The 2024 PWHL Draft is less than one week away.
On Monday, June 10 — in St. Paul, Minn. — 42 of the best players will be selected across seven rounds. In all, 167 players from across the NCAA, SDHL, USports, the German women’s league, Russia and more have declared for the draft.
GO DEEPER
The PWHL’s first season is over. What worked, and what are the top priorities for Year 2?
Back in April, The Athletic ranked the top 30 players who could be drafted out of the NCAA. Now it’s time to look at the entire player pool with a top 50 ranking made up of 27 forwards (16 centers, 6 left wings, 5 right wings), 19 defenders (11 lefties, 8 righties) and four goalies.
The class of 2024 is still led by Princeton and Team Canada star forward Sarah Fillier, who has the kind of skill to make an immediate impact in the PWHL. After that, though, there are a ton of high-end forwards, defenders and goalies available.
Three-time Olympian Amanda Kessel declared for the draft after taking a year off to work with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Claire Thompson, the record-breaking Team Canada defender, is taking time off from medical school to play in the PWHL. Top European defenders such as Ronja Savolainen, Maja Nylén Persson and Daniela Pejšová being available alongside the top NCAA defenders (Cayla Barnes, Allyson Simpson and Megan Carter) make this draft particularly strong on the back end.
The Athletic canvassed several coaches, general managers and agents from the PWHL and the NCAA when compiling this list, but the evaluations and rankings are strictly our own. Of course, on draft day some decisions will come down to a GM’s preferences or team need, especially as we get into the later rounds. But this is a prospect ranking, not a mock draft. That will come soon.
Let’s get started.
Loading
Try changing or resetting your filters to see more.
Tier 1
A star with the Canadian women’s national team already and Princeton’s captain, Fillier scored a career-high 30 goals in the NCAA this season, often playing 25-30 minutes for the Tigers.
Fillier is a talented and intelligent playmaking center with high-end offensive tools. She’s an elite skater who puts defenders on their heels and has the ability to break a game open with her agility and straight-line speed. She has worked to develop a multifaceted shot with a quick release and a knack for picking corners, including from bad angles. She’s got slick individual skill and regularly beats defenders one-on-one and also reads and anticipates the play at an advanced level to get open off of coverage. And while Fillier is not an imposing, power-forward type or dominant defensive player, she’s a committed three-zone center. She spent time on the wing at Princeton this season and for Canada on the top line with Marie-Philip Poulin at the 2024 women’s world championship, so she brings some positional versatility as well. Fillier profiles as a top-of-the-lineup PWHL player capable of making an immediate impact.
Photo:
Shelley Szwast / Princeton Athletics
If there’s anyone who could conceivably go No. 1 instead of Fillier, it’s Serdachny, who scored the golden goal at this year’s women’s worlds. Serdachny initially jumped from No. 4 to No. 3 on our list after her performance at worlds, and has moved up to No. 2. While someone like Hannah Bilka — our previous second-ranked prospect — pops more with her skating and dynamic skill, Serdachny brings size and different elements to her game that might be more attractive to the general managers at the top of the draft.
Serdachny is a natural center who played huge minutes as a forward in college hockey, often pushing close to 30 with the Raiders. She registered 50-plus points in three straight seasons — including an NCAA-leading 71-point season in 2022-23 — and has driven the bus at Colgate. She’s got size, good all-around tools and a net-front/cycle package that makes her effective shift to shift. She’s strong on pucks with a hard shot (maybe her biggest weapon) that can cleanly beat goalies when she gets pucks in space. She understands how to use her body to gain favorable positioning and just seems to stay around things offensively. She’s got a lot of pro quality and projects as a top-six play-driver.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics
Bilka is a creative and dynamic offensive forward with legitimate skill and speed. Her skating, in particular, really pops. She can drive down ice with a balanced, strong and powerful forward stride, putting defenders on their heels and into bad gaps. Her lateral speed, crossovers and agility make Bilka difficult to handle in transition and on the cycle. She’ll hunt and track pucks on the forecheck with good determination. What really makes Bilka special, though, is her offensive ability from the blue line down. She’s slippery and creative with the puck on her stick and has the ability to make plays and score with a good shot. Bilka has shown a willingness to take pucks to the net when she doesn’t have a clean look, which adds another dimension to her game. She’s a dominant player who can really impose her will on the game in a variety of ways. She’ll beat you in straight lines, out wide or into the guts of the ice.
She projects as a top-line winger in the PWHL.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
After four years at Princeton, Thompson became a staple of Canada’s blue line, twice at world championships and at the Beijing Olympics where she set a record for points by a defender in a single tournament (13). Thompson took last season off while studying at NYU’s medical school, but is returning to hockey as the No. 1 defender in the 2024 class.
Thompson is a dynamic offensive defender with great hands and an unpredictability to her game. She takes calculated risks on the breakout and offensive blue line and thinks the game at a high speed. Thompson has good size and can play an aggressive physical game in the defensive zone, but also has good mobility, which allows her to gap up and disrupt plays. There isn’t much concern when it comes to her ability to ramp back up, and she should be a top-pair defender in the PWHL.
Photo:
Dan Hamilton / USA TODAY
Barnes is a small but talented D who led the NCAA in goal differential at plus-71 this season. Barnes has been a staple of the U.S. national team since making the 2018 Olympic team as a teenager. And after transferring from Boston College, where she was the Eagles’ captain, to OSU, she helped lead the Buckeyes to a national title.
Barnes is an excellent transitional defender who has great vision of the ice and the ability to make quick easy passes out of the defensive zone. She can also get out in transition and make plays off the rush herself. She handles the puck comfortably and does a really nice job escaping pressure in her own zone and side-stepping opposing players in neutral ice. Barnes does a nice job jumping off the line to make herself available as a pass option with perfect timing, and she’s got a strong shot when she does activate in the offensive zone. She closes gaps well with her footwork, and is generally disruptive to provide two-way value as a complement to her offensive ability and smarts. And while Barnes lacks size, she’s strong on her feet and should be up to the increased physical challenge of the PWHL, just as she has been at the international level. She projects as a top-pairing D who can quarterback a power play at the next level.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Kessel is not your typical draft-eligible “prospect.” The 32-year-old forward would have surely been a top free-agent signing last season, but she took a year off from hockey and worked as a special assistant to Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
Though she’s the oldest player on this list, Kessel’s experience, pedigree and game should still slot her high on teams’ lists. She has four world championship titles, Olympic gold, three NCAA championships and a Patty Kazmaier Award. In her last game action, she registered five goals and nine points en route to a gold medal at the 2023 world championships while playing on a veteran line with Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter. The year before that, Kessel played with 2023 No. 1 pick Taylor Heise and the duo went No. 1 (Heise) and No. 2 in tournament scoring.
Kessel can play with good players, is a competitor, goes to scoring areas, should immediately help a power play with her shot and puck management on the flank, has quick hands in tight (assuming they come back), sees the ice really well, and is just a really smart player. The only question is the time away, but even after a season off, she should be able to improve a team’s top-six.
Photo:
Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images
Tier 2
Curl is a well-rounded, hardworking forward who can play both center and the wing, has good size and finds ways to involve herself in games. She plays a strong, 200-foot game that will make her a good pro player. Curl is strong on faceoffs, blocks a lot of shots, doesn’t tend to force a lot of plays and goes into the dirty areas where her good size gives her an advantage, particularly in puck battles along the walls. Curl scored 62 points on an excellent Badgers team this season and has skill as a passer, shooter and handler, so there’s some offensive upside to her game as well. She’s at her best driving, protecting pucks out wide and following plays to the net. Curl projects as an impactful top-nine forward who can impact play in multiple ways and play with a variety of linemates.
The Hockey News reported that Curl was on “multiple” do-not draft lists, but The Athletic confirmed with all six teams that this is not the case.
Photo:
Courtesy Wisconsin Athletics
Gosling declared for the PWHL Draft after just four seasons with the Saints. She finished her career with 60 goals and 128 points in 111 games, hitting the 20-goal mark in back-to-back campaigns. She’s a natural center who played the wing for Canada in a depth role at worlds but won 54 percent of her draws at St. Lawrence this season as their No. 1 center.
Gosling has desirable size and can play with a real power to her game. She can protect pucks from the reach of opposing players when she’s driving to the inside and has a good shot that can beat goalies from mid-distance. She played the point/flank on St. Lawrence’s power play to maximize that shot but could play the net-front role as well — though oddly enough she doesn’t score many of her goals from around the net — giving her some special teams versatility for the pro game. She’s reliable defensively and can be trusted late in games. She’s not a particularly crafty player but there’s a lot to like and there were games in college this season where she was an absolute force. She projects as an impactful middle-six center.
This year’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner, Daniel was critically important to Cornell getting into the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years. She outscored her next-closest teammate by 25 points and either scored or assisted on 10 game-winning goals this season. Her 59 points in 34 games is third among college grads, behind only Curl and Serdachny, and first in points per game (1.74). Daniel might have the best hands in the draft, with an ability to handle and pull pucks into her body and a superb touch as a passer and playmaker. She breezes around the ice manipulating the puck and making plays offensively, has a natural curl-and-drag wrister, and is an agile skater who often loses her mark on cuts and changes of direction. She plays the game with a ton of poise on the puck. Some of the staff we spoke to preferred Serdachny, Curl, and in some cases Gardiner, but Daniel has high-end skill and poise with the puck. Being named player of the year will certainly give her a boost, too. She projects as a top-six winger and point producer in the PWHL.
Photo:
Oscar Forester / Cornell Athletics
One of the Finnish national team’s best players and one of the top players in Sweden’s SDHL, Savolainen has ideal size coupled with legitimate skating and talent.
She’s got above-average speed, is strong on her skates and has good hands. She flashes the kind of one-on-one skill and an interior drive that you’d expect out of a forward pretty regularly, too. Savolainen has a quick release and, despite being a D, has often successfully played the bumper on the power play to take advantage of it. She might not be a minutes-eating-shutdown type in the PWHL, but her size allows her to defend well and she’s got clear talent that should allow her to continue to make plays from the back end.
Photo:
Pasi Mennander / Finnish Ice Hockey Association
The captain of this year’s national champions and a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist a year ago, Gardiner was above a point per game in each of the last three seasons in the NCAA.
Gardiner is well-rounded but also fast and talented. She’s got legitimate straight-line speed through the neutral zone to back defenders off and put them into compromising spots off the rush. She’s got a hard shot, including a comfortable one-timer, and was dangerous on the flank for OSU’s power play. Gardiner has good hands out wide and a strong playmaking sense. She tracks back hard, plays a sound positional game defensively, supports the play well and has a good stick and a commitment to the little things. She projects as a top-nine winger.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Tier 3
A two-time U18 worlds gold medalist with USA Hockey and one of the top D in college hockey in each of the last two seasons, Simpson has a lot to like in her profile. Size. Strength. Competitiveness. Skill. Skating. Right shot. You name it. “She will be a great pro,” said one coach polled by The Athletic.
Simpson plays a confident and active game, regularly skating pucks out of her own zone with poise, and is good at reading when to jump into the offense. She has a great shot from the point, maybe one of the hardest among college draft eligibles. She defends well both against the rush and in-zone, and can play a hard physical game, which should translate well to the PWHL. As clubs look to add on the blue line, she’ll be viewed as a premium asset once the big stars are off the board.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics
Boreen is in a unique situation in that she was on PWHL Minnesota’s reserve list this season while attending school but has to declare for the draft in order to be rostered, giving other teams the opportunity to nab her. The big question for a lot of players on this list is how will their game translate to the PWHL? With Boreen, we kind of already know that, which gives her a leg up on most of the competition. When she was in the lineup with PWHL Minnesota, Boreen mostly played on the top line with her University of Minnesota teammate Taylor Heise and scored four goals and five points in nine games. She also slotted onto the power play, playing the net-front role well.
Boreen has good size, works hard, goes to the front of the net, tracks pucks, and can play with a variety of linemate types because of her complementary game. She plays a pro style and has a pro shot, and she plays to the middle third of the ice. It’s easy to imagine Minnesota — the first-ever Walter Cup champions — jumping to take Boreen early in the draft.
Photo:
Courtesy Univeristy of Minnesota Athletics
Hartje is an interesting player heading into the draft. She is one of the smaller forwards on this list, but what she might lack in size and speed she makes up with her smarts and statistical track record after three seasons as one of the top offensive players in college hockey (143 points in 101 games). Hartje has great hands, is always making the right plays and has a real willingness to go to the net and battle for pucks. She’ll make a soft, small-area skill play to create on one shift and score on a tip or rebound the next. She’ll be a good middle-of-the-lineup pro.
Photo:
Courtesy Yale Athletics
We might not see many goalies drafted, considering most teams — save for New York — have their starter signed for two more years. But Philips is a lock.
She leaves the NCAA with the all-time record in career save percentage (.958) and goals-against-average (.96). In two years as a starter for Northeastern — after backing up PWHL Boston’s Aerin Frankel — Philips was a back-to-back finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award and was named National Goalie of the Year in 2022-23. She’s a very athletic goalie with decent size who reads plays well. Philips, who is the No. 3 goalie for Team USA, is an elite talent but likely gets drafted lower than her rank would suggest with some goalie tandems — in Minnesota and Boston in particular — pretty well set. A team like Toronto would do well to grab Philips as a backup for next season with Erica Howe and Carly Jackson each on one-year contracts.
Photo:
Courtesy Northeastern Athletics
Named the SDHL’s defender of the year three seasons in a row and a top-three player for the Swedes at three separate women’s worlds, Nylèn Persson is a dynamic offensive defender. She uses quick footwork and edges to walk the line and shape shots through to the net. She’s got great instincts off the puck inside the offensive zone in terms of when and how to get open. And she boasts a hard, accurate half-clapper and a lethal wrister when she’s allowed to walk into the slot. Her straight-line speed isn’t as strong as her footwork and that could make defending the rush more of a challenge in the PWHL at her size, but she competes well against top competition internationally and will upgrade any team’s top four.
Photo:
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
Tulus has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in Europe: SDHL titles, five world championship medals (named one of the top three players on the team in both 2022 and 2023) and two Olympic medals. She made less of an impact at this year’s women’s worlds for Finland — though she was a little snake bitten — but led the SDHL in scoring by nine points (61 in 36 games). She is the fourth-oldest player on this list — she will turn 29 this summer – which may play a factor in her selection. Will teams opt for pro experience or a younger college prospect with a comparable skill set?
Tulus has a quick change of pace that allows her to create in transition and join the play to create two-on-ones and three-on-twos. She gets in and out of cutbacks and stop-ups nicely to lose opposing players and has a good shot (both her wrister and one-timer). Her skill level isn’t maybe as dynamic as her production suggests but she’s got quick hands, converts on her chances, creates her own looks and plays offense with a certain intellect. She’s also a faceoff specialist whose quick-draw acumen is a real asset. Despite her lack of experience in North America, her quick reads should help with the transition into a successful PWHL forward.
Photo:
Heikki Löfman / Finnish Ice Hockey Association
Carter, the Huskies’ captain in her fifth year at Northeastern and a back-to-back Hockey East defender of the year, is a competitive, hard-to-play-against left-shot defender. Carter can eat difficult minutes and play a shutdown role against top competition. She uses her size well to play a physical game and has an active stick, which makes her highly disruptive against opposing forwards. Carter moves pucks comfortably but her value will likely be more on the defensive side of the puck as a pro. There was a lot of debate between Carter, Nylén-Persson, Daniela Pejšová and Sydney Bard in this tier of defender. Their draft order will likely come down to team need: Does a team want someone who can jump into the play, a young prospect with upside, or a physical defensive player? If it’s the latter, Carter will be the pick.
Photo:
Courtesy Northeastern Athletics
The youngest player on our list, Pejšová, 21, has been playing in the SDHL since she was 15 and appeared in her first women’s worlds at 16. She’s a top-pair defender for the Czech national team and plays a mature-beyond-her-years game built upon a strong foundation of athletic tools and a really heady feel for the game on both sides of the puck. Her game checks a lot of boxes — skating, shot, size — with no discernable holes. Pejšová might not have a game-breaking offensive quality from the back end (yet) but she’ll make plays and should be an excellent two-way, top-four defender in the PWHL. She played the last World Championship on a pair with Ottawa’s Aneta Tejralová and has been coached by Carla MacLeod, so there’s a natural fit there already.
Photo:
Jan Benes / Czech Hockey
Bard is a highly talented, intelligent and mobile offensive defender. She’s got great hands for a D, regularly beating opponents one-on-one in transition or when she jumps into the offensive zone. She’s great on the offensive blue line, due to her lateral skating and high IQ. Bard sees the ice at an advanced level as a passer, quickly identifying teammates on the back side of coverage and then executing plays through seams to find them. She’s on the smaller side but her playmaking sense will carry her a long way and she defends hard.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics
Tier 4
Greig is a talented and well-rounded forward who was a point-per-game player and nearly broke 20 goals in three consecutive seasons at Colgate.
There’s a lot to like about Greig’s game, which is a nice blend of skill and sandpaper. She’s really smart with the puck and sees the game well, but also plays with a competitive fire and isn’t afraid to mix things up on the ice. She has a quick release from the slot and has good hands, but is also effective when she’s at the net front banging in rebounds. Greig can be a good third-line winger and second power-play-type player in the PWHL, but could also be a good complementary piece beside a more gifted offensive center — she mostly played with Serdachny at Colgate this year and matched a career-high 42 points offensively. Said one NCAA coach: “Whoever gets Dara is going to love her.”
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics
Austria’s captain at the Division 1A level internationally and the SDHL’s MVP two seasons ago, Meixner is a small but crafty and skilled player with slick puck skills, standout vision and an ability to cut and beat defenders laterally. She’s a light and slippery skater who is hard for defenders to get a piece of both in transition with good changes of acceleration and inside the offensive zone laterally. She’s got great offensive instincts, commonly hiding in and out of pockets of space. There’s power-play value and she does show a willingness to play in tougher areas at five-on-five. The worry is whether her game, at her size, will have the same effect against a much stronger, more physical level of play than she’s ever faced domestically or internationally. She doesn’t have true top-level experience and represents a bit of a gamble as a result.
Photo:
Matt Roberts / Getty Images
After emerging as one of the top D in college hockey in her fourth season at Clarkson, Markowski transferred to Ohio State for her fifth year and played second-pairing minutes on a loaded blue line. She’s an effective two-way defender who possesses a quick shot, sees the ice well, starts a lot of rushes with crisp outlet passes (she’s not the best skater and so she has to rely on her smarts), and is capable of joining and making plays offensively. She’s been invited to a few senior national team camps with Canada now, which might make her a riser in the draft, given how many Hockey Canada ties are in the league.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Wethington was a top young player appearing in three-straight U18 worlds for USA Hockey, including as a 15-year-old. At Minnesota, she logged huge minutes in all situations for the Gophers — around 27 per night — including more than 60 minutes in their 4OT loss to Clarkson in the NCAA tournament.
She’s a two-way defender who plays a solid and reliable game defensively, moves pucks efficiently, and can shoot with a hard shot that she does a good job getting through. Wethington defends hard with a good stick and willing physicality. She should have a good pro career.
Photo:
Courtesy Univeristy of Minnesota Athletics
Hartmetz is a heady, poised, puck-moving defender. She has a great first touch, especially into her excellent catch-and-release shot — she rarely has to dust pucks off and often creates advantages because of it. She is very active in the offensive zone, whether she’s walking the line or jumping down into open space. Her feet help her defend to a reasonable level and she understands spacing and timing on both sides of the puck. She’d be higher on this list given her talent, but an injury sustained in the national championship game might make her drop down some draft boards.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Wilgren transferred from Minnesota State, where she was captain for three years, to Wisconsin this season, where she was effectively the team’s No. 3 defender behind Caroline Harvey — the best young D in the world right now — and her partner Vivian Jungels. Wilgren has decent size, plays a good gap and makes smart reads in the defensive zone. Offensively, she has good edges and plays well with the puck, but she might be more of a defensive defender at the next level. Wilgren has been on the Team USA bubble for a few years now — she was part of the Olympic tryouts in 2022 and was among the final cuts before this year’s World Championship — which might give her an advantage against other defenders in this tier.
Photo:
Courtesy Wisconsin Athletics
Petrie has been a go-to player, when healthy, at both Harvard and Clarkson. She was also a top player growing up with USA Hockey, appearing in three U18 worlds and playing boys AAA hockey in California until her freshman year at Harvard.
Petrie took some time to get her feet under her this season after missing the 2022-23 season due to injury, but as time went on she was an X-factor for the Golden Knights, most notably scoring the game-winning goal in the fourth overtime against Minnesota to send Clarkson to the Frozen Four. Petrie is a strong player down the middle of the ice and solid on both sides of the puck. She’s at her best when she’s using her size and strength around the net. Embracing a power-forward role in the PWHL could help differentiate Petrie from a deep draft class.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics
Batherson was one of the most productive defenders in college this season following a transfer from Syracuse to St. Lawrence. Batherson plays a simple, yet very effective game on both sides of the puck. She’s an excellent skater and moves pucks out of the zone and up to her forwards very well. Playing with a skilled forward group at St. Lawrence last season definitely helped boost Batherson’s stat line — only U.S. star Caroline Harvey had more assists among defenders — but Batherson reads the ice well, which is what makes her so effective at transporting pucks. And while she’s probably not going to be rushing the puck solo or walking the blue line in the PWHL, Batherson has a great shot from the point when she does use it. She defends more with her feet than by being hard to play against, but it works for her.
Rosenthal took last season off to complete her master’s degree but was a point-per-game player at OSU before that, winning a national title, breaking the 20-goal mark as a fifth-year, and appearing for Team USA in the Rivalry Series. She’s a well-rounded center who excels in the faceoff circle, plays hard and physical, and could do well in a secondary scoring or depth-checking role as a pro. There’s a lot to like in Rosenthal’s game: She’s a competitor with a nose for the net. She anticipates well to force turnovers and battles for pucks. She can play with good players and has enough individual skill — particularly her quick release — for the next level.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
A starter with Brynäs and the Czech national team, Peslarová has played at a high level both in the SDHL and internationally for years now. She’s viewed as one of the top European goalies in the world, backstopped the Czechs to a women’s worlds bronze in 2022, was named to the tournament all-star team that year, won SDHL goalie of the year in 2021-22, and was named best goaltender at a U18 worlds and two separate Division 1A women’s worlds tournaments. We don’t expect that all four goalies on our list will be selected, but she’s well-regarded enough to be considered the No. 2 goalie prospect in the draft after Philips.
Photo:
Jan Benes / Czech Hockey
One of the top players at Canada’s U Sports level, MacKinnon finished up a long career at UBC this season with a national First Team All-Star nod. The team’s captain, it wasn’t uncommon for her to play 30-plus minutes a night for the Thunderbirds. She’s got size, balanced and comfortable skating — her control/mobility really stands out relative to other D we scouted at her size — a good stick, and a competitive and physical nature that will lend itself well to the PWHL game. She’s not going to be a high-end offensive defender at this level despite her strong U Sports production, but she’s got a hard shot, handles the puck confidently, will show one-on-one skill, and has defensive value because of her length, skating and compete. She looks capable of making the jump and competing for a depth job in the PWHL.
Photo:
Courtesy UBC Athletics
Kjellbin, the current captain of the Swedish national team, has been a staple of winning teams in the SDHL and was a First Team All-Star in 2022-23. She’s a better player than others in this tier but she’s also the second-oldest player on our list at 30. She’s a heady, intelligent two-way defender. She’s not the quickest or most dynamic D these days but her reads and hockey IQ carry her a long way — Kjellbin still has plenty of game left.
Photo:
Troy Parla / Getty Images
After finishing her five-year career at Providence with an impressive 24 goals (more than double her nearest teammate, Noemi Neubauerová, who has also declared) and 44 points (18 more than Neubauerová), Hjalmarsson signed back home in the SDHL and was Linköping’s captain as a rookie in the league, playing to above a point per game and centering their top line. A top player in Sweden all the way up, she played in three U18 worlds and has now played in five women’s worlds and two Olympics. She has been a consistent point producer for the Swedes, too.
Hjalmarsson is one of the better players we watched in front of the net, with an ability to take pucks on her forehand or backhand and quickly put them upstairs. She handles and protects the puck really well for a taller player. She shows good offensive instincts and takes smart paths. She’s got a hard shot and excels in the faceoff circle. She should get picked and we could see her having a good career in the PWHL.
Photo:
Courtesy Providence College Athletics
Hymlárová’s offensive numbers don’t pop quite like the other forwards in this range, but she led a low-scoring St. Cloud team this season and is already an important piece of Czechia’s women’s national team. Hymlárová mostly played center for the national team, but has also played on the wing and defense for the Huskies, giving her some real positional versatility heading into the pro level.
Hymlárová excels running the point on the power play, likes to shoot the puck and does well to drive off the wall and take pucks to the net. She’s also a committed defensive player who will pursue pucks and block shots. She doesn’t project as a star in the PWHL, but she should be a solid contributing role player who can play both special teams.
Photo:
Courtesy St. Cloud State Athletics
In 92 games for the Raiders, Osborne posted a .927 save percentage and a 1.64 goals-against average. She was named the ECAC tournament MVP this season and was a semifinalist for national Goalie of the Year. Osborne is solid in her crease, but the highlight of her game is how often, and well, she comes out to play the puck. It might scare some GMs who want a goalie to “tend the goal,” but Osborne’s teammates and coaches at Colgate have spoken highly about their puck-moving goalie, especially behind what was a solid Raiders blue line. She’d be worth a late-round pick to shore up a team’s goalie depth chart.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics
Bernard was an important part of a stacked Buckeyes blue line, playing around 21 minutes a night this season for the national champs. She’s an intelligent, efficient, two-way defender who has above-average tools across the board: She’s a decent skater, makes good reads and puts a lot of pucks on net and through traffic. Bernard also has good offensive-zone instincts, often jumping off the line without the puck to find a pocket to get open to as a passing option or jump on a rebound/backdoor play. She defends well with an active stick and good timing.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Kirk really only had one season as the true starter at Ohio State after starting in her first two college seasons at Robert Morris before the program shut down in 2021. As the Buckeyes’ No. 1 this season, Kirk posted a 22-2-0 record en route to a national championship. Her .945 save percentage was seventh in the nation and her 1.05 goals-against average was No. 2 overall and first among draft-eligible goalies. In the national championship game, Kirk posted a 26-save shutout for the win. Goalies are going to be difficult to predict in the draft. And if Cami Kronish — who pitched a 31-save shutout in the 2023 NCAA Championship for Wisconsin and is now the No. 3 goalie for PWHL Boston — didn’t get drafted in 2023, it’s fair to wonder if Kirk will. But she’s a top-40 talent on paper, and would fill out a team’s goalie depth chart nicely.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Guay played nearly 25 minutes a night for Clarkson this season as part of a three-headed monster on its back end with senior Nicole Gosling and junior Haley Winn. She was a top young player coming up, twice leading U18 worlds in scoring for a defender and once winning the tournament’s top D award.
Guay is a really smart player and a good skater with good edges and footwork. She is excellent with the puck on her stick, with the kind of patience and IQ that allows her to make good plays in all three zones. And her reads and quick feet help her break up plays on the defensive side of the puck.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics
McQuigge doesn’t have the statistical profile or individual skill of the top forwards in college hockey, but she plays a physical, hard-nosed game that really shines around the net and in the corners. She has a clear, transferable identity — rival players in the ECAC hated playing against her — which could make McQuigge a solid contributing depth forward and a good pro who could fit into the physical PWHL game. She’d be well worth a late-round pick.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics
Knoll is the kind of player a team might look at to round out its roster. She’s not a dynamic offensive talent per se, but she has a well-rounded toolkit and is coming off a season in which she finished tied for second in scoring at Northeastern. Knoll is a reliable defensive player and at her best offensively around the net. Her ability to protect the puck and get to the middle of the ice is a standout quality. She could be good organizational depth for a team, well worth a late-round pick. If she’s not drafted, she’s a lock for a training camp invite.
Photo:
Courtesy Northeastern Athletics
One of the top players in U Sports in each of the last three seasons, Fecteau put a stamp on her career at Concordia with 13 points in six playoff games this season en route to the national championship. Fecteau has great hands in tight, a dangerous wrister release, and good outside speed when she gets going. She’s also excellent in the faceoff circle. There will be questions about the U Sports-to-PWHL jump, but Fecteau could add some solid secondary skill to the bottom of a lineup.
Photo:
Courtesy Concordia Athletics
Kluge is a big forward who can play center and both wings, plays top-line minutes for the German national team, and has dominated Germany’s top domestic level the last three seasons. She’s got a big shot, which has allowed her to play the flank on the power play, though she has also played the net front. She skates well enough, goes to the dirty areas and has some skill around the net. Kluge does a really nice job gaining inside body positioning along the wall and in front. We see a potential bottom-six forward who can provide secondary offense and is versatile in position and usage. The German league is hard to compare to the PWHL, but she has torched it and proven herself against top competition internationally.
Tier 5
Minnesota Duluth’s captain this year, McMahon was one of the better centers in college hockey. She excels in the faceoff circle and plays the game the right way, putting together extended shifts in the offensive zone with her well-rounded game. She’s determined and goes hard to the net. She’s a decent skater who can manufacture off the rush and around the perimeter of the O-zone but also tracks pucks on the forecheck and plays well through contact to extend sequences. Her offensive package doesn’t pop but she’s a reliable 200-foot player who could factor in as a solid bottom-six center who can be counted on in the PWHL.
Photo:
Courtesy UMD Athletics
After a transfer from Colgate to Clarkson, Lappan finished third on the Golden Knights in scoring in each of her last two college seasons, combining 26 goals and 72 points in 82 games as a senior and fifth-year. Her hands are her best quality, regularly flashing one-on-one skill and showing a great touch both around the net and in her passing game. She’s got a nifty curl-and-drag wrister. She’s a decent skater and likely fits into a solid depth role.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics
Although her production doesn’t leap off the page, Neubauerová has been an important player for each team she’s suited up for over the last two years — from Providence College to the Czech national team and Brynäs in the SDHL.
She’s a hardworking, competitive player forward with good size and a nose for the net. She’s a strong skater who wins battles and plays hard defensively. She’s good at the net front and will also track and hunt pucks to the wall. She doesn’t have a ton of flashy individual skill, but Neubauerová will make a team very happy with her contributions in a complementary or depth role.
Photo:
Courtesy Providence College Athletics
Kuoppala led Hockey East in scoring this year with 21 goals and 39 points — 11 more than her nearest teammate with the Black Bears. Kuoppala’s heavy shot — and the variety of ways she can get that shot off — highlights her game. She’s dangerous on the power play where she regularly picks corners, but also creates off the rush, often scoring from mid-distance in transition. She’s not a particularly crafty player, but she gets her looks and finishes them or creates rebounds for her teammates. She was also a good penalty killer for the Black Bears.
Photo:
Courtesy UMaine Athletics
Edwards, the older sister of Wisconsin and up-and-coming Team USA star Laila, is a strong, sturdy defender who can really skate. She can close out plays defensively with her length, skating and stick, and she has transition value and some offensive zone value because of her overall mobility. If she makes the PWHL, it’ll be as a mobile third-pairing-type depth defender.
Photo:
Courtesy Wisconsin Athletics
One of the top young players in Russia, Markova played at three U18 worlds and made her women’s worlds tournament debut before Russia was banned from IIHF tournaments. She is a shifty, offensive forward with quick hands, has some real creativity to her game and has the ability to make plays inside the offensive zone. There were no Russians in the PWHL this season, and Markova is the first to declare for the draft. She’s a bit of a late-round wild card at this point, but Markova has definite talent and upside, given she’s only 22 years old.
After a successful career at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Rogge was a rookie in the SDHL this season and led all forwards in penalty minutes with 55 in 33 games. She’s a fearless competitor who engages herself in plays, plays a heavy game over pucks, can shoot it, and will go to the net to create havoc and pounce on rebounds. She’s strong in the faceoff circle and has some secondary offense. Rogge has fourth-line center written all over her if she can win a job. A worthy late-round pick with a clear potential role.
Photo:
Courtesy UMD Athletics
A five-year player at BU who captained the team during her final two seasons with the Terriers, Mattivi is a born-and-developed star for the Italian national team who was named the top defender at consecutive Division 1B worlds. She’s a good skater for her size and plays hard. She doesn’t have high-end offensive tools but she has poise with the puck, is smart in all three zones and easy to play with. There’s no guarantee she gets selected but she’d be a fine late-round pick or camp invite.
Photo:
Courtesy BU Athletics
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos: Derek Leung, Elsa / Getty Images; Courtesy of Princeton University Athletics)
