The New York Sirens will pick first overall in the 2025 PWHL Draft. Beyond that however, no draft order has been finalized with the PWHL choosing to wait until after the June 9 expansion draft to decide what order the remaining seven teams, including the expansion PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver, will select.
The belief among coaches and GMs for the PWHL's existing six teams, is that the league wanted to ensure the expansion teams were strong enough following the expansion process. After their inaugural five signings, and seeing the wealth of talent still available in the PWHL expansion draft, it's hard to see PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver as anything other than the front runners for the 2025-26 Walter Cup. Quite simply, the league overshot their mark drawing widespread critique from even the most devout fans.
With that in mind, it seems the only equitable thing to do in the PWHL is to give the original six teams the top six picks in the 2025 Draft. While general managers across the league are bracing in anticipation of Seattle and Vancouver being handed the second and third overall picks, it would be the wrong thing to do, and further degrade the league's competitive balance.
These teams will struggle to fill the cavernous voids that were just punched into their lineups, and there simple isn't enough depth in the 2025 PWHL Draft to replicate the talent lost with talent coming in.
There's one tiny exception to this, and it exists in the top six picks of the PWHL Draft. It there, and there alone, where the existing teams will have a chance to select a bonafide impact player in the draft.
Among the anticipated top six picks, as ranked by The Hockey News, are Kristyna Kaltounkova, Haley Winn, Casey O'Brien, Nicole Gosling, Natalie Mlynkova, and Rory Guilday. Three forwards and three defenders capable of making an immediate impact in the league, and helping to fill the gaps created.
With the league's consistent message of the importance of parity, giving the original six teams the top six picks is perhaps the only way to restore that parity after the beyond generous situation the league created for Seattle and Vancouver.
Seattle and Vancouver could still select incredibly talented players at 7-8 in the draft, including veteran Michelle Karvinen, defender Kendall Cooper, or forwards Anne Cherkoski (who happens to be a British Columbia product), Jenna Buglioni, or any number of players.
Round two would likely play out similar with each of the six original teams getting players who could likely step in and find success to the level players like Jennifer Gardiner, Abby Boreen, Izzy Daniel, or Brooke McQuigge had up front. On the blueline, the depth isn't quite as impressive at the top, but the draft has plenty of solid depth blueliners. One to watch in round two aside from Cooper is German national team member and Minnesota-Duluth grad Nina Jobst-Smith.
There are plenty of players in the 2025 PWHL Draft including veterans like Sara Hjalmarsson and Anna Shokhina, who could step in and make a larger impact, and there are also players that have flown under national team radars like Abby Hustler, Makenna Webster, Anna Segedi, and Clara Van Wieren who could make a surprising offensive impact.
But the key is, the original six need to plug their leaks to keep up with Vancouver and Seattle.
Certainly, Vancouver and Seattle will have growing pains with all six rookies from the draft expected to play immediately, but they also can shop the free agent market for proven role players, or even veterans returning to North America who have been in the league before.
The offseason will for the first time have a real "free agent frenzy" feel to it with every team having roster spots available, and money to spend.
Any way you look at it, the fact Seattle will enter the season with a top line of Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter, and Danielle Serdachny, with the opportunity to add players like Hannah Bilka and Grace Zumwinkle in the expansion draft before they ever sign or draft anyone else shows that the two expansion teams will have the deepest top two lines in the league.
If it's parity the PWHL wants, the only answer is to give the original six teams the top six picks in the PWHL Draft.