PWHL Ottawa's 2024 PWHL Draft class brought in talent, size, and a diverse set of skills. Here's what their picks and GM Mike Hirshfeld had to say about the incoming class.
PWHL Ottawa's 2024 PWHL Draft class brought in talent, size, and a diverse set of skills. Here's what their picks and GM Mike Hirshfeld had to say about the incoming class.
Talent, size, familiarity, diversity and friendship were the theme of the night for PWHL Ottawa.
It seemed destined that as soon as PWHL Ottawa found out they had the 2nd overall pick, Danielle Serdachny was the clear pick.
“We're thrilled that we added someone that we identified a couple of months ago as a player that was right at the top of our list,” said General Manager Mike Hirshfeld.
Serdachny was the top line centre that Ottawa was desperately in need of. Serdachny if all things go according to plan will be the Centre of the future for Ottawa. Serdachny 61 points in 40 games for Colgate, amassing more points than Sarah Fillier who went 1st overall did last season.
“I'm willing to play any role pretty much,” said Serdachny. “So wherever they see me fitting in the lineup or whatever they need out of me.I'm definitely willing to do so. I like to think I'm more of a playmaker.”
Serdachny is a 200-foot player who brings strength, skill and a great shot, with an ability to step up her game when needed, exemplified with her scoring the game winning goal for Canada against the USA at the 2024 World Championships.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” said Serdachny.
A fun tidbit will be that Serdachny has been coached by Carla Macleod already back in Alberta, where Macleod coached her with Team Alberta.
The tough decisions began for Mike Hirshfeld after Serdachny, as Ottawa was in clear need of a defender to bolster a light blueline. Nothing about Ronja Savolainen is light, everything begins with her toughness, size, and ability to impose herself on her opponents.
“I love to talk, I love to be happy and have a positive vibe around me,” said Ronja Savolainen. "I'm just gonna do everything out there and eat those pucks.”
Hirshfeld felt Ottawa needed to add size on the blueline and they did with Savolainen.
Someone else who Ottawa hopes to eat pucks will be Gwyneth Phillips who was the first goalie taken off the board in the draft. Phillips put up a .955% save percentage and 1.17 Goals Against Average with Northeastern university last season.
Phillips might be a fan favorite to Ottawa fans too, as she described that she is “weird” and bought 13$ heels to wear for the Draft. As eccentric as she might be off the ice, she has the potential to be the goalie of the future for Ottawa.
“We've been looking at it for a couple of months,” said Hirshfeld. “We had some of my old contacts who are NHL goalie coaches, just have a look at her tape and they were just blown away by her speed and agility. And she has all the intangibles to be one of the best goalies in this league.”
The drafting of Phillips provides internal competition for Emerance Maschmeyer, but Hirshfeld told the Hockey News that Maschmeyer will remain the number one goaltender heading into next season. Drafting Phillips leads Sandra Abstreiter as the presumptive third goaltender who Hirshfeld has given a contract offer to Abstreiter. Without question, Ottawa attempted to address their goaltending situation by drafting Phillips who is destined to be the goaltender of the future.
Friendship began to become a theme later in the 4th round, when childhood best friends in Danielle Serdachny and Stephanie Markowski were reunited. Markowski who was selected 20th overall, grew up in Alberta with Serdachny both sharing in a large embrace as Serdachny’s father greeted Markowski to congratulate her.
“We've known each other since we were four, went to preschool together, grew up playing with each other,” said Markowski. To go and get drafted to Ottawa with my best friend. It's pretty surreal. And I'm super excited to hang on with her.”
Not only did the childhood best friends play together but they did so under the tutelage of Carla MacLeod who reminded her General Manager Mike Hirshfeld that the two of Serdachny and Markowski were childhood best friends.
“Actually, I didn't even know that they were good friends,” said Hirshfeld. “Carla was the one who told me.”
From childhood best friends, it was the time for college best friends to reunite when Mannon McMahon with a smile the size of Minnesota, her home state was selected in the 5th round, 26th overall. McMahon's larger than life smile was greeted by an enormous embrace by PWHL Ottawa’s own Ashton Bell and later on by Gabbie Hughes as McMahon reunited as the trio all played at Minnesota Duluth for years.
“I don't think I've stopped shaking since it's happened but I couldn't be more happy that it's Ottawa and I can't wait to get home,” said McMahon. “I talked to Ashley Bell and Gabbie Hughes all year long about how everything was going and just got every update possible from them. There definitely is a sense of comfort going to a place where I have two of my two of my best friends and definitely a home away from home.”
Ottawa then decided to go the European route as they selected Anna Meixner with their 32nd selection in the 6th round. Meixner led the SDHL in scoring in the 2022-23 season. Meixner, who is Austrian, completes the diversity quota that Ottawa has seemingly put in place to continue plucking players from across the world.
“Ottawa is a multicultural and diverse city. We've always drafted with that mindset that we want to have a diverse group,” said Hirshfeld. “ Obviously happy to bring in a player from Austria and from Finland this year to add to the mix. That's our identity in Ottawa.”
In finalizing their draft with the 38th selection Ottawa chose Minnesota’s own defender, Madeline Wethington. In a poetic fashion to cap off the draft with the slew of connections to players, staffs and the city of Ottawa within Ottawa’s draft picks, Wethington’s Grandfather went to medical school in Ottawa and uncle was born in Ottawa.
As Wethington put it, “For someone from the U.S., I have a lot of connections to Ottawa.”
In totality, Ottawa set out to address their weakness, high-end talent, depth defence and goaltending. In theory they did all those things with their draft.
“We're really happy with the results tonight,” said Mike Hirshfeld.