Few PWHL Draft prospects have had the hype or discussion that Colgate's Kristyna Kaltounkova has received.
But is Kaltounkova the consensus number one?
Last year Sarah Fillier owned that distinction, and she proved it was correct leading the PWHL in rookie scoring, and tying for the league lead with Hilary Knight with 29 points in 30 games this season.
Kaltounkova is certainly unique in the type of player she is, which has given her the edge in all discussions heading into the 2025 PWHL Draft. She's a physical two-way center with a rocket shot that plays a hard driving game while being capable of scoring from just about anywhere.
In many ways, her game resembles Marie-Philip Poulin stylistically from her skating, her physicality, and ability to win pucks. Her numbers with Colgate have been impressive, and this year fans got to see Kaltounkova represent Czechia's senior national team for the first time where she put in a dominant performance being named a World Championship All-Star.
Is Kaltounkova the consensus number one?
Certainly not, but she is the consensus for who people believe the New York Sirens will pick at the 2025 PWHL Draft. Kaltounkova's two-way game, physicality, and pure goal scoring ability makes her a match for this league. New York needs goal scoring, and with Kaltounkova's former head coach Greg Fargo at the helm in New York, the fit is obvious. Fargo has been clear that he believes "Kalty" will be a force in the PWHL.
If not Kaltounkova, Casey O'Brien is the only forward who could challenge at the top. O'Brien was the NCAA's leading scorer with Wisconsin and won the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award.
While the Patty Kazmaier is an incredible honour, in itself the award is not a scientific predictor of success in the PWHL. It's an award won by many of the PWHL's top scorers including Alex Carpenter, Daryl Watts, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, and Sophie Jaques, as well as goaltenders Aerin Frankel and Ann-Renee Desbiens. Othes however, like Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Renata Fast, and Sarah Fillier next earned the award.
O'Brien's numbers were incredible, and she has an elite compete level. She is dogged on pucks, and sees the ice in ways few can. She will be a top player in the PWHL. The main question mark many bring up about O'Brien is her continued absence from Team USA. Primarily that speaks to the strength of that roster, but this season O'Brien was left off USA in favour of players like Grace Zumwinkle and Hayley Scamurra who struggled significantly in the PWHL this year.
The other side of the coin is that based on her body of work alone, Haley Winn might be the most impactful player available. But the New York Sirens don't need another defender, no matter how good she is, and Winn is good.
When it comes down to it, any of Kaltounkova, Winn, and O'Brien could be the first overall pick. While there is no consensus, and the first overall pick would change depending on the positional need of the team at the top, when it comes to the 2025 PWHL Draft, it's all about Kristyna Kaltounkova and the New York Sirens.