With The First Overall Pick, PWHL New York Selects...

PWHL New York now has the first overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft. Who will they select first? Sarah Fillier? Danielle Serdachny? Hannah Bilka? Or will they go completely off the board?

PWHL New York's 4-3 win over Ottawa Tuesday night was enough to guarantee the team the first overall pick in the PWHL Draft. Not only the first overall pick, but the first pick in each subsequent round. 

It not only guarantees New York an elite player at the top, which multiple teams will get with the top end talent in the 2024 Draft class, but at least two other impact players of their choice before the first tier of talent drops off.

If should come as no surprise that the top prospects in this draft are forwards Sarah Fillier, Hannah Bilka, and Danielle Serdachny, and defender Cayla Barnes. While Barnes will be a game changer for whoever selects the blueliner, New York went big on their blueline last year, and will likely spend their first pick on an impact forward, and address their defensive woes later, as the team still needs a defensive-defender to stabilize the back end. 

Fillier is the odds on favorite to go first overall, but she's not the consensus. That said, it would be hard for any team to justify a pick outside Fillier, and New York could use a forward of her stature to upset their current power dynamic. She can play down the middle and on the wing, so it will depend how PWHL New York envisions their own roster. Will they keep Carpenter and Roque in the middle, or Carpenter alone as they did in their final games of the season? It's hard to argue with a player as versatile as Fillier who also knows how to play a responsible two way game. Bilka is a dynamic forward who weaves her way through the offensive zone making herself hard to cover. She is evasive with the puck, and creative. In terms of picking an identifiable American born star for New York, she'd fit the bill. 

Then there's Serdachny. Perhaps more likely than Bilka to surprise as the first overall pick, Danielle Serdachny could be the selection, and it wouldn't be a reach. She's outscored every player in this draft at the NCAA level in recent seasons, and she showed this year at the Rivalry Series and World Championships that no game is too big, and no competition too steep. Fillier, Bilka, and Serdachny are all different players, with different attributes. Serdachny could turn out to be the top scorer from this draft class not only in the NCAA, but also in the PWHL.

PWHL New York did not just win the opening round, they won the draft order across the board. In the second round, that means they'll pick seventh. It's a spot that could yield anyone from Claire Thompson (although she'll likely be off the board by then), or defenders Ronja Savolainen, Daniela Pejsova, and Maja Nylen Persson, or another forward like Noora Tulus. Assuming New York chooses a scoring forward, they might switch it up to the blueline in round two, but also, the elite forward depth isn't as strong as you might guess in this draft, so the chance to grab a second player like Tulus could transform New York's entire attack. When round three roles around, this is where New York will truly benefit from the draft order. In the opening two rounds, each of the first three teams to pick will get elite players. When round three rolls around, the draft will be nearing its first talent drop off, but New York will get in before that happens. This pick could be Jennifer Gardiner, Anna Meixner, Ally Simpson, Britta Curl. By the time round four arrives, there will still be players who can make a difference for New York. In fact due to New York's struggles this season, they may be one of the few teams in the PWHL who sees all seven of their draft picks on the opening night roster.

New York's 2023 PWHL Draft was spotty. Some of the players they chose just haven't panned out, and it's clear they reached too high for others. New York's staff, however, was the last to be put together prior to the inaugural season by the PWHL, and their shorter runway certainly led to some of the issues the team experienced this year. With a level playing field when it comes to preparation this year, New York will look to right the wrongs of last year and make up ground.