Scouting is still in its infancy for the PWHL, which makes the prospect of hosting a PWHL Top Prospects game that much more enticing.
With changes coming to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects game, the timing could not be better to couple the event with a top prospects competition for the PWHL.
Traditionally, top prospects games for the NHL were held among players from the CHL's three leagues - WHL, OHL, QMJHL - and a separate event for USHL top prospects. Moving forward, as reported by Jeff Marek, the event will feature the top prospects from Canada facing the top prospects from USA.
PWHL general managers have been scouting NCAA games this season, and will certainly be at the World Championships this April en masse to watch the best players from around the globe.
Scouting in the PWHL is still in its infancy, as teams are still building out regional scouts to cover different NCAA conferences, USports, and Europe. With any draft moving forward certain to feature a drastically reduced number of rounds and selections, a PWHL Top Prospects Game would be an excellent opportunity to get all of North America's best prospects under one roof for games and interviews.
This year, that game could feature sure-fire top picks like Hannah Bilka, Danielle Serdachny, Sarah Fillier, and Cayla Barnes, along with other top prospects like Britta Curl, Natálie Mlýnková, Anne Cherkowski, Allyson Simpson, Jennifer Gardiner, and Izzy Daniel. It would also be an opportunity for teams to see how top USports prospects like Rylind MacKinnon and Emma Bergesen stack up.
Holding the game the week after the IIHF World Championships would avoid overlap, and ensure players were still game ready.
Seeing the top 40 NCAA and USports prospects in one place for a two-game series would allow scouts, coaches, and general managers an in person opportunity to continue developing and building their rosters. It's a crucial step for a league that doesn't have development pathways in place, and needs to be as certain as possible about the players and people they are bringing in as possible.
Here's what top prospects rosters could look like:
Team One
Forward
Hannah Bilka - Sarah Fillier - Izzy Daniel
Casey O'Brien - Anne Cherkowski - Sara Boucher
Mannon McMahon - Darcie Lappan
Defence
Anna Wilgren - Megan Carter
Stephanie Markowski - Madeline Wethington
Alexie Guay - Sydney Bard
Goaltender
Gwyneth Philips
Team Two
Forward
Britta Curl - Danielle Serdachny - Kiara Zanon
Klara Hymlarova - Jennifer Gardiner - Natálie Mlýnková
Sadie Peart - Elle Hartje - Kaitlyn O'Donohoe
Defence
Cayla Barnes - Allyson Simpson
Rylind MacKinnon - Hadley Hartmetz
Mae Batherson - Emma Bergesen
Goaltender
Ena Nystrøm