The 2026 PWHL Draft is here, and there’s no denying it’s the biggest draft in league history.
With four new expansion teams, the 2026 edition of the Professional Women’s Hockey League draft features 12 teams across six rounds.
The selection order will remain the same for each round, barring any trades like the one between Detroit and Las Vegas for Hilary Knight.
Wisconsin is expected to dominate the top ten, with Mark Johnson’s former Badgers potentially occupying the first two picks.
Live from the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI, the 2026 PWHL Draft has officially begun!
Pick-by-pick coverage will not be available for the second round; however, this live blog will be updated once the second round has concluded.
Every 2026 PWHL First Round Pick:
1. Vancouver Goldeneyes – Caroline Harvey
2. Seattle Torrent – Abbey Murphy
3. PWHL Las Vegas (via Detroit) – Tessa Janecke
4. PWHL San Jose – Laila Edwards
5. PWHL Las Vegas – Lacey Eden
6. PWHL Hamilton – Nelli Laitinen
7. New York Sirens – Emma Peschel
8. Toronto Sceptres – Kirsten Simms
9. Minnesota Frost – Sara Swiderski
10. Boston Fleet – Grace Dwyer
11. Ottawa Charge – Vivian Jungles
12. Montreal Victoire – Petra Nieminen
With the No. 12 overall pick, the Montreal Victoire select Petra Nieminen
For the first time in league history, a timeout was used in the PWHL Draft. The defending champions were granted an additional three minutes, ones they used wisely before selecting Nieminen. Lulea’s superstar from the SDHL is a three-time Olympian, and, to her credit, is a five-time champion.
With the No. 11 overall pick, the Ottawa Charge select Vivian Jungles!
Seeing as Jungles comes from Wisconsin, it’s no surprise she’s a three-time National Champion. Despite being named Minnesota’s Ms. Hockey in 2022, she chose to play for Mark Johnson, a decision that paid off big time. Officially, that’s the fifth Badger off the board in the first round alone.
With the No. 10 overall pick, the Boston Fleet select Grace Dwyer
Yet another defender comes off the board. Dwyer comes from Cornell, where she was named First-Team All-Ivy in her final season. Even as a defender, she still managed to score 76 points in 134 career games.
With the No. 9 overall pick, the Minnesota Frost select Sara Swiderski
Even with three Canadian teams drafting already, Swiderski, a Canadian native, heads to the state of hockey. Swiderski comes from The Ohio State University and will join some of her teammates in the PWHL.
With the No. 8 overall pick, the Toronto Scepters select Kirsten Simms!
Four Badgers have now been selected in the top eight. Wisconsin’s incredibly talented forward posted 238 collegiate points and has electric goals that PWHL fans should be more than excited about.
This Simms pick will go down in the record book as Wisconsin becomes the first team in PWHL Draft history to have four alumni selected in the first round.
With the No. 7 overall pick, the New York Sirens select Emma Peschel
The 2024 National Champion heads to a New York squad that many thought faced a huge disadvantage picking so low in the first round. Now, they add a versatile defender who has 108 points in 151 career games.
With the No. 6 overall pick, PWHL Hamilton selects Nelli Laitinen
The final expansion team goes with Minnesota’s Co-Captain from a year ago. In 145 career games, Laitinen scored 94 points and, to no surprise, has Olympic experience.
With the No. 5 overall pick, PWHL Las Vegas selects Lacey Eden!
Back-to-back Wisconsin players off the board, that’s three of the first five coming from Mark Johnson’s squad. Eden, the most decorated player in collegiate women’s hockey history, heads to Vegas, a team that sure made the most of its first round selections.
With the No. 4 overall pick, PWHL San Jose selects Laila Edwards!
Edwards immediately becomes the tallest player in the league upon her arrival. The three-time NCAA Champion was projected to go as high as No. 2, so many would consider this a steal for San Jose.
With the No. 3 overall pick, PWHL Las Vegas selects Tessa Janecke
Janecke is yet another Olympic Gold Medalist who heads to one of the PWHL’s four newest expansion teams. Officially, she’s the first PWHL Las Vegas draft pick in franchise history.
With the No. 2 overall pick, the Seattle Torrent select Abbey Murphy
Replacing Hilary Knight is going to be far easier said than done, but the Torrent got themselves a good one with Murphy. The Golden Gophers all-time scoring leader heads to Seattle looking to pick up right where she left off.
With the No. 1 overall pick, the Vancouver Goldeneyes select Caroline Harvey!
To no surprise, the Wisconsin Badgers star and Olympic Gold Medalist was taken No. 1 overall. No matter which team won the GOLD plan, this selection would’ve been the same. Harvey makes history as the first defender to ever be the first overall pick in the PWHL Draft.
The Vancouver Goldeneyes are on the clock!
Complete 2026 PWHL Order of Selection:
1. Vancouver Goldeneyes
2. Seattle Torrent
3. PWHL Las Vegas (via Detroit)
4. PWHL San Jose
5. PWHL Las Vegas
6. PWHL Hamilton
7. New York Sirens
8. Toronto Sceptres
9. Minnesota Frost
10. Boston Fleet
11. Ottawa Charge
12. Montreal Victoire
The 2026 PWHL draft will officially kick off in 30 minutes!
Hear from Wisconsin’s Laila Edwards ahead of the draft:
2026 PWHL Draft: TV channel, start time
Date: Wednesday, June 17
Channel: YouTube
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
NOTE: The entire draft will also be streamed on TSN+ in Canada.
Where to watch 2026 PWHL Draft on live stream
Fans in the United States can tune into the PWHL’s official YouTube channel, while fans in Canada can watch via TSN+.
2026 PWHL Draft
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: 2026 PWHL Draft – Every first round selection: Live updates
Reporting by Jordon Lawrenz, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jordon Lawrenz, Badgers Wire | USA TODAY Network
