Teams have been working around the clock the last week preparing for the PWHL Draft, all while working to sign the best available free agents.
Heading into the draft, teams are at different levels of completion. In Boston they have 15 skaters and two goaltenders under contract heading into next season. In Minnesota it's 11 skaters and two goalies, Montreal has 14 skaters and two goalies, New York has 15 skaters and one goalies, Ottawa has 11 skaters and one goalie, and Toronto has 14 skaters and three goalies. The two expansion teams enter with 14 skaters and a goalie in Seattle, and Vancouver has 15 skaters and a goalie signed.
Minnesota and Ottawa, the two teams who made it to the Walter Cup finals this year, have the most work to do to fill out their rosters, although Ottawa also has three restricted free agents still to sign, while Minnesota has two.
It all means there will be plenty of action on draft day as teams look to come closer to the magic number of 23 players for their 2025-26 rosters. New York will pick first, followed by Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Minnesota, Vancouver and Seattle. Vancouver and Seattle will flip flop positions in each round.
Defenders Could Be Climbing
The league is circling the defenders available in the draft like sharks. It's widely believed that Haley Winn, Nicole Gosling, and Rory Guilday will all be first round picks as defenders, but it's possible they won't be alone. Quinnipiac's Kendall Cooper was always considered at worst a second round pick, but there's a legitimate chance she could climb into the opening round, potentially landing as high as sixth overall. The action around Cooper has heated up over the last week with every full time PWHL defender from last season off the market. She's not alone. Nina Jobst-Smith is a defender who is also on the rise, and some teams have her ranked as high as 11th in the draft. That's an early second round pick, and with the need for defenders across many teams, her value has climbed. Other defenders like Dayle Ross and Vita Ponyatovskaya are both potential third rounders, with a slew of possible picks on the blueline still lined up. One name that won't be called on defence is Maggie MacEachern. The former Colgate and Canadian U-18 national team captain is headed to Switzerland and has withdrawn from the draft.
Karvinen A Hot Commodity
There aren't too many 35-year-old players who will find themselves as highly sought after players in an entry draft. Michelle Karvinen is the exception. Not only has Karvinen's name been tossed around as a target who could be selected anywhere between 6-10 in the draft, but she's also become a topic of trade talk. Not trade talk involving Karvinen of course, but trade talk to move into a position to select her. With the depth of Seattle and Vancouver's forward corps, they might opt for a younger player at 7th and 8th, although it's reasonable to believe Seattle could see value in Karvinen at 8th overall. If she slips through the first round, she won't get through New York at 9th or Boston at 10th. Both are in desperate need of veteran offense, and Karvinen fits the bill for both. The real question is, with the depth Vancouver and Seattle already have, would they be willing to allow a team to move up to 7th or 8th in exchange for an extra pick later. If that happened, it's likely Karvinen a team would be targeting.
Anna Shokhina is another veteran whose name is circulating a lot. She could be a draft day climber.
Speaking Of Trade Talk
The biggest trade talk at the 2025 PWHL Draft is, as previously mentioned, deals that would involve swapping draft positions. Last year Boston jumped up a position to pick Daniela Pejsova, and for teams in need of top end talent, it's a legitimate tactic they could look at. There considerable belief that any player ranked between 40-60 for this draft could nearly be interchangeable depending on positional need, so teams know there will be free agent depth available post draft. There are players on the block however. Toronto continues to look for a home for Kristen Campbell, while New York is open for business, with their primary assets being extra defenders. The Hockey News reached out to the PWHL to see if salary could be retained in trades. The league responded, but did not have an immediate answer.
Veterans Are In Demand
As it's been called, the PWHL has turned into a short term league where every team can only count on attempting to win now, with a league imposed inability to look to the future through the draft. GMs across the league are discussing this as reason to shift draft tactics and select more veteran players when available. There aren't a lot in this draft, but in future drafts as more European players begin to come to the league, it will be more pronounced unless the league fixes their expansion process. This year, Karvinen, Sara Hjalmarsson, Anna Shokhina, and internationally experienced players like Jobst-Smith hold extra value. The adaptation period will be shorter, and the players are more physically mature.
How early will a goalie be selected?
The 2025 PWHL Draft will likely see at least 2-3 goalies picked as Seattle, Vancouver, Ottawa, and New York all have important holes to fill in their creases. Vancouver and New York seem like the most obvious candidates to dive in at a goalie early, although Seattle could as well. These teams have less specific positional needs, and the two expansion teams in particular already have the top half of their teams filled and are more likely searching for role players above all else. Because of that, some believe Vancouver and Seattle could pick a goalie as early as the second or third round. Sanni Ahola has spent the past several seasons playing for new Vancouver head coach Brian Idalski at St. Cloud State. Hannah Murphy, another top prospect could be a focus for New York as Murphy was Kayle Osborne's goaltending partner at Colgate where they were both coached by current Sirens head coach Greg Fargo. Callie Shanahan is likely the third in line as a target to fill a backup position. It's likely that New York is the only team who could take on a contract like Kristen Campbell's to fill a spot in net, but the draft itself will be a spot teams look for that goalie. Given Seattle and Vancouver's reduced needs elsewhere, either one might be tempted to pick a goalie later in the draft as well. One name to watch out for in Vancouver post draft is Kimberly Newell. She hasn't played since the 2022 Olympics, but spent multiple seasons playing for Brian Idalski in China with KRS Shenzhen and the Chinese National team, after a spectacular NCAA career at Princeton...where she played for Cara Gardner Morey. She was an elite goaltender, and could find herself competing for a backup role in Vancouver if she can get into game shape in time. Oh, and Newell is a Nelson, British Columbia product. She even won gold backstopping Canada's U-18 national team in 2013, a team that included current PWHL Vancouver players Hannah Miller and Sarah Nurse. And she was again Miller and Michela Cava's teammate in China.
Who else has the buzz?
Emma Gentry is a big and powerful forward who skates well. If she had played for a stronger team in the WCHA, she'd be a surefire second round pick. As it stands, she could slide through the second round, but her unique combination of skills could result in immediate impact and offense. Coming from St. Cloud State, Gentry will be a target for many. Abby Newhook is another player getting plenty of talk for mid to late rounds. While many draft years might have been about point production, teams will likely switch to picking more versatile players later in the draft who they know can stylistically fit a role. Newhook is that exact type of player who can do the little things right on a checking line, and teams know it.