The 2026 PWHL Draft delivered its first major surprise when Vancouver selected Caroline Harvey with the No. 1 overall pick, capping a historic year for the 23-year-old defender and signaling a new era for the league’s inaugural season.
Harvey’s selection marks the first time a defender has been taken first overall in PWHL history, breaking a streak of three consecutive forwards at the top of the draft. Her dominance on ice—culminating in Olympic gold, tournament MVP honors, and the Patty Kazmaier Award—solidified her as the clear top prospect, but the move also underscores the Goldeneyes’ strategic pivot after a disappointing debut season.
A Record-Breaking Season for Harvey, a Pivot for Vancouver
Caroline Harvey’s ascent to the top of the draft wasn’t just a personal achievement—it was a statement about the evolution of women’s hockey. The 23-year-old, who played her college career at Wisconsin, became the first American defender to lead the Olympics in scoring (nine points in seven games) and the first to win both the Patty Kazmaier Award and the IIHF Female Player of the Year in the same year. Her selection by Vancouver, a team that finished last in the PWHL’s inaugural 2025-26 season, is both a validation of her talent and a high-stakes gamble for a franchise looking to rebuild.
Harvey’s offensive contributions as a defender are unmatched in modern women’s hockey. As Dan Koch, Wisconsin’s associate head coach, told The New York Times in February, “I haven’t seen a player with Caroline’s speed at the blue line. Then her ability to add the offensive side too is really unique. It’s hard to compare her to anyone else in the past.” Her 34-game career in the Women’s World Championship already ranks her as the third-highest-scoring defender in tournament history, behind only Finland’s Jenni Hiirikoski and Angela Ruggiero, the Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.
What makes Harvey’s selection even more significant is the context: she was the third Wisconsin Badger taken in the first five picks, joining Laila Edwards (No. 4 to San Jose) and Lacey Eden (No. 5 to Las Vegas). The Badgers’ dominance in the draft—three players in the top five—reflects the depth of Wisconsin’s program, which produced three national champions in Harvey, Edwards, and Kirsten Simms (No. 8 to Toronto). As Simms told the Detroit Free Press, “I’m super happy for all of them, and they’re so deserving.”
The Draft’s Hidden Story: Detroit’s Local Picks and the Expansion Rush
While Harvey stole the headlines, the draft also revealed the strategic priorities of the PWHL’s expansion teams. Detroit, the league’s newest franchise, made a bold statement by selecting Swiss goaltender Andrea Brändli with their first pick (No. 15 overall), a move that sent shockwaves through the hockey world. Brändli, who played four years at Ohio State and a final season at Boston University, becomes the first woman to be drafted by a PWHL team with the explicit goal of eventually playing in the NHL—a dream she shared with The Detroit News: “Oh, it was incredible… standing up there with [GM Manon Rheaume], that she’s a trailblazer herself.”
Rheaume, the first woman to play in the NHL (a 1992 exhibition game for Tampa Bay), now serves as Detroit’s GM—a full-circle moment for a league that has long struggled with parity. Her selection of Brändli, a player who has spent years chasing the NHL dream, signals Detroit’s ambition to compete for hardware in the PWHL while keeping an eye on the bigger prize.
The draft also highlighted the league’s geographic expansion. Toronto, another new team, took Simms with the No. 8 pick, a move that brought a familiar face to a city known for its hockey passion. Simms, who grew up near Detroit, told the PWHL, “Toronto bleeds hockey, and so I’m pumped to get in front of that crowd.” Her selection underscores how the PWHL is rapidly becoming a destination for elite talent, even as teams like Toronto grapple with roster turnover after losing key players to Detroit in the expansion draft.
The First-Round Five: How the Olympics Reshaped the Draft
The first round of the draft was dominated by players who had just won Olympic gold in Milan, a fact that The New York Times noted was no coincidence. Five of the first seven picks—Harvey (No. 1), Edwards (No. 4), Eden (No. 5), Simms (No. 8), and Vivian Jungels (No. 6 to Seattle)—were Olympians, a testament to how the U.S. women’s team’s success is translating into professional opportunities.
Edwards, who was selected fourth overall by San Jose, is a two-way powerhouse with 199 career points at Wisconsin and a gold medal in Milan. Her selection came just hours after Harvey’s, and the two former Badgers shared an emotional moment when Edwards saw Harvey on stage. “We’ve been talking about this moment for a long time,” Edwards said. “After I gave her a hug, I started crying and I couldn’t stop.” Their bond—built over years of competing together—highlights how the PWHL is not just drafting stars but entire hockey families.
What’s striking about this draft class is how many of these players were already household names before the PWHL even began. Harvey, Edwards, and Simms were all part of the Wisconsin dynasty that won three national titles in four years. Their selection in the top 10 reflects how the PWHL is quickly becoming the premier destination for elite women’s hockey talent, even as the league works to stabilize its inaugural season.
What Comes Next: The PWHL’s Biggest Questions
The draft closed with Vancouver’s bold move on Harvey, but the real story may be how the PWHL’s expansion teams navigate their first full season. Detroit, with its high-profile picks like Brändli and Casey Borgiel (No. 22), is betting on goaltending and defensive depth to turn around a dismal debut. Toronto, meanwhile, faces the challenge of replacing lost stars like Daryl Watts and Jesse Compher while integrating Simms into a lineup that includes Olympic veterans Renata Fast and Ella Shelton.
For Harvey, the pressure is immediate. As she told reporters after her selection, “It’s a surreal moment. We’ve dreamed of this since being little girls, of having a sustainable professional league, and now there’s one to stay.” Her words capture the league’s promise—and its stakes. The PWHL’s first season was rocky, but with Harvey, Edwards, and Simms now in place, the league’s future looks brighter than ever.
One question looms over all of this: Can the PWHL sustain the momentum? The draft suggests it can, but the real test will come on the ice. With the 2026-27 season just months away, the league’s ability to retain its top talent—and turn draft picks into champions—will determine whether the PWHL lives up to its potential.
The 2026 PWHL Draft wasn’t just about picks—it was about the league’s future. And for now, the future looks like Caroline Harvey, skating toward Vancouver with a gold medal on her resume and a championship on her mind.
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