Five Ideas For The PWHL Draft

The PWHL Draft will be here sooner than we know it, but the specifications for the draft have yet to be released. Here are four ideas for the PWHL Draft that could hold some merit.

Talk of the PWHL Draft is well underway, including in our continued PWHL Draft rankings. We've only got two more additions left, one following the NCAA conference playoffs, and one following the World Championships. At that point, the intentions of all players will be clear, and the structure for the PWHL Draft will have been announced.

Before that announcement however, here are five ideas for the PWHL Draft to consider. 

Right now this would make an abundance of sense with players heading back for fifth years of NCAA eligibility, but shifting the draft to a year earlier, following a players Junior NCAA season would be incredible for the league. It would allow for prospect excitement to build among fans, generate increased interest in developmental pathways for women's hockey players, and it would also allow for increased development opportunities for the players themselves, allowing the level of athlete entering the league to be even higher. In this way, these players could attend a development camp with their PWHL team much like NHL picks do, they could access the nutrition and strength supports from their team, converse with skills coaches and team staff, and like NHL picks from the NCAA do, they could join their PWHL teams following the completion of their NCAA season for a handful of games, or as a late season boost heading to playoffs. Of course, the NCAA would need to let go of a sexist double standard that exists. Even declaring for pro drafts on the women's side (and in certain men's sports) voids your NCAA eligibility. Conversely, men's hockey players can be drafted before or during their NCAA career and benefit from the services of their NHL team, all while maintaining their NCAA eligibility until they officially sign a contract. In lieu of a developmental league, this would be a valuable step forward to support incoming athletes, and help them prepare for what will become an increasingly difficult step.

Inherently, players who are drafted will end up choosing other pathways outside the PWHL. Whether it's due to pre-existing jobs, educational pathways, or offers from leagues in Europe and Asia, there will be some players who despite being picked, don't come to the league. We saw it this season with players like Minttu Tuominen, Lina Ljungblom, Tatum Skaggs, and Caitrin Lonergan. Now there's a chance a few of these players land in the PWHL next season, but if they don't, and their rights expire, the league should look into creating supplemental picks. Without a development league, and until the pay increases, these instances will certainly occur at no fault to the team's themself. If the draft ends at six rounds, allowing a team a supplemental pick to recoup a player might make sense. 

An age cap for the draft should be established allowing any player over a certain age to become an unrestricted free agent. For some players who have spent the past half decade or more building lives, families, jobs, and other connections, a draft is more than anti-labor, it could be the deciding factor to not join the PWHL at all. Right now, European players like Alina Muller and Emma Soderberg entered the league this season following their NCAA career at age 25. For some European players, this is due to the fact their schooling system is different, so they enter the NCAA later. Establishing an age limit for the PWHL draft however, will allow players who complete their schooling in Europe, or North American players who need extra development years following the NCAA overseas to have more control over their own future. In the NHL, the age is 20 to become an unrestricted free agent. With less opportunity to continue in high level junior programs, including the absence of a World Junior Championship, this might be too soon. Capping the draft at 25 however, immediately allows unselected players who are competing overseas to earn an opportunity and choose their city. If a draft is the system the PWHL chooses to follow, this allows teams who treat players better, to attract free agent talent. By keeping the age limit slightly higher, it also allows might encourage some players to remain in Europe longer to keep those leagues developing and competitive as they would receive the ability to choose a team after 25, or they could declare earlier and land where they land. 

Let's be honest, we aren't going to see teams tanking in the PWHL. There's a single entity owner, there is no developmental league to bury talent, or recall several players after dumping talent to other teams at the trade deadline or midseason. Along with strict roster limits requiring 23 players at all times, it's just not feasible for a team to pull an unethical stunt like this even if they wanted to, and in the early years of this league developing, no team will want to appear uncompetitive. In that regard, an old fashioned last picks first route would be ideal. Considering the limited roster positions that will be available from here on out, teams will be very strategic about the draft, and there are GMs in the league right now who believe there will only be 24-30 players in the world capable of challenging for a roster spot right now, tops. 

Scouting is still in its infancy in the PWHL. Last year, the majority of pre-draft preparation for teams occurred through video and by connecting with college coaches, national teams, and other recommendations. The league's were all done by the time the players were set to be assessed, and while the PWHL attempted to form an independent player evaluation system, it was flawed. As the Rivalry Series becomes less necessary and relevant, there will be new opportunities to showcase the best women's talent in the world. One of those would be holding a top prospects game as the NHL does, or perhaps even a system similar to the Rivalry Series or the old Subway Super Series. Knowing any future PWHL Draft is likely to have 5-8 rounds, a game featuring 40 prospects without considering Canadian universities (who could hold their own prospects game) and European prospects, it would be more than sufficient for showcasing the top talent available, and creating a prime scouting opportunity where the strength of conferences and competition goes out the window by levelling the field.