On the afternoon of Monday, June 15, Sirens' General Manager Pascal Daoust, Head Coach Greg Fargo and other staffers continued to await word on their order of selection in the 2026 PWHL draft only two days away.

Their 'Plan A' had been solidified and everything was set for a No. 3 pick. Then, at 5 p.m., the league dropped the bombshell that New York's position had been changed from third all the way down to No. 7.

"We had prepared ourselves as a group to pick third, but then ... we found out we were seventh instead so we knew we needed to go (in a different direction) and to move on from there," said Daoust in a one-on-one chat with The Hockey News Women's atop the Empire State Building in New York City.

The refresher course on what they knew about players who might be available at No. 7 began in earnest.

"We knew at that point that the main players would (be off the board), so we as a staff had to sit down and go over the other players' stats that we might be interested in and who we might be able to get," Daoust said. "So, we were ready to deal with the changing scenario."

And deal with it they did, selecting one player after another which Daoust said were made more on filling needs in specific areas rather than taking the best player available.

"We were not, I would say, empty handed when we found out (about the draft order change) so the time that we spent was not a time of reorganizing our priorities but reorganizing the energy and our way of thinking," Daoust said.

-- on staying the course in team identity

Daoust was insistent on maintaining the culture both on the ice and in the locker room, and any change from that master strategy was in his words "non-negotiable."

"We were, of course, aiming at players who fit in with our philosophy, and you can start with Emma (Peschel) and go right through the list to see the type of really great people we came away with at the draft," Daoust said. "We won't compromise on that, and we didn't compromise on that."

While losing six members of the team's 2025-26 roster to the expansion teams, Daoust noted that the goal on draft day was not to try to replace those lost but provide a proving ground for those drafted.

"It's never about replacing someone; it's about offering the ones you pick the opportunity to succeed, and I think we have players coming onto our team who have different skill sets and who can fill our needs," Daoust said. 

-- on the status of signings for 2026-27

As for news about any contract updates on the horizon, Daoust said that the team is approaching the signing process carefully and fairly based on each particular player.

"We don't have a timeline; we want players to feel secure and for them to feel like they are part of something we are building and then we can sit down and make (contractual) decisions," he said.

"With expansion hopefully done now for a while, we can now create an environment where our players can be themselves and get to their full potential and not worry about changing teams. We want those wearing a Sirens' uniform to have a lasting relationship with our team."

-- on the reasoning for the Peschel pick

"Watching (Peschel) play (at Ohio State), we knew about her skills and her competitiveness," Daoust said. "We talked with so many people and her family. (Her qualities) are fully aligned with New York Sirens' values and the culture that we're building. She's an amazing leader who takes care of people around her. She has that maturity."

During most of her home games this past winter in New Haven, those of us watching Yale women's hockey action at Ingalls Rink were witness to the gritty play of team captain Carina DiAntonio and her relentless pursuit of the puck.

Time and again, the 5-foot-3 member of the Bulldogs -- who hails from Mississauga, Ontario -- would be in the right place on rushes, see situations developing and make an impact on scoring chances. That mindset paid dividends as DiAntonio finished her senior season with 26 goals -- including four game-winners -- while adding 22 assists for 48 points.

Her ability to also get back on defense and help thwart opposing threats was another positive.

Her four-year collegiate career ended with an exclamation point as the First Team All-Ivy League and Second Team All-ECAC sharpshooter wound up second in goals (63), sixth in assists (67) and fifth in points (130) in Yale women's hockey history.

DiAntonio, who appeared in all 68 games for the Bulldogs as a junior (32 games) and senior (36 games), joins Yale alum Elle Hartje and Naomi Boucher on the Sirens' training camp roster.

Drafted in the 3rd round (31st overall) by the Sirens, DiAntonio is initially projected to fit in as a left-winger on the second line. That spot was held last season by Anne Cherkowski, who was taken by PWHL San Jose via the expansion process.