Opinion: Streamlined PWHL Draft Eligibility Is Needed

The PWHL's current draft eligibility and declaration system is a mishmash of hard to decipher rules that don't benefit players, the league, the talent pool, or fans. Here's a look at how the league could simply fix those issues.

The league took on a large task this year. First, it was getting the word out, often without the help of teams, leagues, and federations that the draft declaration period was open, and later on the criteria to be eligible.

In terms of eligibility, it turned out to be a mess that caused massive delays, and should be streamlined moving forward. The league took on all the work themselves making sure that players who declared for the PWHL Draft were eligible to play in the 2024-2025 season. For many players, this involved communicating with European teams from several leagues to ensure the players weren't under contract, and if they were under contract, that they had a viable opt out clause. It was uploaded labor to league staff that delayed declaration lists from reaching teams, and significantly delayed the lists from reaching fans and media. That delay stretch well over two weeks from the time declarations closed, to the time a formalized and confirmed list was finally produced. 

There was also confusion related to reserves in terms of who needed to declare and who didn't. Abby Boreen who played 14 games in the PWHL regular season and playoffs is heading back to the draft. As is Claire Thompson who played none, but was signed as a reserve by New York. Other reserves who signed standard player agreements are becoming free agents, even if they ended the season as reserves yet again. It's confusing to fans, players, agents, and seemingly the league itself. 

The league would be wise to streamline the PWHL Draft eligibility and declaration process in many ways. Here's a few ideas:

There is no reason a player should be eligible for the PWHL Draft, and to return to NCAA hockey. In the NHL, players can do both. According to College Hockey Inc, more than 200 NHL drafted players compete in NCAA hockey this season. For the PWHL, without development leagues like the NHL has, drafting players and allowing team nutritionists, strength coaches, general managers and coaches, and skills coaches to work with prospects would accelerate the level of play on the ice in the PWHL further. It's a benefit men's hockey players have that women's hockey players are now being denied in an inequitable system. Drafted men's hockey players have regular communication with their teams, and can attend summer prospect camps.  But to achieve this, eligibility would need to change. Allowing players into the draft following their Junior season with eligibility to return to the NCAA would not only allow PWHL teams to assist in development, it would bring excitement and additional media coverage to NCAA programs would would now have prospects tied to teams that media and fans would be more interested in following. Of course they could still make it a requirement to play out a fourth year of eligibility before joining the league, which would keep the NCAA strong, and PWHL stronger. 

Yes, you read that right. Why would the league dedicate weeks of time to sifting through declarations and communicating with teams about players? There only seems like one answer, and it's that they believe teams are understaffed or incapable of creating a draft list themselves. Are there not enough scouts? Does the league want central control? It's an issue of the single entity ownership model. If the league simply set an entrance criterion such as "must have completed at least three seasons at an NCAA/U Sports/ACHA program" and "any player 30 years or younger playing in an international league or national program at the time of the draft" it would be simplified and streamlined. Then, teams who scout better, and draft better, would do better. And if a general manager wanted to pick only players who could make the step immediately, they could. If a team loved their roster and wanted to pick contracted players in Europe like Viivi Vainikka or Hanna Olsson and wait for their contracts to run out, and then hope they can recruit them, that's their choice as well. It would put the onus on general managers and team staff to do the leg work, rather than the league struggling through their current model. If a team drafted a European player that decided to never come, that's on them. If the league maintained a two-year period for the retainment of player rights, we might even see teams sending drafted players to Europe for a year, which would boost global competition. And of course the rule would stand, if you're under contract in another pro league, you cannot leave unless you have an opt out clause.

Any person who thinks Michelle Karvinen, Jenni Hiirikoski, or Lara Stalder should need to enter the draft moving forward, should look at the bigger picture. The league has the potential to attract bigger named veterans if they give them some choice over their destination. Even if that limit was 29 or 30, it would open the door to many veterans playing in Europe right now who may then consider coming to North America if they could pick their team. It would again add another level of excitement for fans. This is particularly important as many of these players won't be receiving big dollar offers, so the choice of location could be a crucial deciding factor. This might also entice other North American veterans who have spent a season or two retired to return to the game. It seems odd that Amanda Kessel will have her on-ice worth measured against NCAA grads this year, and it would have allowed a player like Melodie Daoust to be in the PWHL, rather than retire, which is what's ahead for her. An age limit for European players, if it was on the lower end of 25-26 may also benefit European leagues by encouraging bubble players to stay overseas longer to develop, keeping competition levels higher in Europe before the best leave for the PWHL as free agents. On the other end of things, a minimum draft age should be established by the PWHL, which currently does not have one. At the moment, if a teenage phenom like Chloe Primerano wanted to declare, she could. To make an upper age limit work, a lower limit would also need to be established, particularly related to European players who opt not to play in the NCAA.

Another way to solve some of the issues and confusion this season would be to automatically have any reserve player who appears in a game during the regular season, immediately become a free agent. Should Abby Boreen be in the PWHL Draft with her last team listed as PWHL Minnesota? Absolutely not. Should Melodie Daoust be required to enter the draft this season? No way. A player signed to even a reserve contract is by definition an employee of the league. They are contracted. Sending previously contracted players back into a draft makes little to no sense. This could be another useful step for re-engaging players who may have taken a year away from the game prior to the league's launch, or in year one, back into the game. If former pros and national team members knew they could sign as a reserve this season, and use the year to work their way back into shape, potentially appearing in a handful of games, they could join fully the year following with their career path in their hands.

The PWHL's current draft eligibility and declaration system is a mishmash of draft rules borrowed from the WNBA, NWSL, NHL, and who knows where else. It is a piecemeal system that doesn't benefit the league, fans, media, or the players themselves. By working with the NCAA, ridding themselves of the burden of declarations, setting an age limit, and freeing reserve players, the PWHL's draft would be a lot cleaner, more efficient, benefit all players, bring more talent to the league, and make things a lot more interesting for fans.