigious city, is so exciting and I'm anxious to get started."

In the days leading up to last month's draft in Detroit, Peschel told The Hockey News Women's that she had envisioned how things might unfold for her at The Fox Theatre. She was taken aback by the news that New York would pick seventh instead of third in the order of selection.

Peschel said she knew she had no shot at being picked by New York under the initial draft order, but when the PWHL emailed out its release of the surprising change just 48 hours earlier her sense of optimism grew as she analyzed her chances.

"It's really cool (the way things turned out)," she said.

"Having your name called by any team is an honor but when (Daoust and his staff) came to the podium and announced my name it was very special."

"The Sirens have such a great (organizational) setup here," Peschel said.

"They have a great team. The coaches are awesome and the staff is great."

The 22-year-old, who because of her overall effort in the Frozen Four was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, referred to the change in draft order as a "best case scenario; there's nothing better than being in The Big Apple."

Peschel expressed how thrilled she is to be joining the Sirens' defensive group that includes Micah Zandee-Hart, Jaime Bourbonnais and the others on the blueline. She also loves the thought of creating scoring chances and joining in the offensive attack with the likes of Sarah Fillier, Kristýna Kaltounková and Casey O'Brien."

Those are three great players that I'm excited to play with," said Peschel, who along with getting to know all her new teammates is looking forward to joining former Ohio State skaters Paetyn Levis, Clair DeGeorge and Lauren Bernard this upcoming season.

"I just saw Paetyn the other week at a camp in Minnesota," Peschel said. "We talked about her experiences (with the Sirens) and she helped me get an idea of what it's like being in the league."

After she was drafted, Peschel was welcomed by O'Brien and Elle Hartje backstage.

"It was nice to be able to talk to them afterwards and hear about how their experiences have been so far," she said.

Peschel is especially anxious to be a part of such a young squad overall.

"There is so much youth but also great skills. I think it will be kind of fun to build a legacy with them," Peschel said.