{"time":1770504521504,"blocks":[{"id":"VKiRLQm3_6","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Half a season into their rookie careers, the 2025 PWHL Draft class is rounding into form. For some of the league's now eight teams, the 2025 PWHL Draft added a much needed infusion of skill, filled holes, and has helped some take the next step toward a Walter Cup. But the success of the 2025 PWHL Draft class has been better for some than others."}},{"id":"SVUskisrgW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"At the midway point in the 2025-26 season, here's an early ranking of the eight PWHL Draft classes."}},{"id":"qP2aBEWLsg","type":"header","data":{"text":"1. New York Sirens","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"G9N-V5BXr0","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Kristyna Kaltounkova, Casey O’Brien, Maddi Wheeler, Anne Cherkowski, Makenna Webster, Dayle Ross, Callie Shanahan, Anna Bargman, Kaley Doyle. "}},{"id":"BCBScQsnRk","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If there was a downside to this draft it was the fact they lost Makenna Webster who chose to pursue her Olympic field hockey dreams. But the additions of Kaltounkova, who leads the league in goals, O’Brien, Cherkowski, and Wheeler up front has carried New York to a playoff spot midway through the season. If Dayle Ross pans out as planned in the second half, this draft is already home run. And although she was injured before the break, Anne Cherkowski looked poised to break out as a legitimate nightly threat. Picking Callie Shanahan ahead of Sanni Ahola looks like a miss, but it’s early and New York is clearly running with one goalie unless disaster strikes. Anna Bargman has provided solid depth contributions, and Doyle is ready and waiting as New York's third goalie. Overall, the depth and impact of this class has been the driving force behind New York's success at the midway point."}},{"id":"MVpP9JukMs","type":"header","data":{"text":"2. Boston Fleet","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"LEYi_jnLlV","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Haley Winn, Abby Newhook, Ella Huber, Riley Brengman, Amanda Thiele, Olivia Mobley

If Boston's only pick in this draft was Haley Winn, it would have been a win. Her impact on this roster, including leading the entire PWHL in time-on-ice averaging an otherworldly 27:59 per game, has been immense. Boston has also got solid minutes, and reliability out of Riley Brengman on the blueline this season. Add in the scoring bouts from Alex Newhook and Olivia Mobley, and Ella Huber's compete and continued evolution, and Boston has got everything they wanted and more out of their draft class. The only player yet to appear in a game for the Fleet is Amanda Thiele who is signed as their third goalie."}},{"id":"9Hs8NtBv9X","type":"header","data":{"text":"3. Ottawa Charge","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"1aAAh8EZX_","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Rory Guilday, Sarah Wozniewicz, Fanuza Kadirova, Sanni Ahola, Anna Shiokhina, Peyton Hemp.

If this were a game of Battleship, the Charge have more hits than misses. Rory Guilday has been stellar, and Sarah Wozniewicz shows that big numbers in college aren’t as important in becoming a successful PWHL players as competing the right way. While Anna Shokhina didn’t work out, as she struggled with the speed of the game, fellow Russian Fanuza Kadirova looks like a late round steal who is only getting better. Sanni Ahola could still turn out to be the best goalie picked depending on how she and Seattle’s Hannah Murphy head into the stretch. And Ottawa’s ability to flip Shokhina to Vancouver for a quality return that included Michela Cava and Brooke McQuigge was another positive takeaway. Peyton Hemp is Ottawa's other pick playing in the league this season, and she's been a tough competitor helping in a checking role for Ottawa. Overall, this draft was a win for the Charge."}},{"id":"mlcwn6hy","type":"video","data":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/0a71419a-4b04-4fb1-8f58-0eff41b4b6c6/mp4","caption":"Kristyna Kaltounkova highlights","autoplay":false,"controls":true,"muted":false,"stretched":true,"width":0,"height":0,"image":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/0a71419a-4b04-4fb1-8f58-0eff41b4b6c6/thumbnail"},"cdn":{"videoId":"0a71419a-4b04-4fb1-8f58-0eff41b4b6c6","libraryId":"372172","collectionId":"30032062-eefd-4041-a355-12ad05bc987b","cdnBaseUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net","mp4Url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/0a71419a-4b04-4fb1-8f58-0eff41b4b6c6/mp4","thumbnailUrl":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/0a71419a-4b04-4fb1-8f58-0eff41b4b6c6/thumbnail","previewAnimationUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/0a71419a-4b04-4fb1-8f58-0eff41b4b6c6/preview.webp"}}},{"id":"6WNEHFL-9B","type":"header","data":{"text":"4. Minnesota Frost","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"qYdASdQp23","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Kendall Cooper, Abby Hustler, Anna Segedi, Ava Rinker, Vanessa Upson, Brooke Becker."}},{"id":"zp0FZblWNa","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Kendall Cooper has been a top tier defender not only for the Frost, but in the PWHL this season. She's shown her mobility, compete, and puck transporting are high end. Averaging 22:22 per game, Cooper has been nothing short of a massive steal for the Frost who desperately needed a home run on their blueline. Abby Hustler has been a wrecking ball for the Frost, and her heavy game isn't just on the body, it's on the puck, and it's on her shots. There's a few teams who are kicking themselves right now for passing on Hustler. Minnesota flipped Anna Segedi for the return of Denisa Krisova, a deal that's turned out heavily in their favor, and they've managed to get decent depth relief from Brooke Becker on the blueline who has played well to date. Vanessa Upson is playing limited minutes, and Ava Rinker was made a reserve."}},{"id":"ihh7AFBKAy","type":"header","data":{"text":"5. Montreal Victoire","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"dw75C96W3u","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Nicole Gosling, Natalie Mlynkova, Skylar Irving, Maya Labad, Tamara Giaquinto"}},{"id":"8_BIV70Kqq","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Nicole Gosling was just named one of the PWHL's Starting Six, the equivalent of the league's 'players of the month'. Mlynkova has been consistent threat offensively, primarily playing a middle six role. Irving has been a decent spark for their fourth line, and she looks like she could play higher up if needed, but right now she isn't getting a ton of time. Labad and Giaquinto were both made reserves to open the season, but have both appeared in games. The good news for Montreal was, they didn't need a lot of help through the draft. Should they need more help down the stretch due to injury, or just to give their stars a rest, Irving, Labad, and Giaquinto can all contribute more."}},{"id":"Tl0zD-8Pxr","type":"header","data":{"text":"T-6. Toronto Sceptres","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"S4fgP-LF26","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Emma Gentry, Kiara Zanon, Sara Hjalmarsson, Clara Van Wieren, Hanna Baskin."}},{"id":"pyePEvnwXb","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Sceptres shouldn’t have traded the third overall pick for Ella Shelton. It’s a move there’s no reversing, and it’s hurt them from opening night onward. It has nothing to do with Shelton, who is a star, and everything to do with misjudging what this team needed. Toronto picked size at this draft, and it’s not so much poor picks as it is the trend of Troy Ryan relying too heavily on a select group of favourites. Kiara Zanon was given a brief look in the top six, but other than that, they've left Emma Gentry, Clara Van Wieren, and Sara Hjalmarsson buried. They’re likely to lose one or more of those players in expansion, and it would be no surprise to see them leave and flourish like Julia Gosling has done this season with more responsibility. Toronto needs to get scouts working on their behalf immediately, and they need to find ways to better integrate their picks as the teams who have effectively developed rookies in-season are the teams who are winning."}},{"id":"X5qL4w4VbB","type":"header","data":{"text":"T-6. Vancouver Goldeneyes","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"H0PEcVYH6S","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Michelle Karvinen, Nina Jobst-Smith, Maddy Samoskevich, Brianna Brooks, Chanreet Bassi. "}},{"id":"M4odvrLiJ6","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Nothing went as planned in the first half for Vancouver, but first round pick Michelle Karvinen was consistently one of their best players. Her vision and intelligence are elite. The absence of Nina Jobst-Smith hurt and they’ve taken their time integrating her upon her return. After cutting fourth round pick Brianna Brooks and sixth round pick Chanreet Bassi in favour of free agent invites, it leaves only Maddy Samoskevich who is playing fourth line minutes. Vancouver didn’t need much, but they didn’t get much. If Jobst-Smith returns from the Olympics and settles into a second pairing role, Vancouver will have no complaints on their first draft. They did add Anna Shokhina and Anna Segedi, a pair of 2025 picks, via trade. "}},{"id":"WSq0s4U5Rn","type":"header","data":{"text":"8. Seattle Torrent","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"5ARsPZ-x6t","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Picks: Hannah Murphy, Jenna Bulgioni, Lily Delianedis, Jada Habisch, Lyndie Lobdell, Olivia Wallin."}},{"id":"kB7f4zstZ3","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If analysis of this draft class for Seattle had to live by the saying “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” this would be the end of this ranking. Hannah Murphy has been the only real contributor from the class for Seattle. She's made six starts for the Torrent posting a 3-3-0 record and a .922 save percentage. Fourth round pick Jada Habisch and sixth round pick Olivia Wallin aren’t on their active roster (Wallin is now a member of the Ottawa Charge). First round pick Jenna Buglioni has been buried getting just 5:43 in ice time per game, which is the second lowest of any Torrent player followed only by their third round pick Lily Delianedis who has played only 5:21 per game. Lyndie Lobdell is the pick averaging the most time on ice, but that’s only due to an injury to Aneta Tejralova, and Lobdell is still playing far less than any other Seattle defender. It was a mix of poor picks, and now poor development of the players they kept, and it’s showing on the ice as other teams improve and Seattle remains stagnant."}}],"version":"2.31.0"}

Three Takeaways From The Toronto Sceptres' Preseason Opener