2026 PWHL Draft Grades: How all 12 teams did
The fourth-annual PWHL Draft is in the books.
The expanded league saw the biggest draft in its young history. Not only were there four more teams on the floor this year, but the best class of young talent heard their names called at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Wednesday night.
Today, we break down how each team did in the draft.
Boston Fleet (C)
Key picks: Grace Dwyer (D), Leah Stecker (D), Jaden Bogden (F)
For a team that lost some quality forwards, Danielle Marmer didn’t really address it during the draft. Instead, the team went out and added to its defense, which hasn’t been a weak spot. Even though the Fleet gave up a pick to reacquire Ella Huber, Marmer passed up on players like Josefin Bouveng and Kyla Josifovic, athletes who could add to the team’s struggling offense.
That said, Grace Dwyer is someone who could be placed on the second pair and log heavy minutes. She proved at Cornell that she can play against the opposition’s top players. Stecker was a great player at Penn State, but it’s going to be quite the transition from the AHA to the PWHL.
Detroit (A-)
Key picks: Andrea Brandli (G), Casey Borgiel (D), Kyla Josifovic (F)
Detroit was the only expansion team without a goaltender heading into the draft (surprising, given Manon Rheaume is their GM). Yet, the team took care of business with its first-ever pick, taking Brandli. If the team’s signings during the expansion process didn’t help Detroit look legitimate on paper, drafting the best European goaltender certainly bolsters their roster.
They added some notable depth on the forward side of things, selecting Josifovic and MaryKate O’Brien, both of whom were underrated scorers in the college game. Georgia Schiff was one of the few notable offensive weapons at Cornell and has the skillset to contribute right away.
Hamilton (B+)
Key picks: Nelli Laitinen (D), Jade Iginla (F), Elyssa Biederman (F)
In terms of “star power,” Meghan Duggan didn’t catch anyone’s eye, but she found a number of players who could further add to the impressive core that she signed during the PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process. The team is shaping up to have a young blue line, with Laitinen certainly bringing some firepower from the back end. Iginla and Biederman might not be big-time scorers right away, but they will be complementary players right away, with the potential to develop into key weapons.
They’re going to have two young goaltenders, as Emma-Sofie Nordstrom was picked, and will pair well with Kayle Osborne. I do think there will be some more additions coming from the team in expansion, but all-in-all, not a bad draft from Hamilton.
Las Vegas (A+)
Key picks: Tessa Janecke (F), Lacey Eden (F), Issy Wunder (F)
Dominique DiDia did her work ahead of the draft, acquiring the third-overall pick from Detroit in exchange for Hilary Knight, and receiving a couple of picks when trading Abby Boreen back to Vancouver (though she gave up one). Yet, with eight picks, DiDia had many opportunities to grab top-tier talent.
DiDia decided, after signing a lot of defenders during the expansion process, to focus on scoring. She used their two first-round picks to take Janecke and Eden, who will have a chance to drive the team’s offense. Then, Las Vegas got even better up front by taking Issy Wunder, a potential Team Canada member in the future, and Josefin Bouveng, who fell to the third round (somehow).
Also, I low-key like Las Vegas taking Saskia Maurer. She was fantastic for Switzerland at the Olympics when Brandli was out with an illness, and could be a solid backup to Nicole Hensley.
Minnesota Frost (A)
Key picks: Sara Swiderski (D), Viivi Vainikka (F), Madelyn Christian (F)
The Frost have grown accustomed to picking late in the draft, but they did a bang-up job this year. I was surprised they chose Swiderski so early, but it’s hard to ignore her two-way ability. Vainikka is one of the most prominent scorers in Europe, and she can fill some of the holes that have been created through expansion. Minnesota only added more talented collegiate scorers in Christian and Lara Beecher, only making the highest-scoring team in the PWHL even more dangerous.
On top of that, they sured up their goaltending by taking Darya Gredzen out of Russia, a goaltender that some scouts have ranked above some of the netminders that came out of North America. Even with their position, the Frost have set themselves up for the future with their selections this year.
Montreal Victoire (B-)
Key picks: Petra Nieminen (F), Avi Adam (F), Hailey MacLeod (G)
Picking last in every round is always tough, so I don’t want to be too hard on the Victoire. That said, after Petra Nieminen, there weren’t too many stellar selections from Daniele Sauvageau. Avi Adam will be a solid depth player, but I was hoping, after losing quality defenders in Nicole Gosling and Erin Ambrose, that Montreal would seek better defensive prospects.
The Victoire ensured some assurance between the pipes. With the potential of Sandra Abstreiter going elsewhere, selecting MacLeod is a solid choice to back up Ann-Renee Desbiens. She played on a great team at Ohio State, and she’ll do so again with the Victoire.
New York Sirens (C)
Key picks: Emma Peschel (D), Elisa Holopainen (F), Katelyn Roberts (F)
I wasn’t quite sure what Pascal Daoust was doing when he took Emma Peschel with their first-round pick, especially when both Kirsten Simms and Andrea Brandli were still on the board, given that New York needs both additional scoring and a goaltender. However, Peschel is a top-tier blueliner who can be a game-changer for a team that is lacking on the back end.
Daoust made up for passing up on offense in Round 1 by taking Holopainen in the second round. She’s an excellent talent and one of the key players in Finland’s success over the years. The big question is whether she’ll be able to do better than her Finnish teammate Noora Tulus, who struggled in her one season with the team.
Yet, while there were solid picks later in the draft, including Penn State’s Katelyn Roberts, it felt like Daoust missed a lot of prospects that could make immediate impacts in the lineup.
Ottawa Charge (B)
Key picks: Vivian Jungels (D), Jordan Ray (F), Tereza Pistekova (F)
I don’t hate what the Charge did in this year’s draft, but I don’t necessarily like what Mike Hirshfeld did either. They were very high on Rory Guilday last year, and once she found her game, it paid off. Now, with Guilday signing with Hamilton, Ottawa filled the hole by taking Jungels, a high-quality blueliner who is an excellent puck-mover, who can certainly allow someone like Ronja Savolainen to play more offensively.
Using the second and third-round picks to select Ray and Pistekova feels a little overzealous. With players like Biederman and Roberts still available at the time, it felt like the prior two could’ve been chosen later in the night. I will say, though, Hirshfeld finds a way to get players that succeed under Carla MacLeod, so I might be surprised once again.
San Jose (A)
Key picks: Laila Edwards (D), Sloane Matthews (F), Tia Chan (G)
I was curious whether Troy Ryan would be willing to explore offense in the first round, but since Laila Edwards was still available at No. 4, he decided to address both scoring and defense with the former Badger. Physically imposing and the second-most versatile player in the draft class (after Harvey). She might not fit the “Troy Ryan mold” completely, but her talent will stand out. Ryan more than made up for it by drafting Cornell’s McKenna Van Gelder, who is an outstanding defensive forward.
I like Matthews’ game a lot, and she can certainly help the team’s forward group. Taking Lily Shannon might be one of the steals of the draft, and could bring some spark to the bottom six. San Jose was going to need a capable 1B behind Corinne Schroeder, and Tia Chan can be that. The NCAA Women’s Goaltender of the Year might get some quality playing time.
Seattle Torrent (B-)
Key picks: Abbey Murphy (F), Sydney Morrow (D), Emerson Jarvis (F)
The Torrent certainly started off strong, taking Abbey Murphy with the second-overall pick and defender Sydney Morrow in Round 2. Murphy immediately brings a spark to a Torrent team that struggled to find its identity, but the Golden Gopher can help them find it in Year 2. Morrow is a very versatile blueliner who can be as offensively productive as she is defensively reliable.
However, the team kind of underwhelmed with the remainder of their picks. I’m not sure if Meghan Turner has other plans in goal, but a tandem of sophomore Hannah Murphy and Gabriella Durante, who was exceptional during the Olympics, but it’s a far cry from the level the PWHL showcases on a nightly basis. For a team that was at the front of every round, it felt the Torrent left us wanting more.
Toronto Sceptres (A-)
Key picks: Kirsten Simms (F), Jamie Nelson (F), Alyssa Regalado (D)
The Sceptres are in desperate need of scoring, and Gina Kingsbury was fortunate that Simms was passed over by a couple of other teams that could’ve used her, adding the Wisconsin star. There’s no question that she can fill the hole left behind by Daryl Watts. Toronto does get a bonus point for selecting a Kuehl…Jane Kuehl that is. The Princeton star was a driving force for the Tigers along with Wunder, and could add a little depth for the Sceptres.
The additions of Sena Catterall and Emerson O’Leary added another boost to the forward group in Toronto. She was an effective scorer. I do like the addition of Brooke Fisher, but Regalado is going to be a dark horse for this team. She excelled at the defensively heavy Cornell program.
Vancouver Goldeneyes (A-)
Key picks: Caroline Harvey (D), Thea Johansson (F), Katie DeSa (G)
Cara Gardner Morey had the easiest job to kick off the draft, taking K.K. Harvey. I don’t know what more I can say about the former Wisconsin Badger that hasn’t already been said. She is a game-changer and can help turn the young franchise’s fortunes around. I really like the Johansson pick, as I had Johansson possibly going in the first round. Yet, the Goldeneyes get a solid offensive threat who was Sweden’s best player at the Olympics. Vancouver needs more offense, and she can provide some secondary scoring.
I would’ve given the Goldeneyes an ‘A,’ but taking Katie DeSa in the fourth round is an interesting choice. The Goldeneyes already have Emerance Maschmeyer and Kristen Campbell. Unless a deal is in the works, it feels odd to use such a high selection on a third-string netminder.