Long before we knew which team would be first on the clock, we all knew the pick.
So, it came as no surprise when the Vancouver Goldeneyes took to the 2026 PWHL Draft stage in Detroit and proudly declared Wisconsin Badgers star and Team USA sensation Caroline “KK” Harvey as the newest member of their squad with No. 1 overall selection.
Harvey instantly becomes the face of this second-year franchise — a squad that boasted some serious star power in Year 1 but couldn’t hit its stride on the ice. In Harvey, the Goldeneyes get a rare generational talent whose smooth-skating skillset makes everyone around her better. The 23-year-old truly has it all — and we’re not just talking about her robust collection of career accolades, which includes Olympic gold, three NCAA championships, and MVP honours at the Olympic, college, and IIHF levels. She’s the best prospect the PWHL has ever seen. She’s already in the conversation as the best player in the game today. And now, we know where she’ll start her pro career.
Her presence atop the draft board wiped out any real debate between whether Vancouver would target offence or defence in what is undoubtedly the deepest prospect pool yet, because in Harvey, they get both. She’s known as much for her elite skating and own-zone wizardry as she is for her ability to drive offence from just about everywhere. We saw it at Wisconsin, and on the Olympic stage, too, where she led the tournament in points en route to gold. With Harvey now in the mix, a new era begins for the Goldeneyes.
Here are our other top takeaways from Wednesday’s 2026 PWHL Draft, which saw 72 players selected across 12 markets:
U.S. talent takes centre stage
If Team USA’s dominant run to Olympic gold in Milan didn’t make it clear enough, Wednesday’s draft surely did: Women’s hockey has never been stronger, and the U.S. is now leading the way when it comes to talent development. Nine of the 12 players selected in the first round Wednesday night are American, including the top five selections. Five helped Team USA claim Olympic gold in February.
Of the three non-American first-rounders, two hail from Finland (defender Nelli Laitinen to Hamilton at pick No. 6, and forward Petra Nieminen to Montreal at No. 12), with defender Sara Swiderski (No. 9, to Minnesota) as the lone Canadian drafted in the first round.
Overall, the U.S. just barely edged Canada in terms of total representation. Thirty-one Americans were drafted Wednesday night, followed by 30 Canadians. Overall, eight different nations were represented among the 72 draftees, including Finland (4), Switzerland (2), Sweden (2), Russia (1), Denmark (1), and Czechia (1).
As expected, the vast majority of draftees this year came out of NCAA programs. No college had a better showing atop the draft than Wisconsin. Long a women’s hockey powerhouse, the Badgers once again led the way Wednesday night. Five Wisconsin players were selected within the first round. Harvey, of course, was selected first overall to Vancouver, followed by fellow defender (and Harvey’s best friend) Laila Edwards to San Jose. Lacey Eden went to Las Vegas one pick later at No. 5, followed by Kirsten Simms to Toronto at No. 8 and Vivian Jungels to Ottawa at No. 11 to round out the sensational showing by the college program.
Vegas goes all in on class of 2026
After the expansion process offered up a first glimpse of the PWHL’s four newest teams as they formed their foundations, Wednesday night marked an important step in shaping the squads’ identities as they build towards their inaugural seasons. And there’s no mistaking Las Vegas’ strategy: Hit the draft stage early and often.
Unlike their NHL counterparts, Vegas appears intent on building through the draft. Considering just how rich in talent this class of 2026 is, it looks like a smart strategy for the team in the desert.
The yet-to-be-named team had two top-five picks Wednesday night, with three of the night’s first 13 picks heading to the desert, thanks to a pair of pre-draft trades. First, the club landed Detroit’s third overall pick in a sign-and-trade deal that saw Team USA icon Hilary Knight protected by Vegas before being dealt to Detroit (where she’ll start the season on a new squad for the third straight year). With that selection, Vegas landed Janecke, whose elite two-way game should see her thrive in the pros. Two picks later, with their own fifth overall selection, Vegas took Eden. Vegas also kicked off Round 2 after pulling off a tidy bit of business with the Goldeneyes, in which they sent expansion signee Abby Boreen back to Vancouver, where she spent the 2025-26 campaign. With that 13th overall pick, Vegas selected a third forward in Canadian Isabel Wunder.
No team made more selections Wednesday night than Vegas, which collected eight picks through six rounds. Boston and Vancouver, on the other hand, made the fewest picks — they each had five. All other teams made six picks each.
Sceptres luck out at No. 8
After struggling to score last season, and then losing top producer Daryl Watts and fellow forwards Jesse Compher and Maggie Connors during the expansion process, Toronto’s top draft need was clear: Offence, offence, offence.
So, when Wisconsin forward and Team USA mainstay Kirsten Simms was still available at pick No. 8, there was little question about who the Sceptres would be selecting. Mock drafts had Simms already taken before Toronto’s draft slot, so it was surprising to see her still available. That just speaks to the incredible talent available at the top of this draft. You could look at San Jose’s selection of Laila Edwards at No. 4 in a similar light — the dual-threat defender/forward was most often projected to be taken second or third, so landing her at fourth feels like a steal for a brand new franchise.
Like Edwards in San Jose, Simms will fit in flawlessly with Toronto, and she’ll be leaned on heavily from the start. That should suit her just fine. The 21-year-old Simms averaged a point and a half per game through her four-year college career with the Badgers, where she helped the team secure three national championships.
Detroit thrills hometown crowd with full-circle draft moments
After dealing their first-round pick to Vegas in the pre-draft Hilary Knight trade, PWHL Detroit had to wait a little longer than their fellow franchises to make their mark on the draft stage — a stage set in Detroit’s own legendary Fox Theatre, with a loud local crowd there to welcome the new organization to the league.
But as Detroit GM Manon Rhéaume took to the podium and announced her franchise’s first-ever draft selection, it was clearly worth the wait. Drafting for the first time at 15th overall, there was one very specific team need to fill: Goaltender. There was no better person, then, to take the top goalie off the board. On a star-studded night, that moment got one of the biggest roars from the crowd as the hockey world witnessed a pretty special full-circle moment for both the GM and her top draft pick, Swiss netminder Andrea Brändli.
As a hockey pioneer, Rhéaume was the first woman to ever sign a professional hockey contract. As a first-time pro team GM, it was incredibly fitting that the former goalie should welcome another iconic netminder on stage. Brändli, 29, is an international standout who’s shone on both the world championship and Olympic stages for Switzerland. She’s spent the last three seasons playing pro hockey in Sweden, and this year makes the jump to the PWHL via the draft. With a roster already boasting top forwards like Knight, Daryl Watts, and Hannah Bilka, and a franchise cornerstone established on the blue line in Cayla Barnes, the expansion squad needed a true No. 1 netminder to build around, and they got it in Brändli. Brändli said it meant “the world” to hear her name called by the icon and to share a stage with Rhéaume, and you could tell the feeling was mutual.
Seven selections later, Detroit had the local fans roaring with joy again when they selected hometown kid Casey Borgiel, who grew up not far from Detroit and will now be playing pro hockey in the very rink where it all began. Safe to say she’ll be an instant fan favourite in Hockey Town. And it’s clear, too, that women’s hockey has found a welcoming home in Detroit.
