Three major trades happened at the 2026 PWHL Draft. Each has the potential to make a considerable impact this year.

Looking At The Trades

Abby Roque To Montreal, Kristin O'Neill To New York

This deal saw Montreal send Canadian national team forward Kristin O'Neill, and the 28th overall pick in the draft to New York in exchange for former USA national team forward Abby Roque. New York also retained a significant portion of Roque's salary for next season to get the deal done.

Ella Shelton To Toronto, Draft Picks To New York

It didn't take long for fans in Ottawa to experience the shock and awe of a major draft day blockbuster deal. In fact, it came immediately following the second overall pick. The deal was finished before the draft began, but the announcement was an exciting moment for fans of both teams. Heading to Toronto was Canadian national team defender Ella Shelton, widely recognized as one of the best in the world. Heading to New York in exchange were the third overall pick, and pick #27 in the draft. Those selections turned into elite offensive forward Casey O'Brien and Maddi Wheeler. 

Kristen Campbell To Vancouver, Picks To Toronto

Toronto made the move prior to the draft trying to mutually terminate Campbell's contract so they could bring in Elaine Chuli from Montreal to form a new tandem in net with Raygan Kirk. When that was unsuccessful, Toronto made the deal to send Campbell to Vancouver. To get it done, Toronto had to retain a large chunk of Campbell's contract, and they swapped third round picks with Vancouver allowing PWHL Vancouver to move up to select Nina Jobst-Smith. Toronto, in exchange, received a second and third round pick from Vancouver, which they turned into Kiara Zanon and Clara Van Wieren.

Which Trade Will Have The Biggest Impact?

The Kristen Campbell trade isn't likely to have a major impact for either team. Both teams got good players, but the only way this deal flips into one of serious impact is if Emerance Maschmeyer goes down with an injury.

New York's pair of trades undeniably re-shaped their roster in the most significant way. New York will be very young up front, but bringing in the positive veteran presence of Kristin O'Neill could pay dividends if she can find her groove among the young talent on this team like Sarah Fillier, Kristyna Kaltounkova, and Casey O'Brien. They certainly had to give up a big piece in Ella Shelton, but the team was confident in their blueline for the coming season.

Toronto has arguably the deepest and best blueline in the PWHL this season with the addition of Shelton to a group that already includes Renata Fast, Savannah Harmon, Kali Flanagan, Allie Munroe, and Anna Kjellbin. In reality, Toronto likely would have benefitted more from selecting O'Brien, but it's impossible to argue with making your blueline deeper, and Shelton can produce offensively as well.

Montreal gets Roque, who stepping into a veteran laden roster with the Victoire, might have one of the biggest breakout campaigns in the league. She won't have the same role in Montreal on or off the ice, and that's a good thing for Roque, the Victoire, and the Sirens. This trade was a win for everyone involved.

The trade(s) that will have the biggest impact? It's likely New York. There's no telling if the Sirens will be able to get out of the league basement with their young and untested core, but they have an abundance of players with upside who will get a fair shot at stepping up and they'll be a fun team to watch.