The PWHL added a wealth of talent through the 2025 PWHL Draft. The first round featured the expected names from the NCAA with Kristyna Kaltounkova, Casey O'Brien, Haley Winn, Nicole Gosling, Rory Guilday, and Kendall Cooper rounding out the top six.
When the seventh pick of the PWHL Draft rolled around however, that's where the draft shifted, not only in terms of where players were being selected from, but also in terms of the significance for the future of the PWHL.
Michelle Karvinen became the seventh overall pick in the draft. For Vancouver it was an obvious opportunity.
"I just kept hoping every time that no one picked her ahead of us, we obviously wanted a top forward and you know, Michelle is a proven, proven winner," said Vancouver general manager Cara Gardner Morey following the draft. "She's just got the experience. Leadership and veteran players are really important in this league and so we had a chance to get one of those in an entry draft that is usually not available...She's going to be one of those special players in the locker room, so for me she was the one I was hoping to get the whole time and I was just really happy she was there are number seven."
But the importance of Karvinen coming to North America is not only her impact on a single team, but her impact on the league and the future of the league. The PWHL's ability to lure the top European players to North America will play a crucial role in the talent level on the ice moving forward. Not only Karvinen, but players like Sara Hjalmarsson, Anna Shokhina, and Fanuza Kadirova were all exciting picks that fans should watch, and that could be the open door to more elite international players coming to the PWHL.
Watch the full conversation above.