It's not always about the rankings, specifically in the PWHL where drafted players are expected to step in and play immediately without the next step to a development league. Here's a look at how a Mock Draft could play out filling PWHL team's needs.
It's not always about the rankings, specifically in the PWHL where drafted players are expected to step in and play immediately without the next step to a development league. Here's a look at how a Mock Draft could play out filling PWHL team's needs.
It's not always about the rankings. Particularly in a league without a development path where teams can't wait 2-3 years for a player to develop into being ready. There will definitely be round where teams take the best player available, but they'll also be considering position needs from the first pick onward.
Here's a look at how the first three rounds of the PWHL Draft might play out considering the rankings, positional needs, team philosophies heading into the draft, and more.
Round 1
1. New York - Sarah Fillier, C, Princeton, NCAA (2000, Canada) - A lot has been said about who New York might want, whether it's an American star like Hannah Bilka, or a veteran like Amanda Kessel, but Fillier can help change the course of this franchise on the ice and in the locker room. She's also been playing less than an hour outside New York and Newark, New Jersey at Princeton.
2. Ottawa - Danielle Serdachny, C, Colgate (2001, Canada) - Our first jump from rankings makes a lot of sense for Ottawa. They need a top line center, who can push their depth down the middle into the third line so there's someone to play alongside Tereza Vanisova and provide another legitimate line. Ottawa also struggled in big moments, and at times, was offensively stifled.
3. Minnesota - Hannah Bilka, LW, Ohio State, NCAA (2001, USA) - Minnesota could go with Cayla Barnes here, and they certainly need another star defender, but it would be hard to pass on a top line wing woman for Taylor Heise. She's fast, she's gritty, she's dynamic, and watching Heise and Bilka dash around the ice together for years to come would be exciting to say the least.
4. Boston - Claire Thompson, D, DNP (1998, Canada) - Boston wants a defender, and there's reason to believe they are high on Thompson. She makes Boston faster, more offensively charged, and gives a running mate to Megan Keller. They need speed up and down the lineup and Thompson can skate. The only question is, will she remain on the board this long. There's chatter Ottawa has interest in Thompson at second overall.
5. Montreal - Cayla Barnes, D, Ohio State, NCAA (1999, USA) - Cayla Barnes could go anywhere from second to fifth in this draft. Despite her physicality, her international success, her NCAA prowess, and her all around strong play, a few general managers wonder how much size will come into play in the PWHL next season. She's a two-way blueliner capable of shutting down and battling against the best in the world. She'd be a steal for Montreal.
6. Toronto - Britta Curl, LW, Wisconsin, NCAA (2000, USA) - It's a pick that will upset many fans, but it sounds like the league is divided on Curl. Those who love her, love her puck pursuit and retrieval...a lot. Curl is magnetic to the puck and fits Toronto's on ice style perfectly. It's believed Toronto is one of 2-3 teams that is very high on Curl and will jump early at her.
Round 2
7. New York - Amanda Kessel, RW, DNP (1991, USA) - If it were me, I'd pass on Kessel for a few more picks given her concussion history, time away from the game, and age, but New York needs more leadership, they need more scoring, and they need star power. With Fillier in round one, putting Kessel on her wing gives you two dangerous lines in New York. It's a risk versus reward situation, but New York needs a significant boost, and if Kessel can remain healthy, she could get New York over the hump the new few seasons. If she doesn't go here, watch for Boston to snap her up at #10.
8. Ottawa - Daniela Pejsova, D, Lulea, SDHL (2002, Czechia) - Ottawa isn't going two rounds without selecting a blueliner, and the idea of bringing in Pejsova, a young player coach Carla MacLeod trusts and has build in rapport with is logical. She's a good skater, physical, and defends well. This one seems like an easy pick.
9. Minnesota - Maja Nylén Persson, D, Brynas, SDHL (2000, Sweden) - This 100% depends on Minnesota's first round pick. If they go with Bilka, they'll likely take a D here. If they go with Barnes, we could see them swoop in to save Abby Boreen here, although that would be a large reach given the talent available. Nylén Persson would be an immediate upgrade to Minnesota's right side allowing them to flip Maggie Flaherty back to her natural left right. Their defensive group actually performed well in the playoffs, so they could wait another round if they wanted and take an NCAA defender, but Nylén Persson won't last that long.
10. Boston - Noora Tulus, C, Lulea, SDHL (1995, Finland) - It would not be a surprise to see Tulus off the board before this. She's got dynamic speed, is tenacious in pursuit, and was the top scorer in Europe this year. This is a top end player who will only get better surrounded by better players as the year goes on. Boston needs to find speed. If Bilka is available in round one, it would be reason for them to abandon picking a D, otherwise grabbing Tulus would give Boston's second line alongside Hilary Knight the speed they need.
11. Montreal - Julia Gosling, C, St. Lawrence (2001, Canada) - Gosling would likely get flipped to the left wing in Montreal and would immediately become a top line player. The size and speed of a Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Julia Gosling line would torment the league. Montreal desperately needs scoring depth.
12. Toronto - Ronja Savolainen, D, Lulea, SDHL (1997, Finland) - Imagine a Finnish Megan Kellar, with perhaps a little more snarl, and you have Ronja Savolainen. She can join Toronto's powerplay, adds size, and would take much needed pressure off of Toronto's top pairing. If an injury emerged, she's capable of playing top pairing minutes as well. If Toronto goes "off the board" here, it could be by selecting Megan Carter, a player on Hockey Canada's radar who plays a tough game and would pair nicely with Kali Flanagan. It would be a gift to New York, but highly possible.
Round 3
13. New York - Allyson Simpson, RD, Colgate, NCAA (2000, USA) - Simpson is a player who could easily end up in New York's top four immediately. As talented as their defenders are, they have gaps, which often overlap, and Simpson would fill in some of those as a steady two way defender who is one of only a handful of defenders who have upside to become a long term top four blueliner with her team in this league. New York could also easily go all-in on scoring depth here with a selection of Izzy Daniel, who can help their defensive woes from the front as a two-way contributor, or the speedy Anna Meixner.
14. Ottawa - Megan Carter, D, Northeastern, NCAA (2001, Canada) - Doubling down on defensive depth, if Ottawa took Megan Carter here, they'd have a fearsome blueline that few could question. Carter is tough, she's defensively reliable, and she has character. In short, she'd fit in Ottawa. Izzy Daniel would be a steal here, but Ottawa is already three deep on their right wing.
15. Minnesota - Abby Boreen, RW, Minnesota, PWHL (2000, USA) - This one actually hurts a little as Boreen shouldn't need to be picked here, but to avoid losing her to another team in the next round or two, Minnesota will need to strike to secure the player who competed on their top line whenever she was in the lineup. Boreen adds another element to Minnesota they didn't have and would likely slot into their third line next season, but the good news for Minnesota is, she's a known quantity, who fits in their locker room, and can contribute.
16. Boston - Izzy Daniel, RW, Cornell, NCAA (2001, USA) - Ok, enough on this slide already, it's Izzy Daniel time. If there's any chance at all that she's still available at this point in the draft, it doesn't matter who steps to the podium, taking Daniel is a priority. She's a creative two-way player who won the Patty Kazmaier Award, and she adds speed and compete to Boston's forward group, and becomes another intelligent player up front who can contribute.
17. Montreal - Sara Hjalmarsson, C, Linkoping, SDHL (1998, Sweden) - Similar to the above picks, Hjalmarsson follows Montreal's unique path for deciphering draft status, but she's not without significant upside. If you shift her to the wing, Hjalmarsson can use her size to insert herself into dirty areas, and she can certainly add secondary production. It's a bit of a reach, but the upside is undeniable.
18 - Toronto - Jennifer Gardiner, LW, Ohio State, NCAA (2001, Canada) - Toronto to veer from their path. Gardiner was the last cut from Team Canada this year, and Troy Ryan and Gina Kingsbury know what she brings as well as anyone. With the loss of Brittany Howard, Toronto needs immediate help on their left wing, and asking Gardiner to take the third line role there is a position she can thrive in.
Round 4
19. New York - Elle Hartje, C, Yale, NCAA (2001, USA) - Let the depth continue to grow in New York with yet another positive character player. As every team gets better, it might not be a one year solution in New York, but adding intelligent two-way players who can score like Hartje will help this franchise get on track and be more competitive night in and night out next year.
20. Ottawa - Klara Hymlarova, LW, St. Cloud State, NCAA (1999, Czechia) - There's a logical third line left wing spot open in Ottawa behind Emily Clark and Daryl Watts (if they can re-sign her), and Hymlarova would provide the best of both worlds. Here's a player who can check, and create offensively. If an injury occurs, she can shift to the middle, or she can even play defense. And again she has familiarity with MacLeod.
21. Minnesota - Anna Meixner, RW, Brynas, SDHL (1994, Austria) - Minnesota has no easy answer for what way to go on this pick, so after digging in early for Boreen, taking best available makes sense here. Anna Meixner is fast, experience, and can finish. If Minnesota didn't take Bilka in round one and instead opted for Barnes, this pick would make even more sense adding to their speed up front. Meixner would be an offensive upgrade to Minnesota's current right wing, and plays a similar style to their group of forwards.
22. Boston - Sydney Bard, RD, Colgate, NCAA (2001, USA) - Add another smaller, skilled puck over to Boston's blueline, but one like Cayla Barnes in the opening round, plays beyond her size inserting herself physically, and using her skating and skills to take away time and space.
23. Montreal - Noemi Neubauerova, RW, Brynas, SDHL (1999, Czechia) - It's time to get tougher to play against. It can't be said enough, Montreal didn't trust their depth in the playoffs, but Neubuerova would be someone they can trust. She was on the ice in overtime of the bronze medal game for Czechia, she's a physical forward who can check, and rises to big games. Montreal also has Lina Ljungblom coming in, so they might go back to a D here.
24. Toronto - Stephanie Markowski, LD, Ohio State, NCAA (2001, Canada) - Welcome back to Toronto's hockey Canada parade. Odds are Toronto will want another blueliner here, and Markowski is a good fit. It would be interesting to see if they reach for Rylind MacKinnon here or wait until later to take her. Markwoski can block shots, she's a good enough skater to get up ice into the rush, and she competes hard. Coming with a winning resume from Ohio State, it's a perfect mix for what Ryan and Kingsbury love.
Other Players Who Could Slide Into The Top 24
It would be really interesting to see if anyone gabs Klara Peslarova or Gwyneth Philips in round four, or if teams are willing to wait knowing there are 3-4 goalies in this pool who are all upgrades in the league. One name to watch is Ilona Markova. She isn't going to light up this league immediately, but the 22 year old has oodles of upside. She's so unknown at the moment she might turn into a round 6-7 wild card selection that either pays big, or misses completely. But if a team has better intel on her, and has the answers to the variables, she could go earlier. There's a slew of defenders that based on preference could easily climb into round four including Anna Wilgren, Hadley Hartmetz, Emma Bergesen, Sini Karjalainen, Mae Batherson, or the aforementioned Rylind MacKinnon. Up front, there are fewer top 24 players at this point, but the closest is Dara Greig. That said, the forward pool is actually not as deep as the defensive group in this draft, so we could see a reverse of last year where defenders went en masse early, and this year we could see teams grabbing forwards early. A few from Europe including Shae Demale, Anneke Linser, Markova, Laura Kluge, and Michelle Lowenhielm are names to watch, while college players like Manon McMahon, Dominique Petrie, Emmy Fecteau, Sadie Peart, or even Gabby Rosenthal who was out of the game last season.
What will the free agent market look like?
Unlike last year where there was a smaller market of candidates following the draft who could steal roster spots, there will be a 20-30 player group who go undrafted who will have legitimate shots to steal fourth line roles, 7th defender spots, or become back up or third goalies. If Kayle Osborne isn't picked, she's a goalie who won't last long on the free agent market and it will likely turn into a battle between Toronto or Ottawa who would both be thrilled to get her into their backup role. On the back end, even if they aren't drafted, players like Maggie MacEaechern, Anna Kjellbin, Lotti Odnoga, Lauren Bernard, Nadia Mattivi, Camryn Wong, and Chayla Edwards could all earn spots. Up front the list is even longer and deeper. There could be mass turnover next season, or teams could select to go with what they know. Either way, there will be another 50-75 skilled pro calibre players scrambling for a development league to compete in next season in hopes of holding out for expansion.