PWHL Draft Primer: How it works, intriguing players to watch

With the inaugural PWHL season officially in the books and the league’s first-ever champion having been crowned in Minnesota, it’s time to shift our focus to Year 2.

Draft day is upon us, and the league’s six teams are set to welcome a new crop of players into the pros from the main stage at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, Minn., on Monday, starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and running seven rounds deep.

Here’s what you need to know heading into Monday’s draft.

New York will select first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft. Draft order is determined by league standings after the regular season — playoff results aren’t taken into account — with the PWHL also implementing its “Draft Order Points” system that awards points for each win following a team’s mathematical elimination from playoff contention down the stretch of the regular season. And, unlike September’s inaugural player draft, which employed a snake-draft format, this year’s draft will feature the same order through all seven rounds.

Draft order for each of the seven rounds:

1. New York
2. Ottawa
3. Minnesota
4. Boston
5. Montreal
6. Toronto

PWHL teams will select from a pool of 167 eligible players. In this pool of players are 93 forwards, 48 defenders and 26 goaltenders. All individuals officially declared for the draft ahead of the league’s May 8 deadline.

The NCAA is well-represented in the class of 2024, but the prospect pool goes beyond college hockey. More than half of draft-eligible players are coming out of college programs, with 61 prospects having played NCAA hockey in the U.S. in 2023-24 and 35 representing U Sports squads in Canada. Many others prepare to land in the PWHL having already gained some pro experience — 55 players enter the draft having competed in pro leagues overseas last season.

With Sarah Fillier a lock at No. 1 overall, the draft really starts with the second pick. The Princeton grad and Team Canada star has been projected to be selected first overall from the start, and rightly so — the 24-year-old is a dynamic playmaker who’s already proven she can thrive in the spotlight. Could there be a little intrigue here, though? Fillier’s Team Canada teammate, centre Danielle Serdachny, is also expected to be taken high up in the draft — and it’s notable that her college coach, Colgate’s Greg Fargo, was just named head coach of New York, the team with the first-overall pick. Other top prospects expected to hear their names called in the early selections include U.S. forward Hannah Bilka and bona fide No. 1 rearguards Claire Thompson of Canada (she was a reserve for New York last year while focusing on med school, but declared for the draft this spring) and Cayla Barnes of Team USA.

Nineteen nations are represented in the 2024 draft class. Headlined by household names from the Canadian and U.S. national teams, last September’s inaugural draft featured a heavy presence of North American players as all six franchises built their foundations. This year, too, promises plenty of Canadian and American talent at the top, but women’s hockey is a global game, and this year’s draft class is proof of its growth worldwide as more players make the jump from Europe to the PWHL.

In addition to Canadians (86 prospects) and Americans (46), also on the list of prospects are players hailing from Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Germany, Finland, Russia, Austria, Ukraine, Denmark, Italy, Japan, France and China.

SIX INTRIGUING DRAFT-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

With a pool of talent as deep as this year’s class, there’s no shortage of skill and storylines at play Monday night. Here’s a look at six of the most intriguing players who’ll hear their names called in St. Paul. (Find the full list of draft-eligible players here.)

Amanda Kessel, F, Team USA: Where do you select the player who’s won, well, everything? In the top 10, surely, though Kessel could be a bit of a wild card considering age and recent time away from playing — the 32-year-old didn’t play last season, serving as a special assistant to the GM on Kyle Dubas’ Pittsburgh Penguins staff. Whether or not a team feels she’s back on the ice long-term will likely determine how close to the top she’s selected.

Daniela Pejšová, D, Luleå HF (SDHL): At just 21 years old, Pejšová already has six pro seasons under her belt and a wealth of international experience helping lead Czechia’s rise on the global stage and could be the game’s next big international star. She’s a dynamic driver of play from the blue line and brings a physical edge that’ll see her fit right in on a PWHL roster.

Noora Tulus, F, Luleå HF (SDHL): The reigning league leader in points and Luleå’s top scorer in back-to-back championship seasons, Tulus is a smart solution for any team looking for a little veteran scoring help. The 28-year-old is one of a handful of players coming over from the Swedish league, having kept tabs on the PWHL last year and declaring herself ready to make the jump to a new challenge against the world’s top talent.

Julia Gosling, F, St. Lawrence University (NCAA) and Team Canada: Part of the next wave of young talent with the national women’s team, Gosling could also be part of another movement in women’s hockey. Rather than continue playing college hockey at St. Lawrence University, she’s opting to forgo her fifth and final year of NCAA eligibility in order to go pro. Her bold decision will surely pay off, as Gosling, 23, is expected to be an early-round pick — no surprise, considering the 5-foot-10 power forward’s strong 200-foot game would be an asset for any club’s top six.

Abby Boreen, F, PWHL Minnesota: Wait, isn’t she already on Minnesota? It’s a little more complicated than that. Not all paths to the draft are created equal, and Boreen’s is particularly unique considering she’s already played in — and won a championship, to boot — the league before being drafted. School commitments prevented her from being able to jump into hockey full-time last season, which instead meant joining Minnesota’s reserve squad. From there, in accordance with league rules, she was permitted to sign a maximum of three 10-day contracts — two in the regular season and one in the playoffs, where she suited up for all five first-round games against Toronto to help propel Minnesota to the league’s first-ever championship. Now ready to focus on hockey, will Minnesota scoop her up with a top pick?

Gwyneth Philips, G, Northeastern University (NCAA): Having graduated from Northeastern with a 70-15-4 record through five seasons (two as a starter), an otherworldly 0.96 goals-against average and 22 shutouts and the best career save percentage the NCAA has ever seen (.958), there’s no question Philips is top-of-her-class at her position. But with all six franchises pretty much set in net, it’s hard to predict where the two-time Patty Kazmaier Award finalist will land — and when.

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