Draft can play big role in shaping PWHL future
Teams have lots to consider with deep talent pool
Sarah Fillier already has the golden seal of approval in the Professional Women’s Hockey League and has yet to play a game there.
Fillier, the soon to be 24-year-old forward from Halton Hills, Ont., will graduate from Princeton this year and almost assuredly become the first overall pick in this June’s PWHL draft. She needs no further recommendation beyond the response from Marie Philip-poulin at this year’s NHL all-star event — where the PWHL played a showcase game of its own — when asked about the stars on the horizon for the league.
“She’s going to be a leader for our Canadian team and for this league, and I can’t wait to see her come up in this league and dominate,” Poulin said of Fillier.
Praise in the women’s game doesn’t get much higher than that and it’s why few, if any, prognosticators are willing to mention any other name when first overall in the upcoming draft is discussed.
Fillier is a well-known commodity, already playing major minutes internationally for Canada. At the current women’s world championship in Utica, N.Y., she had a goal and an assist through four games. A year ago, she was named tournament most valuable player at the worlds in Brampton, Ont.
But look down that list of past MVP winners at the worlds and it puts into context the type of role Fillier is capable of playing.
Taylor Heise, the first overall pick in last year’s draft and the leader on PWHL Minnesota this season, won MVP honours in 2022. Previous winners include Poulin herself and
PWHL Boston standout Hilary Knight.
Go further back and you’ll find Canadian hockey royalty such as Hayley Wickenheiser and Jennifer Botterill. That’s the level of player every PWHL team lucky enough to land the first overall pick will be getting.
But Fillier is just the first name expected to go off the board. And there’s always the possibility the team drafting first opts for defence instead, which would make the team drafting second likely ecstatic.
But there’s no question this draft is deep in talent, both North American and worldwide, though the latter is much less certain. The North American talent, which starts with Fillier, also includes the likes of Americans Hannah Bilka and Carla Barnes, who are fresh off an NCAA title with Ohio State. Both earned spots with the U.S. for worlds. As a top defender in the draft, Barnes might even go before Bilka, depending on need.
Patty Kazmaier Award winner Izzy Daniel of Cornell, a native of Minnesota, should also go high in the draft.
The most likely Canadian to go highest after Fillier is Colgate standout Danielle Serdachny of Edmonton, who won the NCAA scoring title in 2022-23 and has played well for Canada both in the Rivalry Series and at the current worlds.
Cousins Nicole and Julia Gosling of London, Ont., are the two first-timers joining Canada at the worlds and both have the option of returning for a fifth year in the NCAA or jumping straight into the PWHL draft.
Julia, the elder of the two, often gets compared with Canadian teammate Natalie Spooner for her size and penchant for net-front action. The window for declaring for the draft opened March 1 and closes May 8, so the six teams still have some time to make that decision if it hasn’t already been made.
A total of 42 players will be selected over seven rounds in the second PWHL draft. The first pick will go to the team that accrues the most points once it is officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Unlike the first draft, the second time around the league will not see a snake draft, so the team selecting first in Round 1 will also pick first in Round 2 unless, of course, a trade has been completed involving that pick. The league has announced it will create a window following the current season in which teams can trade draft picks.
A big question surrounding the coming draft is how much interest the PWHL elicits from non-north American players.
Anyone watching the world championship already knows about the treasure trove of talent that has yet to make its way to the PWHL. But the willingness to uproot and move around the world for that chance, and the ability to get out of current contracts, are factors.
Until we see the definitive list of those who have put their names forward for the draft, any list of potential needle-movers coming over would be guesswork.
One interesting area to watch, within North America or internationally where there are individuals who could make an immediate impact, will be goaltenders.
Each team carries three goalies and outside of perhaps Toronto, the top two spots are likely locked in.
That leaves draft-eligible goalies such as Ottawa’s Michelle Pasiechnyk, who was named NCAA goalkeeper of the year for Clarkson, Ohio State’s Raygan Kirk and Northeastern’s Gwyneth Philips, who won the goalie award last season, all wondering what kind of role awaits them in the PWHL should they get drafted.
SHE’S GOING TO BE A LEADER FOR OUR CANADIAN TEAM.