2024 PWHL Draft | June 10, 2024

hello and welcome to the 2024 pwhl draft inside the legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown St Paul Minnesota home of the pwl [Applause] champions my name is Alexis Pearson during the regular season you would have seen me as the color commentator for pwhl Minnesota and during the playoffs as a game analyst uh on the intermission panel today I'll be serving as a draft analyst as we can already see the state of hockey showing up yet again for women's [Applause] sports there is also hundreds of VIPs in attendance walking the purple carpet showing that this game has a whole lot more to offer than just what's on the ice style personality Grace and Grit 42 prospects will hear their name called giving six teams and their fans even more to be excited about looking at the talent there's an incredible group of prospects and a very tough set of decisions for our teams today now I was given a script of things to talk about and here's where they want me to talk about the fact that with all the prospects and attendance there must have been a lot of ministick games being played at the St Paul Hotel but here in Minnesota we call that game knee hockey so whether you call it hockey or mini sticks I'm sure there was a lot of intense matchups last night at the hotel the draft will officially start in just a few minutes as we put New York on the hot seat with the first overall pick and in the meantime fans there's still time to grab a Woody Creek custom cocktails and more get excited and we'll be underway in just a few minutes [Applause] what an incredible inaugural season for the pwl we rang in the new year with the first ever game instantly making history as the season began fans flocked to ice arenas all over North America packing the stands and setting attendance records over and over again and those fans were treated with highlight real goals it's Captain clutch time can she do what she does ready incredible goal tending that did that go and a physicality we have not seen before six teams put it on the line every night in hopes of becoming the first Walter Cup champion in May two teams were left standing Boston and Minnesota and in thrilling fashion it went the distance a decisive game five was needed in the end the woman with maybe more influence on the league than anyone else sealed the cup for Minnesota the captain seals the deal her team reer with the first lift of the Walter cup and it's only fitting that the first overall pick in last year's draft was the MVP tonight we welcome 42 new women into the pwl dreams will be made clocks will be turned by each team in hopes of making history again in 2025 tonight those dreams become reality it's the second annual pwl draft and it starts right [Music] now downtown St Paul Minnesota the purple carpet has been a big hit [Music] tonight future League Stars making their way inside and there is Sarah filer something she could go number one overall tonight we're going to find out shortly tonight here in the state of hockey the possibilities for season 2 of the pwhl fill the air welcome to the 2024 pwl draft we're inside the legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium where tonight all six Professional Women's Hockey League franchises are ready to select from a pool of 167 prospects declared for this year's draft hi again everybody Welcome to Roy Wilkins Auditorium alongside Alexis Pearson I'm clay Manick it's great to have you with us on this very special night we're just down the hall from the XL Energy Center the home ice for pwl Minnesota the first Walter Cup champions and that just happened less than 2 weeks ago Alexis tonight starts the Quest for Walter Cup champion in season number two it was an incredible first season and especially for all the Minnesota fans and attendants I know they loved the outcome of this season it took two five round series for Minnesota to claim the Walter Cup right down to the wire in game five against Boston where Kendall coin scoffield seals with the empty net goal a player who's been through so much in in women's hockey and made a big impact on Minnesota in game five the smile on her face when she hoisted that Walter cup uh clay was unlike anything else I don't think it's a surpris that it went down to the final game in May uh game five at the songa center in L Massachusetts in Minnesota gets the Shut Out 3 nothing the final Minnesota was led by goal tender Nicole Hensley recorded her second shutout of the series last year's number one overall draft pick Taylor heisy named the Alana Claus playoff MVP five goals in the series and what about Kendall coin Scofield just tremendous I mean again this is a player who's been through so much and to see her have an impact in that game five and see how much it meant to her being able to hoist that Walter cup with all of her teammates and the staff of pwhl Minnesota on that ice you know that a season like that you feel the reward at the end when you get to hoist that Walter cup the first to ever do it now we get to start to plan for who might get to do it next let's start it tonight how about it all right let's talk about the draft format for tonight New York will have the number one pick this year it's seven rounds so among the six franchises 42 new players come into the league tonight after New York Ottawa will have the second pick followed by Minnesota Boston Montreal and Toronto in the first two rounds of this year's draft teams will have 5 minutes to submit their selection to the the league starting with round three each team will have just 3 minutes to submit a pick each franchise will have two 5 minute timeouts at their disposal and Alexis this is the first time trades between teams are allowed well it's interesting on two fronts one the fact that we didn't even see a trade in year one until about Midway through the season so this is kind of a new thing Al together secondly now GMS have a lot more to think about here at the draft knowing that not only do you have to make some picks here but also you might have other GMS on on the phone in your ear saying hey you want to you want to trade with me and give me that pick and we talked to some of the GMS before the draft here and already there's been some chatter of trying to get a better pick in the draft so fun to see how that's going to play a factor into tonight no doubt the tension starting to build here at Roy Wilkinson St Paul soroa Tinker is going to be down on the floor talking to draes and other VIPs and dignitaries here tonight let's send it over to Sor thank you so much clay I'm super excited to be here on the draft floor ton tonight interviewing and getting to know some of our 2024 draft picks now I see a lot of smiling faces here in the crowd in the state of hockey and one of those smiling faces being Grace zumwinkle and how could you not just 12 Days After winning the cup yeah now there we go amazing and can you tell us what it feels like to be a Walter Cup champion yeah it was a super exciting time and I think to bring it back to the state of hockey is super special and something that a lot of us take pride in so we appreciate all the fans support throughout this uh first inaugural season and I think as a team we're just super excited now obviously you were anxiously waiting to hear your name called in last year's draft any advice for this year's draes as they sit and anxiously wait for their name to be called yeah I'll just be completely candid the nerves are real but I think at the end of the day if you can just try to sit back and enjoy it I mean the night is for you guys so just cherish every moment moment of it of it thank you Grace well I know I am super eager to get this show on the road and we all know that New York has the first pick of the draft and the draft will begin on this piece of paper here New York Europe up first thank you thank you sya look forward to your interviews here tonight all right Alexis you ready to go why not let's do it everybody ready to go all right here we go these teams ready to put some building blocks in place for 2025 in a pwl championship in year number two of The League general manager Pascal Dau and pwl New York you're officially on the clock all right let's talk about New York's season from a season ago and and they have a lot to build around Alexis uh you can talk about Defender Ella Shelton she scored the first goal in pwl history on New Year's Day they've got Alex Carpenter an absolute Magician on the ice eight goals 15 assists last year there is a lot to work with in New York well the season didn't start out strong for New York the first half three quarters of the season season was a bit of a struggle at points but they really turned it on at the end of the season it became one of the better teams in the league unfortunately at that point it was too late for them to make that playoff push and find themselves getting a chance for the Walter cup but they looked like a very good team at the end of the season power play was incredible which for many teams this year was a struggle so I think this is a team that might come out as a really strong team to start next year if they can get the right pieces in this draft there's always something good that comes out of something bad last place but they've got the number one pick here tonight and before we find find out who New York selects first overall in the 2024 draft it's an absolute honor to send it to three Legends we want to Welcome to the stage here tonight pwl senior vice president of hockey operations Jana heord pwl Advisory Board member Alana Claus and on the mic to kick off the 2024 pwl draft selection process WHL Advisory Board member activist athlete and a true hockey fan the one and only Billy Jean [Applause] King yeah I love it thank you oh you don't have to get up thank you whoa this is awesome God bless it I get so excited when I'm around you guys makes me want to play again not hockey obviously but anyway the inaugural season of the P WHL will always be one to remember we made history we made fans we made friends and we're seeing people Brands and businesses all across the globe supporting our league and believing in our Dream oh yes the dream Now we move forward to the next year of our journey and tonight we will welcome more worldclass athletes to the pwl family to those of you who will be drafted tonight never lose sight of your vision Dream It Build It live it this is your moment that's it and New York's pick is in Pascal Jing goodaboom here we go with the number one overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft New York selects Sarah filer Cent [Applause] [Applause] [Music] she was she was getting her to come over to the table [Music] Sarah filer as a expected the first overall pick some thought perhaps Danielle sakne the Colgate star might reunite with the college coach Greg Fargo in New York uh but an offensively gifted player to join the likes of Alex Carpenter in New York well we knew whoever was going to get Sarah filer was going to get a tremendous player to add to their lineup and the Ontario native is heading over the border to New York here to join their team and you take a look at uh what she's done in her career 195 Collegiate points at priston Princeton is the most for any player there since 1995 so she's made a big impact at that school she's won at multiple levels talking about the iiaf level the Olympic level she was the NCAA Rookie of the Year in her time and a Patty Cass finalist so this is somebody who comes with a big resume and a lot of talent New York is going to be lucky to have her the MVP of the 2023 women's world championship and she turned 24 just yesterday uh this is a nice belated birthday present yeah you can't ask for much more than that right I mean you a chance to hear your name called and and not only hear it called but the first overall draft pick you see last year what happened with Taylor heisy being the first overall pick and the hype around that this is the kind of hype that follows you your whole career through yeah she's a she's a a terrific players she's won three World Championships she's won an Olympic gold medal grew up playing against the boys in Ontario she's a fantastic skilled player let's go to sya called first out of everyone here I mean it's a dream come true especially to a city like New York I went to school just down the road so kind of feels like I'm coming home a little bit and I can't wait to meet all the fans and you know get to New York for sure and I know Clay and Alexis just mentioned it it was your birthday yesterday so a bit of a birthday present but who's here today to support you in this special day both my parents are here and and my twin sister and her boyfriend are here and and they came in from St Louis so it's awesome to have her we've played hockey growing up since we were 3 years old so it's nice to share this with her and now obviously you have a wealth of experience you already have an Olympic gold medal and what do you hope to bring to the pwhl with your level of play I think just a ton of skill and creativity and want to contribute offensively and um it's going to be a dream come CH just to play at that level and officially be a pro hockey player amazing well congratulations congratulations to Sarah filer as she is the number one pick in 2024 all right let's turn our attention to the Ottawa franchise the number two pick this year in the draft Ottawa finished 9 and 15 in fifth place they were out of the Walter Cup playoffs this year um this is a franchise that kind of was snake bit at times this season played a lot of overtime games ended up losing six games in overtime they've got terrific punch but just were on the wrong side of the score a couple of times this year when it might have made the difference when it came to getting into the playoffs absolutely and it came right down to the wire for Ottawa just narrowly missing the Playoffs the reason why Minnesota was able to get into the playoffs and ultimately make a run for that Walter cup and hoist it up in the air at the end of May there but Ottawa had a lot of things that went well for them this year but like you said a lot of things that didn't go well for them they gave up a lot of goals but also scored a lot of goals they're looking just to balance that out a little bit get a little bit more help on the back end maybe get some support for Emer smash me who played a lot of minutes this year doing part to their backup goal tender uh sustaining an injury this year and she was good but you obviously need a little bit help at goal tending one goal tender can't carry the team the entire season through even with a lot of talent so a little help defensively maybe looking for a goal tender at some point here tonight and Ottawa I think uh fills some of their needs here some great talent Brienne Jenner Katarina mova Daryl Watts Ottawa has great scoring power the sense we're getting from Ottawa one thing that they're really looking forward to getting out of this draft is some more side and physicality is what they feel will help fill some needs and I think that's something a lot of teams learned the hard way this year we seeing the physical play in the pwhl realizing they needed to fill some of those gaps Ottawa being one of those teams all right we're being told that the pick is in and let's go back to Billy Jean King to announce the second overall pick in the draft [Applause] [Music] with the second overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft auttaa selects forward Danielle sakne [Applause] [Music] [Applause] help [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Alexis I I think we can honestly say we're not too surprised by this pick either Daniel sakne the forward from Colgate recently turned 23 all the tools 5'9 protects the puck so well Around the Net scored the game-winning overtime goal for team canon in the gold medal game against the United States in the world championships she is a star absolutely and like you said there's not too much you can plan for in a draft when you're doing your preparation but these two picks we knew for certain we're going to go one and two in some order and they definitely did SAS with Danielle congratulations first off you must be feeling a wide range of emotions can you put into words what this day means to you uh yeah I think it's so incredible and obviously speaks to how far women's hockey has come so um to hear my name selected in the draft is a dream come true and I'm super excited to be heading back to Canada so now you possess a lot of qualities GMS and coaches are looking for what do you think is the best part of your game that will shine at this next level um I think I'm a 200t player so I think I can play uh kind of in any role or position so um hoping and bring some physicality and then also uh some playmaking to Ottawa hopefully and you mentioned coming back to Canada what are you most excited about heading to Ottawa um just as a viewer I've seen how electric the Ottawa fans are so super excited to hopefully play in front of that crowd perfect thank you so much back to you clay all right siry thank you very much congratulations to Danielle an Edmonton native her father Steven was the or Oiler skating and skills coach for 9 years she has learned learned a lot from her father and in 80 games at Colgate scored 47 goals and 132 points yeah she comes from a family who understands the game of hockey so well and you can see that's been passed down to her as well and this is a great pick for Ottawa one of the key characteristics about her play as she plays physical which is what we just finished talking about Ottawa wants to find players who can add some physicality to their roster and not only do imp part to her size but just the way she plays she can definitely provide that for pwl Ottawa she's good at creating offense as well which is another thing Ottawa was looking for so this is a great uh second pick overall yeah she was also their Captain so a lot of leadership qualities that she uh brings to the franchise as well so the number two pick is Danielle sakne for Ottawa so Minnesota is up next with the number three pick in this year's draft the Walter Cup champions finished as the four seed for the playoffs so they get this pick and Grace zwinkle who we talked to earlier had a great year but of course Taylor heisy is there Kelly panck is there they've got great go ending what do you expect well there's a lot that Minnesota did well this season but despite a Walter Cup Championship there's always things coaches and GMS are looking for to bolster their lineup Minnesota wants a little bit more physicality as well I think we saw in the playoffs at times they got pushed around a little bit they like to play a fast game and sometimes um you know the opponents recognized that and wanted to put them in tough places so they're looking for players who can kind of work in those tight spaces can play a physical game when necessary and maybe bolster that blue line a little bit as well for Minnesota players who can jump into the play offensively they've got some really good stay-at-home Defenders but if you can get a few more players who like to jump up in the play and add on offense that's always a plus as well all right we understand that the pick is in we're going to send it back down to Billy Jean King to announce the third overall pick in the 2024 draft [Music] [Music] I think we got some locals here anyway with the third overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Minnesota selects defenseman Claire Thompson I don't I don't think Claire is here tonight I think she's in meded school couldn't get couldn't make it back in time yeah Claire Thompson is not in the building tonight the 26-year-old Toronto native she was on the enactive reserve roster for New York this past season as she took last season to pursue Medical School congratulations to her on those efforts but Claire Thompson a great get for Minnesota a Defender declared for the draft she wants back on the ice and Minnesota's got her so this is a this is a great H I think this is a fantastic pick for Minnesota we just talked about the fact that they want to find Defenders who can add to the play offensively and this is somebody who can get that job done for Minnesota this is a player who's great in transition she has the ability to join the rush and Minnesota is already a very good team off the rush so anytime you can add a player who can contribute to that you just add more weapons you can roll more lines that can provide that kind of speed I think CLA Thompson's going to fit in very well here in the state of hockey so Claire Thompson joins the Walter Cup champion Minnesota franchise as the third pick is Claire Thompson for Minnesota Boston finishing as the runners up in the Walter Cup race this year it was a very good season came a little bit short in a five-game series this is a Boston franchise um what are they looking for this year well it's interesting because anytime you're the runner up in a situation like this you feel like you've got a lot of the right pieces right but something is missing otherwise you would have been the Walter Cup champions and that's where Boston is at right now thinking we've got a lot of good things going for us but we're still looking to add some pieces and I think for Boston adding a little bit more speed would help them a ton they've got the physical play down I think they were one of the best teams in the league adjusting to the physicality that the pwhl has but if they can add a little bit of speed as well now of a sudden you can throw some bodies around and you can skate well with the puck if they can find a player who can get that done for them I think that's going to be a huge help all right so Boston has the number four pick I'm being told it is ready and we're going to go down now to pwl Advisory Board member and icon of sports Alana Claus to announce the fourth overall pick in the draft [Music] okay with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Boston selects forward Hannah bka [Applause] [Music] he [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] another forward annah Bila from the Ohio State University 23 years old played at Boston College for four years before transferring to the black guys help them win a National Championship in March yeah she's not unfamiliar with Boston at all and now has a chance to head back there and help bolster their lineup and you want speed you're getting speed with Hannah bil a player who can play Fast transition well she's good in tight spaces also good at creating separation which Boston has been very good at that this season using that physicality to their advantage and she's also got a good defensive side to her game which anytime you can get a forward who is responsible defensively as well you kind of feel like you're getting a two for one deal there knowing that in any situation you can rely on her and here's a look at some of her highlights here at Ohio State of course going on there to win a NCAA Championship so this is a player who's coming off a Victorious season and has a lot of upside to her game and definitely is going to help out this Boston team next season s is with Hannah congratulations Hannah I'm wondering what excites you most about being a professional athlete yeah I think it's just playing the sport you love um I'm just always having fun with it so I think um yeah just doing what I love and what expectations do you have for yourself in this next stage of your career yeah I think um you know I want to be an impact player in this league and I want to bring a championship to Boston amazing and what are you most excited about heading to Boston um you know everything I think the fans are electric the the players and staff are amazing so just everything about the city and and the team well thank you and congratulations back to you clay thank you all right congratulations Santa thank you sya we're off and running and we've got a couple more picks here in the first round Montreal is up next and Montreal of course Under head coach Cory Chevy uh we talked to General Manager Danielle savaj Jo maybe about a half an hour ago and this is a team that at times looked like they were going to run away with this league and then just didn't get it done at the very end what pieces are they missing what can they do to make it better in 25 I think for Montreal the number one thing is they just need a little bit of depth they need to get some players who can play kind of those bottom six rolls see if they can get a little bit of help rolling more lines that ended up being what hurt them I think in the semi-finals against Boston is they just ran out of gas there especially with how long some of those games went all those overtime games so they could a use a little bit of help as as far as depth goes all right for pick number five of the first round in the draft let's go down to Alana CLA to announce who it is [Music] Danielle with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Montreal selects Defender Kayla Barnes [Applause] let's [Applause] [Music] go go Caleb Barnes Defender from Ohio State so another Bucky off the board here in round number one 25 years old played five years at Boston College before getting that bonus Co year that she used to play Ohio state had a good run with the US national team coupled with that great season with the Buckey her draft stuck in the last several months Rose quickly yeah cayb Barnes is coming off an incredible season she Ted an assist on the goal that won Ohio State that national championship ship last year so she's running on that high and she led the country last year with a plus 71 rating and plus minus doesn't always tell the full story clay but when it's plus 71 it tells the only story so this is somebody who is tremendously reliable on the defensive side of the ice but she also has the ability to chip out on the offense as we can see with her assist in that game-winning goal in the National championship game somebody who can join the rush as well so she really plays two sides of the ice here which again just like we were talking about with the last pick if you can get a player like that you've got a lot of value so the second defender in the first round and it's cayb Barnes let's go to sya who's with her congratulations a wide range of emotions how are you feeling right now yeah I'm just super grateful and honored to you know be selected um we're among amazing players here and just super happy to be here with my family and experience this moment and I know I saw a lot of hugs you just mentioned your family who's here to support you and helped you along this journey yeah both my parents are here my brother my aunt and uh my best friends here too so just so grateful to have them here in the in the audience and how do you feel crossing the border to head to Montreal yeah I'm super excited Montreal is a great City I've been there a few times so I'm super excited uh to get going amazing thank you and congratulations back to you clay congratulations to Kayla congratulations to the Montreal franchise and securing a terrific Talent all right one more pick here in the first round of the draft and it belongs to Toronto they are on the clock and Toronto had such a fantastic regular season finished first in the regular season with 13 victories 47 points and Natalie Spooner unfortunately injured now but was terrific during the regular year yeah for a while it felt like nobody was is going to beat Toronto regular season or otherwise eventually Minnesota takes them down in five games to go on to win the Walter cup but they played a fantastic season so much talent and so many facets of the game for this Toronto team and I know a big goal of Toronto in this draft is just to find players that fit the culture and the goal that Toronto wants to accomplish as a team that's very important to them they feel they have a lot of good pieces already they're looking for players who can bolster that all right the final pick of the first round of the 2024 draft let's go back to Elana Claus to announce it okay with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Toronto selects forward Julie [Applause] Gosling Julia Gosling from St Lawrence University 23 years old a London Ontario native recorded a career-high 22 goals including seven game winners and 51 points as a senior captain for the Saints this past season and she is Toronto's pick the last selection of the first round yeah great pick for Toronto here again they have so many good pieces already that anybody really they find is going to fit in so well with this Toronto team with what they've built in this inaugural season another thing that she provides to offense is she's got a great shot release and what we've seen so far in the pwhl is the goal tending is so good so you got to get crafty you got to have a good shot you can't just stick with the good old Basics to get goals in the pwhl you got to be better than good and this is somebody who can provide that kind of offense with the release that she has she's got a mind for offense as well she thinks like a player who likes to score and anytime you got a player like that on the team they're always looking for ways to provide and this is somebody who can get that done for Toronto and she's been some big moments made her uh Canadian national team debut at the Women's World Championships this past season in UA and had an overtime winner there so this is a great pick for Toronto and she is with sya congratulations how are you feeling in this moment yeah just super excited obviously I know Gina and Troy and that's close to home so I couldn't have asked for anything better for sure and you mentioned I mean your family's here your twin sister what have they meant to you in this Journey yeah they're my biggest supporters and I wouldn't be here without them so obviously very emotional day for us and I'm just excited to celebrate with them and we know you like to play a versatile game on wing and Center what do you think you can bring to this next level specifically for pwhl Toronto yeah I think I can just bring size and just my shot and if I can use that I think it'll be huge for Toronto and just hopefully we can bring a championship back to Toronto amazing thank you so much back to Clay thank you congratulations to Julia thank you sya all right so our first round is in the book Sarah filer number one overall pick to New York Canadian out of Princeton University Danielle sakne the number two pick overall to Ottawa Canadian from Colgate University Claire Thompson goes to Minnesota Canadian Hannah Bila going to Boston in the first round in Ohio State Buckeye the first American off the board cayb Barnes from Ohio State a Defender and Julia goling with the sixth pick in the first round out of St Lawrence University there you have it we've got the second round coming up we're going to step aside as the teams regroup and in the meantime we're going to take a look at a 2023 24 recap for pwl in year number one it's a day of first year that's for sure the fans are piling in a huge lineup to get into the building we know it's a sellout crowd let's take a moment to enjoy [Music] this New York wins and Shelton with her s and she gets it Ella Shelton scores history is hers the very first pwhl regular season winner New York world record 8,318 people setting it for attendance for professional women's hockey boy out big shot in it touches down ottawa's first goal here we go bigle hatrick great sub wikle an unforgettable night of the pwhl awaits in downtown Toronto the first ever battle on Bay Street welcome inside go sh bakarina she shoots she scores Jesse cord NE front opens the scoring a goal well worth the wait it's a beautiful day in downtown Detroit as the pwl has taken over the Motor City lurry Knight it up at center right down Broadway she scores an unbelievable night an unbelievable crowd and you better believe it it's broken the record the alltime women's attendance record for professional hockey in the United States 13,736 in attendance tonight uh you can just feel the energy you can feel the record breaking listen to that crowd Rono Montreal writing another historic chapter in this rivalry first ever pwhl game inside the Bell Center Sarah nurse she scores Toronto takes all undefeated against pwl Montreal can't stop won't stop the street continues Toronto with 11 straight wins this is a really good win for New York they now have officially clinch the first pick to the upcoming pwhl draft and Boston has secured the first in the inaugural pwhl playoffs so pwl Montreal will play in the postseason statement home win to close a historic season for pwl Toronto 17 wins in 24 games 13 now in regulation the best in the league because Ottawa failed to get the regulation win tonight Minnesota is in Mueller cuts the center pass a rebound she scores suanna Tony the overtime winner for the second time in this series Boston will play for the Walter cup but it will be Minnesota playing for the Walter cup a 41 win over Toronto a reverse sweep to upset the number one seed first begins its final chapter Minnesota Boston talk about flipping the script a championship Underdog Clash the inaugural pwhl finals starts right now she look to settle the final seconds here a chance she scores she scores Taylor heisy does It Again Taylor on the side hey draws it in Cuts in front who's pck and she scores Sophie JS to Walter papiro after review the call of the ice has been overturned we have no goal the chance here for Boston and she scores Alina Mueller the season saving goal now Cava she'll take a look she wants a crack in it on the back hand in control right around play great goal and she scor and the chase is over the state of hockey with the championship State of Mind Minnesota has won in first ever Walter cup a story book finish for the captain Kendall coin scoffield way a victory extends beyond the score of just three nothing here tonight it's a Monumental moment for women's hockey Walter cup redefines the women's hockey experience the future is bright these women have inspired a movement they have inspired so many the fans are inspired the game has inspired Ken and it's been surreal it's been emotional it's been unbelievable to watch their talents unfold in front of so many eyes and there are going to be no more firsts and that's an incredible thing because they did it the fans did [Applause] [Music] it women Hoy has such a storied history that it was really important for us to be able to tell a story about the game tell a story about this new league and what it would mean to people so we really tried to make sure there was elements of it that could relate back to many people me personally uh means everything uh Mark and and kimra uh who this is really named after it means that they believed in us and they were willing to invest not a charity but to invest in women's professional hockey you know hockey fans have been dreaming of it players have hoped for IT professional women's hockey league is finally here so excited to see these players finally get to live out their dream uh to have the opportunity to work with Tiffany to design this trophy it's such a great honor to be able to work with them and and see how they build this out and help tell our story alongside us having the the glass ceiling obviously what we're doing is something uh historic and we're really changing the game in so many ways for hockey but also for women's sports so that was important having the W's around the trophy that shows you know women's league it represents the six teams in our league so we really were excited about how we could help tell the story through this trophy every person every child every single person no matter where they come from what they do they they deserve to have the dream back inside the Roy Wilkins Auditorium for the 2024 pwl draft one round is in the books and New York is on the clock for its second overall pick there's Pascal da the general manager of New York and as we speak the league right now is reviewing a trade so we have our first trade of the draft yeah pretty cool to see because this is the first time the first year that we have trades eligible in the draft the first trade in the league happened about Midway through the season between Minnesota's own and Boston and of course those two players who traded f so nicely with their new teams it was really fun to see how that trade played out and and see that storyline throughout the playoffs as well and how those two players fit in so we'll see if this one pulls through here in the draft so we see four forwards and a couple of Defenders go in the first round two Americans four Canadians any surprises in that first round so far I don't think so I mean this is a lot of what we expected to see in the first round the big names that we've been talking about for weeks and months to come went off the board in that first round and a lot of great pieces were added and I I think from what we talked about with the GMS heading into this draft a lot of teams already have started to get some pieces that they were looking for just through one round Sarah filer 24 year-old from Georgetown Ontario the number one overall pick it was Taylor heisy last year for Minnesota this year it is filer so the trade has been completed and it's between New York and Boston so Boston is going to have the next election in the draft here in 2024 round number two the first overall pick so New York and Boston making a trade here our first trade of the pwl draft we were running out of first here clay in the inaugural season but now we get another first here with our first trade Boston now a chance uh obviously they've been eyeing up a player and they're going to have a chance to get it number seven and the number 37 pick overall going to Boston from New York so Boston is going to have the next selection and we've already seen uh one player go off the board to Boston Hannah Bila forward coming out of Ohio State the first American to come uh to come off the board here in the draft and they've already got a great pick in Hannah Bilo so I'm curious to see who they've been so eager to jump up in the draft to get that number seven here and then of course getting that number 37 picked as we get further along in the draft as well but we'll see what else they're trying to add here they got some speed with Hannah Bila somebody who can score somebody who can create some offense so we'll see if maybe they're going to go on the flip side look for for some defense or perhaps add another scorer all right it sounds like the pick is in after this trade and we're going to go down to pwl Advisory Board member Stan Casten to make the first pick in the second round [Music] okay with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Boston selects defense Daniela pesova [Applause] [Music] [Music] Daniela pesova of ccha 21 years old has played six seasons in Europe where she has won a pair of championships and she is the first pick of their second round 2022 Olympian help check you win its first two bronze medals at the World Championships well it's cool to see uh somebody from overseas get picked because as we've seen women's hockey develop here in North America and as the leagues have come together and eventually we get to the pwhl here we're seeing more International Players wanting to come over here to play so it's cool to see somebody go so early here in the draft that's getting to join Boston here and this is somebody who is a great skating Defender and she handles physical play well which is something Boston does already really well so she's going to fit in Fant fantastically with this Boston team she's not afraid to play the body and she has the ability to chip in offensively we've seen a couple players so far go off the draft board here that have that skill on their resume this is another player who's not afraid to do that I think she's going to fit in very well in Boston let's go to sya amazing congratulations how do you feel heading to Boston uh thank you I feel honored to go to the Boston and uh yeah I'm so excited and still shaking and and you've been playing in the sdhl since you were 15 what do you think you can bring to the pwl to help Boston out um hopefully the physicality I I saw that is really used in this league so hopefully to physicality and yeah amazing and do you have anyone here today to support you or watching back home that you'd like to shout out uh I have my friends and former teammates from Lula Nora tus and sa and here are my agent and yeah I want to thank my uh yeah I want to thanks to my friend uh my family they're watching from Czech now there's 1 a.m. so amazing thank you well congratulations back to you clay all right thank you sya so the first European Daniela joa Defender the third Defender to be taken in this draft and remember now 3 minutes in between picks here um in round two so this is going to come fast and furious um so the next pick belongs to Ottawa so we're back to Ottawa in the first round they took Danielle sakne so Ottawa they get a very good forward out of Colgate in round one what are you expecting here I think they're going to go with the defender here with the second pick they we're looking to add a little bit on both sides of the ice they've already got that forward I think they're going to look to add some some depth to their blue line here somebody who can help out be that stay-at-home Defender somebody who's reliable that's why I'm looking to see them take a pi their pick with here in the second round all right so the pick is in and let's go back to the deis Royce Cohen will announce the eighth overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft raft pwhl Advisory Board member with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Ottawa select Defender ra seanan [Applause] [Music] [Music] ra cion 26-year-old from Helsinki Finland has spent eight seasons playing in the Swedish League a six-time champion recording 29 Points in 35 games this past season well I feel already Ottawa is starting to get what they have been looking for here and we guessed correctly that they would aim for a Defender and this is somebody who's going to fit in very well with the physical style of the pwhl we've already seen a few players that fit into that category this is another player who can get that job done she's been described as playing with a meanness to her game clay which any team loves to have a player like that that you know if you're getting pushed around out there things aren't going your way you can rely on them to get out there and kind of set that tone and make sure that you get things back in your favor this is a player who can do that let's go back to sya amazing congratulations how was your trip here to Minnesota thank you oh it was long uh but it was worth it so I'm just super honored to be here and how excited are you to head to Ottawa super excited that was uh surprising I'm uh can't wait to meet all the all the staff and the players around so I'm super proud of be a part of the organization and how do you feel about your game and what you bring to the next level in the pwhl my size my physical game for sure um and then just I I just want to enjoy the this journey and uh to play in the best league in this word amazing thank you so much and congratulations back to you clay when we talked to General Manager Michael hfield he talked about needing size and needing physicality and you can see that that's playing out here in this draft so far for Ottawa yeah absolutely I love this pick for Ottawa and we've seen what now one through one season of playing the pwhl what each team has to offer and we've seen as these teams have figured out that physical side for most of these women playing they're trying to play this way for the very first time where hitting is allowed they're allowed to play physical game so as all these teams and all these players adjust to that they now can see what gaps they need to fill in that respect and you're hearing these players themselves say I bring that physical game I know how to play like that and I'm willing to play like that and a lot of teams are looking for that they're looking for players who are willing to throw their body around and willing to be able to set that tone and this is one of those players so Minnesota is going to have the next pick uh Minnesota took Claire Thompson with its first round selection third overall the pick is not in yet so some deliberation here as Minnesota uh gets ready to draft for the second time here in 2024 Natalie darwitz the general manager is parted ways with the Minnesota franchise Ken CLE and the coaching staff making the selections here tonight yeah absolutely and they've got a chance here to really review all of these players over this last week as that happened and they are ready for the draft here today all right the pack the pick is in and I'm being told that uh we can head to the deis and it's mayor [Applause] Carter welcome to the state of hockey with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Walter Cup champion Minnesota selects forward R curl [Applause] [Applause] [Music] Brit curl 24 years old from bismar North Dakota won three national titles with the Badgers and posted a career best 62 points she's been a part of Team USA at the World Championships winning gold in 2023 Silvers in 21 and this past year uh she's an accomplished veteran well she's been all over the Midwest as well so she fits in perfectly here in Minnesota between being raised in North Dakota plane at University of Wisconsin now heads over the border to Minnesota to join this pwhl championship team you mentioned her career high in points this is somebody who's got a very very good hockey IQ and a strong shot we talked about the ability to have that strong shot that good release and how much that's needed against these talented goenda is getting a fantastic player out of Bri curl Bri curl is with sya now I have to ask what is it going to be like to be able to solely focus on your sport how is this going to help your game yeah I mean I love hockey I love the game so um just to you know not have to worry about school and homework and just play hockey and get paid for it how cool is that for sure and how do you feel about heading to Minnesota yeah you know I kind of think of this as my home team being from North Dakota so I'm super proud um it's the first time I'm going to be proud to you know be around Minnesota players so and now after watching the first season of the pwhl what are you most excited to take with your game into your rookie season yeah I think this uh this league suits my style very well I'm a physical big player I can play a 200 foot game so I hope it translates well and I think uh the coaching staff here is going to help me just make even more strides well best of luck thank you back to you clay well after two straight European Defenders coming off the board uh we go back to a forward and a forward from the United States it's BR curl who uh comes to Minnesota and now because of the trade New York will have the next pick yeah New York got that first overall pick obviously in the draft so they get the best of the best and now with the trade they have a chance to think a little bit more about what they want to do with this next pick and the first trade in pwhl history in the draft of course with that being allowed here today here's a look at how that trade went down Boston received picks 7 and 37 and New York receives 10 which is coming up next and then 16 and 28 chance to make some hay here for the New York franchise so New York with its first pick obviously taking Sarah filer number one overall the forward from Princeton University and now we are waiting on their second pick here in the second round after the trade there you see the think tank for new New York all right so we are being told that the pick is in now for New York let's head back to the stage and find out who New York is going to select here after the trade in the second round [Music] [Music] [Music] good evening everyone with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft New York selects defenseman Maya nylan [Applause] Pearson Maya Nyland Pearson not here tonight sweet right hand shot and that is the pick after the trade for New York this is somebody who comes with a lot of accolades on their resume the three-time sdhl defender of the Year 2022 Swedish defenseman of the Year 2022 Swedish player of the year and she was on the 2023 Swedish All-Star team so somebody who's succeeded really in many facets of the game she's a mobile Defender and reads the play well with or without the puck you love a player who can be able to do that that means they've got a good hockey sense and you can trust them in any situation in the game this is somebody who can do that she's also got a great shot from the point which helps facilitate offense for teams and especially when we've seen the power play suffer for many teams this year this is somebody who can help contribute to that if they can get shots in from the point quickly she'd fit in nicely really in any top four role here in the league all right so Montreal is back on the clock here in the second round and uh Montreal has already uh had a fantastic draft Yeah and they're looking to add a little bit more here as well again they're looking for depth they're looking for anybody who can help their lineup here we saw that depth falter a little bit later on in the season and especially in the playoffs I think they maybe go for another for a forward here in the second round we'll take a look if that is what they decide to do but it's a tough season and it's even going to become a longer season here in the next year so you can't rely on your top six all the time in the pwl and especially with games being added to the schedule this year you're going to be looking for more players who can help get the job done and carry those minutes yeah they got cayb Barnes in the first round round Defender out of Ohio State now we'll see who the Montreal franchise selects here with their next pick it is in and it's time to bring up executive director of The pwl Players Association Brian Burke to announce the 11th overall pick [Applause] [Music] mer see with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 P WHL draft Montreal selects forward Jennifer Gardner [Applause] [Music] [Music] Montreal takes Jennifer Gardner another Bucky from the national champions Ohio State Buckey 22 years old from sui British Columbia backed one two championships in Ohio State yeah somebody who had was second in team scoring with 45 points for the Buckeyes last year a lot of tremendous Buckeyes uh draft eligible this season so really anybody who's picking up an Ohio State Buckey is getting a tremendous hockey player another player who plays really well with or without the puck you love to see that hockey IQ she was a 2023 Patty casm award finalist and of course the two-time NCAA Champion 171 points in her collegiate career with the Buckey yeah she was a regular at the Frozen Four in recent years and naen muzero must be smiling right now uh a lot of Buckey in this draft in the first two rounds off the board and Montreal gets Jennifer gard and one of the younger players draft eligible here today as well only 23 years old there's a variety of Ages of players eligible for the draft here today but you get a young player right out of college nice to see how she's going to fit in with her new team here in the pwhl Jen is with soral congratulations how are you feeling right now in this moment uh very humbled and excited to be part of this league that's come so far over the past year and just to be in this room of such incredible people and to be part of next season is super exciting and now I heard some pretty big cheers when you when your name was called who's here supporting you today uh my parents are here which I'm really grateful for them uh as well as many of my Ohio state teammates and uh many proud alumni as well so it's an honor to be a Bucky and to have that support from everyone here is awesome and now after watching here we go now after watching the first season what aspects of your game do you think you can take to the next level here in the pwhl I'm just excited to bring some offense to Montreal and this is super exciting to get to play along some first class players and to join this organization I'm very excited well congratulations back to you clay all right so thank you very much congratulations to Jennifer Gardner she is headed north of the border to play for Montreal so we're nearing the end of round number two and that means Toronto is up next so we're seeing uh we're seeing forwards we're seeing Defenders we haven't seen a goendale was taken with the last pick of the second round first goal tender off the board we haven't seen a goalie yet yeah and we noticed this season the pwhl that with only six teams in the league every team had a tremendous goal tender and a lot of the backups in the league were tremendous goal tenders there's Nicole Hensley get a little screen time and a big round of applause from the state of hockey here at Roy Wilkins Auditorium but I am curious when the first first goalie will go in this draft and of course many teams despite having two very good goenda little bit of depth there right because there is so much talent you need to try to be A Cut Above the Rest so great job by the camera crew cutting between the pwhl Minnesota table and Nicole Hensley who's gotten a lot of love from the fans here in the state of hockey is the pick in it is okay uh the pick here in the second round is in so we're going to go down to co-hosts we're going to Tessa [Applause] [Music] [Music] what's up I'm uh I'm Tessa uh what's up state of hockey we love hockey just as much as you tune in to jocks and jails every week we got a wicked podcast going we send a lot of love to you guys Champs congrats Ken CLE I'd be remiss though to stand up here and not give it a big oh so go Bucks all right with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft pwhl Toronto selects from defense playing defense excuse me Megan [Applause] Carter Megan Carter 23-year-old Defender from from Northeastern University in Boston native of Milton Ontario posted a career-high 25 points in 34 games for the huskys this past year Hockey East Defender Of The Year first team Allstar honors for the second straight year played for Dave Flint there at North Eastern just a a great College power and now she's going to make her rookie debut in the N uh pwl this season two-time Hockey East best defender hockey eastall rookie team this is somebody who's a great shutdown Defender which every team loves to have a player like that who you can rely on on the blue line she's going to fit it nicely with Toronto [Applause] Megan Carter this is a great addition out of Northeastern so that's the last pick of the second round and she is with sya well first off congratulations how does it feel to offici be a professional hockey player there are no words it's so exciting I mean this league has had a great first season and I'm just excited to be a part of the next one and I know you like to play a physical shutdown style of play how do you think that'll fit well into the physicality in the pwa yeah I was uh loving the physicality watching this season so I think uh I'll fit in quite nicely and I'm excited to get started awesome and who's here supporting you today my parents and my boyfriend are here uh a couple h teammates are here um so really grateful to have them and I know I have some amazing supporters back home uh it takes a village to get here so just very grateful for them for sure well congratulations good luck in Toronto back to you clay all right so thank you very much joining us here at the desk is Sarah filer the number one overall pick in this year's draft congratulations you're headed to Broadway thank you so much what is it what does it mean to you to be the number one pick I mean it it means so much I mean just joining this league is a dream come true and watching how successful it was all last year I couldn't wait to be a part of it we talked a lot you know this season about the fact that this is the first draft that all of you players playing in college overseas wherever it may be you knew this was coming up you knew you'd have a chance to be picked to be a part of a new team in the pwhl what was that like the season just playing knowing this is on the horizon for you I think it was motivating for everyone I think it raised the level of college play and I think it gave everyone something to you know play for in the back of their mind you know knowing that you know coming to a draft to a professional hockey league is is a reality how do you feel about fitting into a culture that's already established in New York it's exciting I mean I think they have a super solid foundation and tremendous players on that team I'm really excited to play for um Greg Fargo and really excited to work with Pascal so it's going to be really awesome is there anything that is unnerving is there anything that you're nervous about going into year number one I don't know I think it probably adjusting to the pace of play it's super physical super fast but uh I love a little physicalities um so it'll be super fun was there anything watching uh any of the games in the in the League this season or talking to any of the players what what is something that maybe surprised you in a good way about the league something that you loved and are excited to be a part of yeah I think the parody across the league anyone could win at any night and um watching playoffs was so exciting you never knew who was going to win each game and they're going to overtime every time so it's super exciting to lead to watch Sir you made a little history tonight congratulations thanks so much all right Sarah filer everybody all right it is time for the first pick of the third round and let's go to social media influencers the hockey guys to announce the first pick of this round [Music] all right St Paul what a crowd tonight with a 13th overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft New York selects forward Nora tullish [Applause] noro's 28 years old helped Finland win bronze at the world championships in UA she has picked number one here in round number three I really really like this pick this is somebody that I had starred on my list of Draft outs witha players that I thought was going to make a great fit with whoever was able to get her picked up it just so happens New York gets a chance to add her to their lineup and something that I really like about her play she's got great first step acceleration that means she brings a lot of speed to her game and she can transition quickly and get going when the play gets going so this is something that's going to help New York a lot add a little bit of speed to their play she led the sdhl in scoring last season with 61 points plus 12 playoff points which is huge to note as well knowing that not only did she show up in the regular season but she shows up in the postseason where you need your start players to play well as well so Alexis that's the fourth European to be selected here in tonight's draft we still have not seen a goenda now I have to ask is it a relief to hear your name called what does this moment feel like for you oh amazing like I'm super excited I'm so happy and what aspects of your European professional career can you bring over to the pwhl well I'm hoping to bring my hockey s my hockey skills uh so yeah and what are you most excited about heading to New York City oh like everything amazing she's excited to head to New York I can tell for sure thank you so much and congratulations thank you back to you clay Bright Lights big city for Nora all right so another pick in for New York and pick number 14 is coming up it's not quite ready yet it belongs to Ottawa so we continue to roll on here in round number three three at the Roy Wilkins auditorium at the pwl draft so again uh you know a lot of lot of forwards some good Defenders off the board and let's recap the second round and what we saw there again two European Defenders coming off the board first the first via a trade as Boston takes poova and then s Lan another Defender going to Ottawa BR curl will come to Minnesota Pearson Gardner and then [Music] Carter we're waiting on the pick and is coming up next and Clay I wouldn't be surprised if Ottawa maybe takes that first goenda goal tender for sure somebody who had to rely on one main goal tender for most of this season I wouldn't be surprised if maybe that's who they go with here so a little deliberation here Ottawa taking its time Ottawa has the next pick and now coming up to the stage Ottawa players Ashton Bell Gabby Hughes and Natalie Snodgrass to announce the 14th overall pick in the 2024 [Applause] [Music] draft go for okay with the 14th overall pick in the 20 24 pwl Ottawa selects goalie gwenith [Applause] [Music] Phillips another star from the northeastern huskies and here is our first go titer qu Phillips has had a terrific career played for a goal tending coach and Dave Flint so this is another fantastic net minder coming to the pwl well clay I'm not right often but I had a feeling about this one that Ottawa might be selecting one of the goenda and honestly I think this might be one of the best available here today and for folks watching at home who are wondering what she has to offer she's been compared to Aaron Frankle who we saw a lot of in the finals in the semi-finals and all season long Minnesota fans of course saw a lot of her her as she was able to pick up a few wins against Minnesota on in route to their Walter Cup Championship she plays with a lot of compete a lot of athleticism which you love to see so I think this is somebody who is a fantastic pick and like I said maybe one of the best goalies available here in the draft just a terrific goal tender played in hockey East Hockey East goal tender of the year and just a very athletic go tender covers a lot of space yeah and you I like seeing the athletic goenda congratulations how does it feel to be the first goalie selected in the 2024 draft uh I'm honored and I'm just so excited and did you have any hope as to where you could end up or are you happy to be in Ottawa I'm super happy to be in Ottawa uh I didn't know where I was going to go but I'm so excited to be where I'm going and we know the pwhl is big on Walkins and style I'm loving the Pink Suit here where did you get it can you tell everybody um I H I think it's anthropology um I use like a service and they sent it to me but it's uh I'm not really that stylish this is really out of my normal I promise well you look amazing congratulations back to you playay all right sya Quinn Phillips 23 years old from Athens Ohio won 23 over 37 games during this last campaign with six shutouts for the northeastern Huskies so uh there you got the first goal tender and we continue to roll on here in downtown St Paul with the draft and Minnesota is back on the board this will be the second pick of the night for the defending Walter Cup champions they've already taken a defender in the first round Claire Thompson NYL Pearson a defender in the second round what he anticipate here for Minnesota well he asked me if I thought there was any surprises in that first round and I guess if there was one it's that Minnesota took a Defender instead of a forward so I think in the second round they go with a forward to help bolster that scoring for Minnesota they've got so much talent anytime you can add a few extra players and and few extra Playmakers on that offense you become even more powerful I think that's what they're going to go for here in the second round all right so Minnesota has the next pick Minnesota lynx's president of business operation Carly Knox will make the announcement [Applause] [Music] [Music] all right ready all right with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Minnesota selects forward Clara hemmer [Applause] Lova and here's a look at the Jacka native 25 years of age of versatile player who can play physical and a steady game as well and she makes good decisions with her passes is something that the league noted as far as her Talent goes so you love when you can trust a player knowing that they're going to get the puck where it needs to go make the right play make the smart play this is somebody who's going to do that for Minnesota as they pick up on the czechian native yeah she's familiar with the area a product of St Cloud State so she's going to be your teammate now Taylor heisy last year's number one overall pick in the first draft at the pwl joins us now does that ever get old Taylor no never never congratulations again on the championship and and so far what do you make of the draft yeah it's been super cool um I think it's been cool to see what last year's looked like and now this year's and I'm just super excited for all the girls here to be able to experience um this amazing opportunity I know you've been asked it a million times and I'm going to ask you again how great was it to win the Walter cup it was awesome obviously every team's looking to do that every year um at the beginning of the year obvious obviously but I think for us you know we had our ups and our downs but uh we came together at the right time and it was an amazing experience so you've got some new teammates more to come yet here tonight what's the biggest thing you look for in a new teammate um I just think someone that's willing to come in and be able to make some changes um obviously we have a really deep roster so far but I think anyone and everyone in the draft has you know the ability to make the make the team make the roster so I think we're just looking for someone that's willing to put in the hard work and to love the state of hockey obviously and obviously after one season of play here in the pwhl Walter Cup Championship under your belt now you know what this team is about you know what every team is about now what would you say is the identity of Minnesota for the players in attendance and players watching at home who are going to hear their name picked by Minnesota here today what can they expect out of Minnesota yeah I think it's a mix of physicality and talent um this league obviously I think everyone was a little surprised with the physicality but you got to be able to do both you got to be able to work hard in the corners but also put the puck in the back of the net so for us you know like I said said we got a deep roster but we're really excited to see more to come and everyone in the draft and just see kind of what we got all right Taylor heisy everybody thank you pride of Lake City Minnesota thank you for joining us all right so the next pick is New York and Katie million from us USA Hockey will come to the stage to make the announcement for p whhl New [Music] York all right I'm lucky I get to do two picks with a 16th overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft New York selects defense Ally Simpson [Applause] another Defender from Colgate University Allison Simpson and the Fort Worth Texas native so cool to see the diversity in hockey nowadays players from so many different areas of the country and of the world back in the day you didn't see too many players from the texases and The Californians of the world making their way to the pro stage but nowadays it's becoming more and more common so congratulations to her for representing the state of Texas being drafted here today 107 points in her collegiate career as a Defender which is pretty impressive this is a tough player to play against one-on-one what you love to see out of a Defender anytime you can beat someone one-on-one you're frustrating to play against you're hard to play against and the uh the player here in Ali Simpson is is able to do that 23 years old The Frisco Texas [Music] native how about those boots talk about Texas Allison Simpson rocking the boots and she is taken here in the third round by New York family looking on friends looking on [Music] as she makes her way over to chat with [Music] sya now congratulations what excites you most about being an official member of the pwhl I'm just so excited for this opportunity and to be able to play with some great players in this league and um again play for Coach Fargo so I'm excited about that and who's here today to support you and who supported you along the way that you'd love to shout out yeah my family is here so my parents uh my brother and my sister in-law and my boyfriend are all here to support me so amazing hello Coach Fargo what are you excited about about coaching Ally moving forward in the professional sphere yeah obviously like her play on the ice she's just uh you know a great 200 foot Defender um but when you can add a player like this who's such of High character and great leadership it's going to be a great addition to our team amazing and what are you hoping to bring to New York in terms of Team culture with your coaching style yeah I think just honestly a group bring a group together that uh you know was all moving in the same direction and playing a great style of play on the ice and uh you know we're just trying to build on the great Foundation that Pascal's built so far amazing well best of luck thank you back to you clay the third New York draft pick in seven selections so that's the result of that trade with Boston well hey we talked about it at the beginning of the draft right the fact that New York really picked up some speed at the end of the season here and could potentially be a dangerous team right off the hop in the second season in the pwl you got a new coach you're picking up some new players some very good players early in the draft here I wouldn't sleep on New York in the next pwhl season so each team has a couple of five minute timeouts to use Montreal has elected to use their first here tonight and this is something that's unique to the draft of 5minute timeout and they're deliberating here their next pick again here's the draft format seven rounds and we're well on our way through round number three I think I miss spoke earlier it doesn't become a 3 minute clock until round three so we had the F minute clock for the first two rounds it's going faster now and again each team has two F minute timeouts and we've already had a trick this is where I wish I could be a fly on the wall as the uh uh you know GM and coaching staff here for Montreal is trying to figure out what they want to do obviously deciding they need a little bit more time to make this next selection this is a pick that I'm not sure where they're going to go with this next pick they've already picked up a forward they've already picked up a Defender they talked about how they really want to get you know some depth on their team add a little bit more scoring they've got some of the best talent in the world playing on this Montreal roster but anytime you can add to that and bolster that is going to help a ton so I think maybe they go with a forward in this next pick clay but I I really wouldn't be surprised either way what they decide to do here best player available is kind of what they indicated to us they did sign a player today Lena lond uh was signed today so they were making deals before the draft even started today but there's so much talent already in Montreal Marie Philipe pulan of course tied for the second most points in the pwl this year 10 goals 13 assists again they they spent most of the season in in first place were in Striking Distance of of getting that number one seat fell a little bit short but Montreal already in very good shape as a franchise yeah absolutely they've got a handful of players in both the leaders and goals and assists here in the first uh season of the pwhl but you look at there some depth up front they could definitely use a little bit of a high-end Defender and a gritty forward I know I know we're talking about the physicality over and over again but it's a big point for these GMS making these decisions here today after seeing how things unfolded in season 1 figuring out okay where can we add a little bit more physical play to our game especially when you have the star players like Montreal has you need players who can help protect those players as well and play physical alongside them let's recap who Montreal has taken so far as they've got a 5-minute timeout right now their first of the night in the first round with the fifth pick overall they took Caleb Barnes Defender out of Ohio State and then Montreal in the second round taking a very established college player Jennifer Gardner forward also from Ohio State and now we're waiting for their pick here in the third round but they're taking a time out to talk about it Danielle savaj Jo the general manager head coach head coach Corey Chevy um discussing their options here yeah and based on what we talked about with them before the draft started here clay do you think maybe their game plan is changing here taking this five minute time out to think about what they want to do I know their original plan was kind of to try to pick up the best available in these first couple of rounds but now perhaps as they've seen what's happened maybe the trade uh between Boston and New York has factored into what some of these teams are doing at this point in the draft we'll see what they deci de to do here I think maybe the only thing that would surprise me is picking up a goalie I think they go forward or defense here uh but we'll see what they decide to do as they still deliberate there as you see on the shot on your screen last season Montreal was heavy into analytics coming into the first draft to decide their picks uh they ultimately went with Defender Aaron Ambrose as their number one pick last year and that obviously worked out well for them so there is a lot of thought going into this next pick uh needing a timeout needing more time to decide what they're going to to do again best player available was the first thing we heard from them yeah well and I think it's tough when you're in a position like Montreal like the Toronto here in the draft who had really really good Seasons you don't always have those obvious gaps to fill right when you're a team that finishes lower seated maybe you don't make the playoffs or or you don't have the season you're hoping to you see those noticeable gaps of what kind of players do we need we need speed or we need scoring or we need a goenda for Montreal I know they got swept by Boston that first round but that didn't tell the full story those were close games that could have gone either way in many scenarios a all of those games played in overtime so this team is better than what that semi-finals matchup showed so I'm really curious what Gap they think they need to fill here with this next pick just saw Danielle savaj Jo get up out of her chair so that's probably an indication they've come pretty close to making a decision there are some names some some interesting names that are still left out there the reigning Patty kasmire Award winner Izzy Daniel has not been selected yet um Amanda kessle we we haven't heard from her yet so I mean there are some really big names that um we fully anticipate to see come off the board here relatively soon well just just a reminder 167 draft eligible players and only 42 are getting selected there's going to be a lot of talent that's going to go and a lot that's going to still be left uh not picked here by the end of the night and it's a deeper pool this year because there are just more Europeans all right so Montreal's pick is in and Aaron Ambrose Rose Moren Murphy and Marie Philip pulan coming up to announce the 17th overall pick after a long talk about it this is round number three and Montreal's pick is in [Music] uh with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Montreal Silex forward Abby [Applause] borin all right that's a surprise Abby borin who played 14 games for Minnesota last year as a reserve attending pharmacy school here in the Twin Cities this is an interesting selection but Montreal gave it a lot of thought before pulling the trigger this might be the first surprise of the night clay I mean we've seen a lot of players go that we expected to go early on in the draft and maybe to some of the teams that selected them this one is a bit of a shock and I don't know if everyone could hear watching at home but there was some audible guests of Despair from the Minnesota crowd here who seen what Abby B has done this season clay I know you and I thought very highly of her in the games that she played for Minnesota as a reserve player she made an impact she scored both in the regular season and helped in the scoring in the postseason and the games that she got to play as well of course got to Hoist the Walter cup with Team Minnesota even though she didn't play in those last uh games against Boston but this is a player who really one of the most unique players in the draft in the sense that everyone in this room has already seen what she can do in the pwhl you can't say that about all 167 players that are eligible for this season's draft so we've seen what she can do we've seen how she can contribute and even though she didn't play all 24 games and then some in the playoffs this season she made an impact in every game that she was in so this is Abby borin the first player selected who has pwhl experience Abby borin former Golden Gopher and she has been selected with the number 17 pick overall by Montreal she with sya now OB obviously we got to see you play last season and these these Minnesota fans have been incredible what have they meant to you yeah I mean I could I I love them so much and I love my time in Minnesota but on to the next Journey here and now having played last season how do you think that'll benefit you heading into your rookie season technically in the pwhl yeah I mean I think um it helps a lot and I know the physicality and the speed of the game um so hopefully I can use that in Montreal here and in Montreal how excited are you to head head to Canada uh yeah I'm excited I honestly have never been to Montreal so it's going to be a new experience for me amazing well congratulations thank so much thank you back to you playay all right soy thank you very much so Toronto on the clock and uh fans are very sad to see Abby go but good pick for Montreal we understand the pick is already in so after a long talk about it for Montreal the next pick for pwl Toronto is in and players again to make the announcement Kristen Campbell rata fast Emma Mal and Natalie Spooner to announce the 18th overall pick here in the third [Applause] round first off we just want to congratulate Minnesota on raising the first ever Walter cup with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft pwl Toronto selects Izzy Daniel [Applause] [Music] [Music] Izzy Daniel forward from Cornell and what a thrill this must be for the Minnesota native product of the Blake School here in the Twin Cities where she won a couple of State High School titles reigning Patty kasmire Award winner coming off a terrific season at Cornell first player from that University to win the Patty Cass 21 goals 38 assists this past year and she was a Miss hockey finalist as well which is a prestigious award that you can win here at the high school level in the state of Minnesota I think this is a great pick here she averaged 1.74 points per game last season uh in college at Cornell which was the best in the ecac uh she plays A Hard greasy game is what she's been described as which I always love players who bring that kind of effort uh to a team sometimes you need those greasy goals those greasy plays to get the job done and again the Minnesota native always exciting to hear your name called in a draft hosted in your home state as you take a look at some of the highlights of her time over at Cornell she's also a player who's willing to play the 200 foot game and again we talk about the reliability on both ends of the ice it's not always easy to play the 200 foot game you run out of gas sometimes you don't always have the stamina and the tenacity to play that style of game so when players bring that kind of effort to you coaches love players who play like that and their teammates love it as well clay let's go to sya well first off congratulations you just came off of a Patty C marwin and you just got drafted how does it feel to be drafted yeah it's surreal I think I've been uh waiting for this moment for a while so I'm super excited and uh really happy it's Toronto and from what I've seen you've got some pretty wicked hands I'm wondering if you could tell the kids at home what you do to stay sharp and how you improve your hands on a daily basis uh when I was younger it was a lot of Sak handling the garage after we had breakfast club we called it at Minnesota Maids so they gave us homework and uh I did it in my basement at garage and I think maybe that's that helped me a lot amazing and who's here today to support you on this special day yeah so many people uh lots of friends and family probably about 20 to 25 of my friends and family so um I couldn't have done it without them so thank you amazing thank you and congratulations back to you play congratulations to Izzy Daniel headed to Toronto all right so here's our round three recap tolos Phillips Hova Simpson borin and Daniel off the board here in the third round yeah a lot of great players picked in this third round again only seven rounds here we're going to start to get to the nitty-gritty where teams might start taking more time to think about their picks here as some of the best are already off the board and now we see as teams continue to fill their gaps with what else they need here in the final four rounds of the draft three rounds in the books four to go here in downtown St Paul as we step aside let's flash back to the first ever pwl draft last year a Trailblazer is one that blazes a trail to lead and include others the first person to do something or go somewhere who shows that it is also possible for other people trailblazing is bold it's Brave and it can be very scary is worth it for each one of us who have fought so hard for this day and it's worth it for the generations of girls and women who will come come behind us this is an incredible moment and the best part we are just getting started with the first overall pick an inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League draft Minnesota select I think all six cities are incredible and have their own unique cool things about them so I'm just super excited and we'll be happy wherever I end up are H are you doing I'm honestly excited to just be around teammates and friends and we're all kind of going through the same thing today a lot of unknowns but at the same time a lot of excitement I'm just really excited for wherever I'm at to continue to like preach to little girls like like you can do it if you believe it you can do it you just got to put the hard work in how old are you guys so you got a few years there you go it's such an exciting time and for me as a a former player these are moments that I dreamed about you know having a draft into a professional League having the ability to play in a city that selects you becoming part of a community and being able to play at the highest level thank you to every woman who played this game who won't be bling up her skates but will be right there alongside us to those who work two jobs bought our own equipment who didn't get paid for Glory or a paycheck simply For the Love of This Magnificent game to the leagues that came before and everyone who dreamed what to day could look like with the first overall pick in the inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League draft Minnesota selects Taylor [Music] [Applause] [Music] heisy congrats thank you now we go to work the first overall pick ever in the pwhl draft and how about that Haley Billy Jean King makes the announcement everyone that I love is there and it's a state of hockey so I'm just really honored I'm going to be able to play and continue to show the little girls that anything's possible if you keep working hard Boston selects Alina [Music] [Applause] Mueller so we have our first European off the board as well Alena Mueller of Switzerland is going to Boston unbelievable um it's pretty emotional um super happy and can't believe I can play again in in the best best city in the world Montreal select enin Ambrose Aaron Ambrose made her Olympic debut in Beijing came home an Olympic champion and now here she is going to Montreal your dream is just beginning uh look at this look what we've done and it's only just getting started so dream big and uh Chase those dreams Boston select Sophie Jake Sophie Jake she's only 22 years old is the Patty cosm winner from Ohio State University last season had one of the best offensive careers no I'm just so excited Boston such a cool City I just could be happier who would you like to uh give a shout out back home well of course my dad I know they're watching right now I can't wait to to hug them all give them a big [Music] hug about [Music] conat fore spee spee [Music] that's my [Music] clo hi buddy hi Mama congratulations thank you are you excited I am very excited round one buddy yeah yeah I'm so proud of you thanks Mama I'm just I'm so happy for you me too we're just now at a Tipping Point I've waited my whole life almost for these moments today represents so much to me personally because of what we're going to see the hockey really represents women's sports in so many ways it doesn't have to be just hockey it represents what's happening the opportunities the investment that's going on we're at a Tipping Point women's sports it was crazy I don't even think it set in until I was up on stage like staring at my parents um how did the stick in my hand it's just an exciting time for women's hockey not just for myself I think I'm more so excited for the league and how we're going to make way in this professional League I hope that the little girls and little boys like see that this is something that didn't just happen overnight we have worked tirelessly for the last honestly 25 30 years to have a league like this and we're still growing it's been a a long journey to get here and there was many women before me that you know I think broke down so many barriers and provided the opportunities that myself and my generation got to have and we've spent time breaking down more barriers to get to this this point in time and the women of this generation have stood up for what they believed in and today they get to have their moment that's for them but it's also for every young girl that comes after them and it's all been important part of the journey to get here and I think all of us can take a little bit of pride in this moment today and soak it all in be proud of the women that will walk across the stage but know that there's going to be so many more that come behind [Music] them all the in the building daughters Brothers Sons Aunts Uncles grandparents to witness history being made today I have a daughter who plays hockey and I think it's really cool that someday she could be here I think it's just really exciting to finally get to watch women play hockey on TV I think as a kid I was always like why is it always boys why is it never girls so I just feel like the kid inside me is so excited to finally watch women play hockey World Record 8,318 people setting it for attendance for professional women's hockey you better believe it it's broken the record the alltime women's attendance record for professional hockey in the United States 13,736 in attendance tonight uh you can just feel the energy you can feel the record breaking listen to that crowd everyone's very very excited to be a part of history for me like knowing like all these little girls are like looking up to all these players and stuff it's really fun to see these women have inspired a movement they have inspired so many we are inspired the fans are inspired the game is inspired Ken and it's been surreal it's been emotional it's been unbelievable to watch their talents unfold in front of so many eyes because they did it the fans did it [Music] back here at Roy Wilkins Auditorium downtown St Paul 2024 pwhl draft we are already through three rounds and ready to get round number four started but before we do we want to talk to the number two overall pick in this year's draft Danielle sakne forward from Colgate University headed to play for Ottawa Danielle congratulations and and welcome to the desk here how does it feel yeah thank you so much obviously it's a huge honor um to be back in Canada I've seen the auto off fans and how electric they are um but to be here and just share this moment with my mom and dad is just super incredible and something I'll remember for a long time yeah what does this mean to be here with your family because obviously we've seen women's hockey grow over the years and the opportunities expand on all levels of the game from us as broadcasters to the players to the coaches and everything to be in this moment today knowing the dreams you had as a kid what is this like yeah I just think looking around at the environment um as a kid you never really thought would be a possibility but now uh living through it and being a part of it and uh sharing it with people I love is just so special and uh speaks to the growth of woman talking and I hope uh my career in the pwhl I'm able to impact um and Inspire uh future generations of players too so I'm super honored to be here and uh really excited for the future with Ottawa congratulations Danielle and and good luck in your first year in the pwl yeah Danielle sakne [Music] everybody so we move on to the first pick of round number four and the pick is in for team New York and we are going to go down to the players Karen schroer Ella Shelton Alex Carpenter announcing the first pick of this round with the 19th pick in the 2024 pwhl draft New York selects Gabby [Applause] [Music] Rosenthal Gabby Rosenthal yet another Buckey and another forward off the board Gabby Rosenthal from the National Champion Ohio State Alexis she's the Buckeye but she's a Minnesota native so you get the best of both worlds here with this one somebody who's one at the collegate level and of course from the state of hockey so grew up around this Sport and this is another good addition here 108 Collegiate points at Ohio State University of course it's hard to stand out on a team like that with so much talent but she has found a way to do that and New York is going to pick her up here so again because of the trade New York piling up a lot of picks in a hurry yeah and something that is awesome for New York again the team who finished the lowest in the league but on a hot streak to end the season so kind of it was a tale of two seasons for New York definitely their record and their inability to make the playoffs does not tell the whole story of how this season unfolded for pwhl New York and now they're really loading up on some Talent here in all facets of the game early on in this draft was still a handful of picks to go all right so that's the fourth forward in the last five picks let's take a look at Gabby Rosenthal a 99 birthday from Blaine Minnesota forward with a right hand shot Gabby making her way over to have a chat with sya and the newest member of the New York franchise now I know last year you took the year off to finish your Masters how do you think this will affect your game I know we've seen in the PW some some breaks taken but it comes back and your your game's better than ever what do you think about yours yeah um I took that to get my graduate degree but I'm so excited I think that's sped me all year I've been just so excited to get back to the game and practice with Ohio State my girls OSU love you all and um I'm just so excited and what excites you specifically about being back in a team setting oh I'm so excited the team culture and everything is just what you play for and what you love so I'm excited to play for them in the city of New York and I heard some pretty big cheers who who's here today to support you on this special day uh yeah my parents siblings um friends and all my old teammates so amazing congratulations thank you back to you clay all right so Roy thank you very much I think that's four buck eyes now it's taken off the board here's another one Tessa bunam and thanks for joining us what do you make of the draft so far uh not surprised by any means I feel like in this draft there is no wrong pick the the depth of talent that this league is about to see come into come into it is going to be so exciting and and I think it's just going to elevate the level of play uh the speed the physicality um is going to be fantastic a lot of people mentioned that you know there's a lot of European players coming over from the sdl who already know how to play uh a pro schedule they are already used to the physicality and then you've got these young studs coming out of the NCAA that are ready to rock and roll and they they watch the season take place so far and they're just itching to get at it it's been a wild ride the last few weeks of course you and I were covering the finals together just a few short weeks ago and now here we are at the draft I mean how cool has it been just to see kind of the conclusion of year one and now the start of year two unfolding I don't know about you I feel like I barely caught my breath yeah what day is it I don't know right exactly back to Minnesota the state hockey great to be back and I think that uh you know it makes sense that we're back here I think it made sense for the first year for Ken coin scoffield and Minnesota to to Hoist the Walter cups so um yeah it was just a fantastic year can't wait to see what year two brings it is going to be a wild ride and I am here for it all right Tessa great to talk to you pleasure good to see you thank you so much next pick belongs to Ottawa and it is in and you've been hearing from her all night the manager of diversity and inclusion of the pwl co-founder executive director of black girl Hockey Club Canada soya Tinker announcing the 20th overall pick hello everyone with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Ottawa selects Defender Stephanie marowski [Applause] [Music] I it's hard to believe they keep coming in waves here you have something to do with this Tess a Canadian to believe people and another Buck guy so Tessa we're going to ask you to stay here for a minute and and comment on on this Buck guye look I I have to give a shout out to head coach of the Ohio State University naen muzerall she has these ladies prepped and primed and ready to go I think they are the most ready to be pro athletes here they they were treated as such um in the NCAA na mazerall sets a level of um Excellence that she expects everyone to meet and uh all these ladies do there's a reason why there's nine Buckeyes here available at this draft and why I believe all nine of them will be spoken for at the end of the day well we've seen so many Buckeyes go of course so fans at home are probably wondering well what kind of game does Ohio State play so for all these teams that are getting buck guys added to their team what kind of identity do the buck guys have uh there's an Fu mentality if you will um tons of skill um but listen these ladies know how to bring it night in and night out you look at Emma malte um with pwhl Toronto she's plays physical she plays lean she plays mean and she never quits and she's got a ton of skill to go with it so I think you're getting that from each and every one of these players sya made the announcement now she has the interview with Stephanie yes and how are you feeling in this moment and hearing your name called in this draft yeah I'm just honored and super excited to be part of a great organization and what are you most excited about heading to auta specifically uh I think that just the great organization all the players there they're obviously really Elite and it's a Canadian city so and I'm Canadian so I'm really happy about that for sure headed back across the border and who's here today to support you in this special moment yeah my dad's here and then a lot of the Buckeye teammates so it's great to have them and their support and then all my family uh back home watching me well congratulations back to you clay all right soya thank you very much so Minnesota's on the clock now and we roll right along here in the fourth round of the pwl draft we thank Tessa for coming up the Buckeyes keep rolling in here Minnesota's next um pick is not in yet so we're waiting for for that right now um so just one back with the second pick in the third round otherwise a lot of lot of forwards in this draft Yeah and talking about goal tenders I don't think Minnesota's going to be the team to take the next one either they rolled two goal tenders comfortably all season long and even a goal tender and Amanda levier who we didn't see this season has tremendous Talent as kind of that third string uh that never got any playing time this year so I don't think they're going to lean in that direction we'll see if they go defense or forward um but they've got a lot of great talent on their team already we'll see how they add to it and we're being told that the pick is in for Minnesota we're going to go to the stage and Minnesota players stepping forward to make this announcement [Applause] [Music] with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Minnesota selects forward Brooke [Applause] [Music] Mig all right so Miner taking Brook mcque in this pick um this is a 2000 birthday Canadian forward with a leftand shot out of Clarkson University yeah and very versatile both as a goal scorer and a playmaker 53 goals 58 assists for 111 points in her collegiate career at Clarkson University just celebrated a birthday yesterday so a nice little belated birthday gift for Brook mcqu who will be joining team Minnesota here in the upcoming season they wanted to get a really good player with the the fourth pick the third and the fourth pick um it it gets increasingly harder now a lot of the big names are off the board but Minnesota goes with Brook Mig another College star well this is kind of The Sweet Spot in the draft where a lot of the top top talent has already been taken but we're not so deep in the draft yet that that you're picking uh from a pool of players that maybe you don't know as much about so you're still in that spot where there's a lot of talent available and Minnesota's getting a good player here and Brook mcqu that they can add to their roster somebody who they can help contribute offensively which is something that Coach Ken CLE and the rest of the coaching staff was looking to add to their lineup here tonight so the next team on the list here to make a selection is New York again and um yeah New York is on the clock is that right Boston pardon me let's let's go to sya who's got an interview yes I am here with pulin and Ambrose and how does it feel to have this first season under your belt I think it's been a lot of emotions obviously for everybody that played in The League last year I think it far exceeded every expectation so I think I'm just so excited for every drafty tonight to be able to experience this night and look forward to their first professional year in the league thank you and how did did this season exceed your expectations as well yes 100% it was a real dream come true and obviously unbelievable season and very lucky and happy to be part of this and with all your draft picks heading to Montreal what can they look forward to this next season um I mean other than playing with the best player in the world I think just getting to be a part of this group um from our management to our coaching staff I think we're a top-notch league and or a top-notch team and I really think that anybody coming in is going to be amazed at what we have to offer and I'm really excited with our first three selections so far far amazing and what do you think what do they what do you have to offer M what she said amazing amazing and to all the players that you have and are drafting what are you looking for in the draft this year if you walk over about 20 feet that way there's 12 people sitting at the table that will be able to give a lot better of an answer than either one of us will be able to fair enough thank you all right guys thank you very much Boston is up next and that pick is ready to go so let's go down to Minnesota Aurora FC's goalkeeper Taylor Kane and manager of marketing and Communications Brena Keeler to announce the 22nd overall pick in this year's draft with the 22nd overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Boston selects defense Sydney [Applause] Bard this is a great pick cydney Bard was considered one of the top Defenders uh on the list of available players uh she's picked up here in the fourth round by Boston and this is something that Boston wanted to add to their roster we talked to with their GM ahead of the draft here and they were looking for players who could help in that transition game help in the Rush game provide some speed starting from the back end and carry the puck up the ice and this is somebody who can get the job done in Sydney Bart another thing that is tremendous about her is the fact that she knows when to engage with a player which is huge for a Defender to be able to have that skill you engage to too early you put yourself out of position you engage too late and the play has already been made on you so to know when to make that move and when to engage with the player you're defending against is a tremendous talent to have and Sydney Bard hasn't so Sydney Barn off Bard off to Boston say that five times fast off to Montreal is Kayla Barnes and she'll be joining us in a minute let's go to sorya well first off congratulations my first question is what excites you most about being a professional athlete now yeah I think just knowing There's an opportunity outside of college and I'm kind of looking forward to just you know the fans and the energy I've seen all the games and um it's just such a great opportunity to be a part of it and what about your style of play can really help Boston in this next season yeah I think a speed and a little bit of physicality you know I'm not the biggest player but hopefully brings some a tenasity and just hope that I can help Boston you know be successful next year and do you have anybody here with today or at home that you'd like to shout out that has supported you along your journey yeah both my parents are here today U my girlfriend Caroline and my brothers are watching back home a lot of extended family so yeah just grateful to be a part of it well congratulations and good luck in your rookie season thank you back to you clay all right so Roya thank you very much Kayla Barnes uh taken in the first round fifth overall by Montreal Defender out of Ohio State joins us up here at the desk and Kayla congratulations on heading to Montreal you're one of many Buck guys that have been taken here uh in this draft yeah I mean it's been amazing to see so many Buck guys go um you know this draft has been um a surreal experience so we're all just super excited to be here yeah how do you mentally prepare for this moment because growing up this wasn't an opportunity that was available and as you get older and get through your college career this is on the table now now you're here you go in the first round how do you kind of prepare for a day like today in your career truthfully you you just do the best you can um there's a lot of nerves excitement uh unknown so I think you just do the best you can and um you know when your name's called you hug uh your mom and your dad and say thank you so much for everything and um yeah like I said just super excited to have this opportunity you're a well-traveled person grew up in California played at Boston College for four years then one year at Ohio State now headed to Montreal um were there a lot of opportunities early on to get on the rink in California um not as many um as you know some other places so um really just had to kind of find my own way there but I loved it so much and um when you love something that much you just find a way so congratulations thank you so much Kayla Barnes first round pick of Montreal the next pick is in pick number 23 and we're going to go to broadcast personality and pwl play-by-play announcer Kenzie lone to announce the 20 third overall pick [Music] darl Greg says here another player from Colgate off the board Alexis New Jersey native played a little bit of time at the University of Wisconson then finished her collegiate career over at Colgate 132 points in her College uh Seasons here a 2021 NCAA Champion so she comes with a a good resume here as well to add to this Montreal roster it really feels clay like as we get further and further along in the draft all the things we talked about with the GMS before the draft they're starting to pick everything they needed to fill these gaps heading into this next season so another college player that makes uh four five in a row here uh we we have seen some Europeans taken in this draft there are a lot more Europeans available this year but it's a definite you know college feel to this draft well that's a nice thing about what we're seeing here in this draft 167 draft eligible players we're seeing more and more players come out from that International side and coming over to play here uh in Canada and the United States and the fact that there is so many different options of players whether they're coming right out of college players who are playing overseas in leagues like the sdhl and all the other leagues over there regardless of where they're playing their last couple years of hockey there is Talent all over the board players who have won awards all over the country and all over the world players who have won championships at the Collegiate level I mean we've seen all the buck guys that have gone we've seen so many different players from many colleges over the country uh that have found new homes today in the pwl yeah that's six collegians in a row and Montreal gets Derek Greg all right so Toronto is on the clock right now Toronto of course finished first in the regular season uh got knocked out in their semifinals but this is a franchise that really was impressive in year number one in the pwl their last pick was the final pick of the third round Izzy Daniel the Patty casm Award winner and she's going to offer more offensive punch she's only 5'5 but man she can bring it and I think that's kind of a steal that they got her WI when they did that was a player who definitely could have gone earlier in the draft as you take a look back at the three picks that they've made so far a couple forwards and a Defender to add to their lineup to Canadians and an American and something we talked about with Toronto before the draft here today was the fact that not knowing when Natalie Spooner might be back in the lineup and if that's something that they're factoring into their decision-making here today and they said not really they're just looking for players who can add to the culture add to the talent that Toronto has already built this season and of course you you hope that she's back to start the season but if she isn't they know that whoever they pick here today is going to fit in nicely with their team with their culture with the roster that they've already built through one season here in the pwhl so whichever way they go They're confident that they're going to make the Smart Choice here today Julia Gosling out of St Lawrence University 23 years old the uh first pick for Toronto uh they are still on the clock we're waiting they've got a they've got three minutes to make their selection things go a little bit quicker here after the first couple of rounds absolutely and like we talked about with Montreal this is another team who has so much talent already and who has done so well in this first season in the league so it's hard to say which direction that they're going to go of course we've also only seen one goenda so we'll see if more goal tenders start to go as we get further along we're already running out of time clay we got so many uh picks left to go but we're already about halfway through here well this is interesting uh the the pick for monre for Toronto I should say is going to be announced by Ohio State head coach naen muzero what a star she has been here tonight all of her players are being drafted here's naen coming to the [Music] microphone um congratulations to Minnesota winning the inaugural Walter cup yes um I used to frequent these streets as a former gopher myself um but I did drink the Kool-Aid and went to Ohio State it's all right all good but as a little girl I grew up in Miss Saga so it's a big honor for me to be selecting the next pick for Toronto with the 24th overall pick in the 2024 PW HL draft Toronto select a 24 National Champion Lauren Bernard [Applause] [Music] that makes six is there any players half a dozen Buckey going here tonight Defender Lauren Bernard yeah 79 Collegiate points uh split over Clarkson University and Ohio State University also in Ohio native so she grew up there and played her college hockey there only 22 years old so a younger player here selected in the draft which is always nice to see how much potential she'll have over the course of her season a two-time NCAA champion of course including the most recent Victory here for Ohio State in 2024 pretty cool to have the coach select an Ohio State University player to be drafted next in the draft here absolutely fantastic year for naen and her Buckey and now she has sent a bunch to the pro ranks six here tonight in this draft Lauren Bernard from Madison Ohio left-handed shot excellent Defender championship Bona fides well I hope teams weren't planning on stealing a couple bucke guys late in the draft because I don't know if there's any left clay no that is the last pick of round number four and we still have three rounds to go Lauren Bernard is with sya well first off congratulations how does it feel to have your name called by your former coach I mean it's really surreal especially for Muzzy to call my name it's such a great moment and I'm just super excited and excited it's Toronto and what areas of your game do you think will serve you well at the next level of play I think just consistency and always being a solid Defender has been my game my whole my whole life so super excited to bring that to Toronto well Nan you must be super proud of seeing a lot of your Buckeyes get drafted how does it make you feel just proud um they've earned it they do all the hard work and uh they listen well so it makes my job a lot easier um I'm just you know just like a proud mom for all of these young women that you you knew as an 18-year-old and to see them into these young women now and being role models for the future is special and how does the pwhl affect your coaching style in college now that you get to push these girls to the next level well hopefully it'll help with our recruiting um but with that you know the the pdub H I give a lot of credit to the people behind the scenes because they've done a lot of work growing this game and giving opportunities to young girls but in terms of you know playing in the WCHA I I think that that has helped prepare these girls for the pdub and the style that they're about to about to play amazing well thank you and congratulations back to you clay all right so thank you very much so ready to begin round number five here at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown St Paul and that means New York is back on the clock Kenzie lone play by play announcer from the pwl joins us now she called the Walter Cup finals and uh Kenzie your thoughts on what you've seen here tonight as as we look forward to a second year in this league yeah I think first and foremost just being a broadcaster being a media we get the front row seat to some of the most incredible moments in sport and especially here in the pwhl so it's been a whirlwind and even today seeing the athletes embrace one another finding out they're about to be teammates you know I heard Kayla Barnes earlier sad with with Jen Garner hugging saying we get to be roommates together in Montreal so you see these athlet have these moments with one another knowing they're going to be teammates in a professional League it's what the day is all about all right Kenzie hang tight with us here we understand that the pick is ready to go for pwl New York and we're going to go to the creator of what is called the gold plan Adam Gold to announce the first pick here in round number five [Applause] with the 25th pick in the draft pwhl New York selects L harie another player from the college ranks back to the forward position El harie out of Yale 23 years old a Detroit Michigan native look the Bulldogs in scoring each of the last three seasons yeah she's from the United States but has played overseas as well most recently playing in the ewl so you talk about some of that International talent that includes players of course who were born in the States but have found ways to play hockey overseas she'll now come back here into New York to join their team and we talk about all the picks they've added to their roster here tonight clay it's been impressive what New York has done another fantastic pick here 168 points in her collegia career at Yale University yeah she's been described as a late bloomer Kenzie it sounds like her career uh has no limit right now well I think soroya is probably over there smiling ear to ear a Yale graduate herself to see the name get called here and just an incredible opportunity you have to think for these athletes you think you may know where you're going but you never really do until your name is called and for New York as the storyline continues for them I will be interested to see if they'll take a goal tender you look at their go endings right now and the way things are rolling out all three of them are free agents so will they look to address that here in the draft maybe scoop up we've seen gwenneth Phillips go so far so go tending will be a storyline I'm going to keep following all right L is with s well first off congratulations Ella I was a senior when you were a freshman so it's so cool to see you here today and you were always such a smart player and made the transition to college so easily what are you excited about transitioning into the pwhl now I would say the thing I'm most excited for is to learn under the veterans who have been playing professional hockey for so long this is obviously going to be the second year of the Peta but there's been a lot of years of women's hockey before this and I can't wait to learn from all of those Trailblazers and just get my feet under me and see how much better I can get and having been in New Haven for the last four years or so how do you feel about heading to the big city in New York I'm stoked I don't know where the games are going to end up being played this year but I have a lot of friends who ended up being in New York for postgrad jobs and they did play in Bridgeport this year which is just a hop skip and a jump from New Haven so I'm so excited this location couldn't be more perfect and you know I love a good outfit I've got to ask what's up with the jacket what's up with the outfit tell me all about it so my pseudo stylist sister dressed me today we kind of wanted to do something that made me feel a little more comfortable and in my own style um and go to Detroit shout out maybe let's get a team there sometime in the near future here we go well thank you so much and congratulations thank you you're killing it thank you back to you clay yes she is all right otta is up next and the pick is ready we're going to go back to the stage and general manager Mike hersfield to announce the 26th overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft with the 26th overall pick in the 20124 pwhl draft Ottawa selects man and McMahon man and mcmah from the University of Minnesota the first UMD Bulldog to be selected this year another forward and she is headed to Ottawa not only a UMD Bulldog but also a Minnesota native born and raised in Maple Grove so cool to see her born in the state of hockey stayed uh in the state of hockey for college and now we'll have a chance to play in the pwhl for team Ottawa 87 points as a bulldog and she'll look to add to ottawa's offense as well so congratulations to her Kenzie this is a very good pick McMahon out of the University of Minnesota duth from Maple Grove forward with a right hand shot yeah I think you look at Ottawa continued to develop that depth in their in their forward group as a season went on you could see the coaching staff starting to put some lines together in finding chemistry and I think someone like Manon can continue to find that being in a new environment it's something athletes are used to and I'm sure she'll look to adapt her skills she's with sya well first off congratulations how special has this day been for you and were you nervous at all before hearing your name called oh yeah definitely nervous but I mean it's so amazing just to be in a room with all these amazing athletes women um current and former players and it's a dream come true I couldn't be happier and being the 200 foot centerman that you are what areas of your game are you hoping to bring to Ottawa yeah definitely the physicality piece have you as we've heard a lot mentioned tonight but definitely a big part of the game but just my creativity as well as a a good character in the locker room and a good teammate awesome and I saw a lot of big hugs there when you got up who's here to support you today uh my mom my dad both my brothers uh my teammates uh UMD Uh current and former and yeah just a lot of friends well congratulations good luck in your rookie season thank you so much back to you clay Round of Applause for man and man Kenzie yeah I think it's always great you think of this moment it'll be something these athletes will never forget and I think it's a storyline as I continue to speak with them kind of behind the scenes there just around the corner you can kind of get the sense of the realization that the reality settling in in their eyes and again you just see the opportunity for them to go through this experience with fellow teammates and those that are from this region here in Minnesota you can tell it's extra special Kenzie great job on the finals great job all year and uh we look forward to hearing you again next season Kenzie lone all right Minnesota is up next third overall pick here in the fifth round and for that let's go back up to the stage and Minnesota's pick will be announced by Caren by [Music] what a pleasure it is to be here with the 27th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Minnesota selects forward Dominic [Applause] Petri York is next [Music] Dominique Petri out of Clarkson University such a great program out of the ecac from Hermosa Beach California another forward being selected here in round number five and another player from a quote unquote non-traditional hockey State cool to see some of those players getting off the board here getting added to uh the state of hockey here in pwl Minnesota 23 years old 106 points in her collegiate career played at Harvard and Clarkson over her time there and she'll join a fantastic team here in Minnesota of course the Walter Cup champions in year one in the pwhl let's recap what Minnesota's done up to this point of course uh with their first overall pick in round number one they took Claire Thompson a Defender uh not here tonight so we didn't get a chance to talk to her but a very good pick Minnesota very satisfied getting a solid Defender a veteran Defender Defender from Canada britter curl out of North Dakota University of Wisconsin a forward first forward taken by Minnesota here tonight a European goes with the third pick him Lova third overall pick for Minnesota mcqu with the fourth pick and Petry number five it feels like Minnesota is putting together exactly what they wanted to in this draft if I could guess what their next pick or maybe two picks would be I think they go back to defense they talked about wanting to bolster that blue line a little bit and especially get more defense that can move the puck well and maybe jump in on the play they've got players on the roster already like that Sophie Jakes of course we've seen what she's done since she came over from Boston here this year in Minnesota you've got a stable player like Lee stck line on the blue line so many talented players that play on that back end for Minnesota but I know that was a need of theirs was to help add to that so I think maybe with at least one of their final two picks they they go with a Defender I think New York who's up next by the way has to be pretty happy with the way this draft is going uh finished last in the inaugural season but they are reaping some great players here out of this draft under a new head coach too Greg Fargo um is going to replace hoe Draper who's going back to the college ranks in Canada Pascal DA has made some good picks here I think New York's in a unique position right clay where not only are you getting some new players added to your lineup here tonight but of course you're you're trying to bring in a new coach as well so there's a lot of newness to this New York team which I think is needed when you finish the season the way that they did obviously not how they wanted not having a chance to play for that Walter cup but finishing with a little bit of a spark now you've got a chance to add a lot of new pieces here in this offseason and see if you could put something together to make a better season next year let's go back to the microphone on the stage and Pascal dahu the general manager of New York with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft New York select golender Kaye [Music] Osborne so just the second [Music] goenda Osborne going to New York in round number five I think this is a great choice by New York and you heard Kenzie alone talking about it with us just moments ago saying that New York probably could use another go tender knowing that all three of their go tenders might not be back starting next season so they get a chance to add in between the pipes here today with the Westport Ontario native here graduated from Colgate University had six shutouts in her senior season 1.28 goals against average and almost a 95% save percentage so a tremendous talent in the in the uh blue paint let's go to sya who's with Ella Shelton from New York now Ella you were in this position last year waiting for your name to be called what advice would you give these draf as they sit here and anxiously wait for their names to be called yeah I think the best thing I can think about is just enjoy the moment and have fun with it when you hear your name have the biggest smile and just so much gratitude knowing that you get to go and play the sport that you love in a brand new place that you may or may not have ever been to before and when you get there just once again enjoy the moment make the most of it and and yeah just love what you do and it wasn't necessarily the outcome in the season that you wanted with New York but moving forward what are you looking for to move forward and better the team yeah I think that at New York we've created a standard now for us and I think from the ne this past season and going into the next it's just building off of that and seeing where we can go from there awesome well thank you Ella thank you back to you clay all right so Ro thank you very much congratulations to the second goal tender picked here in in the 2024 draft and naen muzel the head coach of Ohio State joins us up here at the desk a half dozen Buckeyes going in this year's draft again congratulations on that congratulations on another National Championship you really have it rolling in Columbus thank you uh a lot of uh congratulations goes to the young women and their hard work actually so well you know it's got to be cool to see so many players get drafted here today obviously you've done something right to get them ready to play in this league and of course of course that can be tough right you've seen one season of this league not exactly knowing what to expect right away but now we've seen what this league has to offer what have you done to help prepare these players to play in the pros like this well just watch Emma malte and she can kind of uh show you what uh I've done with our players um you know just um hard work um the grit the relentlessness that it'll take playing against the top in the world and playing very physical hockey it's so fun to watch and uh being grateful that they are there and earn every minute so now that everyone is playing professional hockey what do you have left coaching I mean you might have to lace up the skates me do you have any eligibility requirement you know with uh with nil I bet they could find a way to pay you well no congratulations on everything that's going on and and you know honestly uh the WC continues to have kind of a strangle hold on College hockey um you know I'm sure that you like that but where do you think the health of women's college hockey is right now Minnesota yeah great Minnesota state of hockey um of course you can't forget like Canada obviously has you know that it's our Sport and um we have a lot of talent I know we've profited a lot off of the Toronto area and the west coast and Vancouver um and then watching the worlds in the Olympics and seeing you know the Czech and Sweden and Finland um lot of credit to those coaches out there in the development that they've done naen great to see you again as always wonderful job apprciate it naen muzero from Ohio State all right so Montreal is up next and this is pick number 29 overall in the draft and we're going to go back up to the stage and general manager Danielle savaj Jo has the announcement for the 29th overall pick belonging to Montreal Defender Anna [Applause] wilgren Anna wilgren from the University of Wisconsin another player from the WCHA coming off the board and heading north of the border to Montreal yeah finished her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin but also spent some time at Minnesota State University Mano she's a Hudson Wisconsin native just 24 years old and this is somebody who has been known to make good decisions on the back end and a lowrisk high reward player which as somebody who is paying attention to Defenders is like music to your ears you love when a Defender makes those smart decisions but also can make the big play when necessary uh also can handle the physical play well which has been a theme we've seen in many of these draft picks here today and really is a necessity if you want to play in the pwhl you have to be able to bring that physicality if you don't already have it you have to be able to learn it and so many of these players including Anna wilgren can play that physical game uh this is also a player who has strong positioning in her own end knows how to manage the gaps and be able to get sticks in Lane so I think this is a tremendous addition to Montreal they've been looking for depth in a lot of areas they're getting it here on the back end 24y years old from Hudson Wisconsin about 30 minutes from here Toronto is now on the clock let's go to sya well first off congratulations can you tell me a little bit how you feel to be a professional athlete yeah it's amazing honestly it's it's a lot more um comfortable up here than it was sitting over my seat but yeah I'm super excited to get the season started for sure and and how are you feeling about heading to Montreal I'm excited it's going to be a new opportunity I don't know a whole lot about the city but I'm excited to kind of start a new chapter my hockey career here well I can tell you the fans are definitely great there but at the same time who's here today to support you on this special day yeah my mom and dad are out there my agent and a couple teammates so yeah amazing well thank you so much and congrats thank you so much back to you clay congratulations to Anna wilgren you know that's part of this too it's an adventure doesn't know much about Montreal there is so much culture up there and she's going to be embracing it embracing it I'm sure and it's just a great adventure that she's about to embark on well the other thing that I think is so cool that you're starting to see here as the rounds and the picks go on is all the shots of the parents and the friends and the family this is a big moment for them as well for those have been along on the ride with all these hockey players who've gone through the ranks as a child and then gone on to play college hockey or gone on to play overseas now getting a chance to play professional hockey so many parents sitting in this crowd here today probably never thought that would be a possibility because it wasn't 10 15 20 years ago now there's a league with all of the best players in the world playing here in the pwl six teams the three Canadian teams three American teams so many different cities and great teams and coaches to play for and it's just been really cool as we're starting to reflect on all that's happened here tonight to see all these players get this moment along with their families a lot has happened here tonight let's uh get you caught up of course the number one overall pick went to New York and it was Sarah filer out of Princeton University a Canadian going 1 here in 2024 Danielle sakne who we talked about about went number two overall to Ottawa this is Toronto's draft recap so far goling Carter Izzy Daniel Lauren Bernard and Toronto is on the clock right now so we're starting to see some goenda forward heavy draft we'll see what Toronto has in the offing as Gina kingsburry just uh handed their pick in the number 30 pick overall in the draft and I think at this point too clay we're going to start to see more goenda the draft there's not many picks left for each of these teams and although we've seen a couple goendale there's still a lot of talent left on the board so we'll see if teams are going to decide to help bolster uh in between the pipes there with so many uh available goal tenders here still to go with a couple rounds left okay the pick is not in yet they are still uh thinking about it and we we'll recap someone else here let's talk about let's talk about Ottawa a little bit we we just had Danielle sakne up here a little bit ago she was the first pick off the board for Ottawa uh came out of Colgate uh a terrific player with you know 59 stature does a great job keeping the puck away from players and that that's what they were looking for at Ottawa they were looking for players to uh be physical physical and they were looking to add some depth and and I think a handful of these players that they've already picked here today offer depth on both ends of the ice regardless of what position they play which is always something awesome that you can get if you can find a way to get it and ottawa's done that I think they've done a fantastic job so far of course getting Danielle sakne in that number one pick for them uh here in the draft today is a tremendous pick and then theyve really uh followed it up with a lot of great picks additionally they took the first goal tender in the draft in gwenneth Phillips who I said when she was picked I think is one of the best goenda here today so really in all three facets of the game I think theyve found some great pieces so far here all right Toronto is ready and Gina Kingsbury the general manager from pwl Toronto is at the microphone with the number 30 pick in the draft with a 30th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Toronto picks forward noi noova [Applause] all right so Toronto's pick Naomi NE brova from the Czech Republic and she's a right-handed shot another forward going to Toronto and another uh Czech native we saw a Czech native go earlier in the draft here uh today this uh player in Naomi Nuova is from colon czechia played at Colgate University and uh Providence College and tallied 77 collegiate career points she's also played overseas in the sdhl and she's won a couple World Championships at the iihs or sorry medalist at the IIHF World level uh with two bronze medals there so she's played both here in the state she's played overseas she's uh played in some of those tough games at that IIHF level and picked up a couple bronze medals so I think this is another good pick here for Toronto somebody who provide some de for them also just 24 years old so uh coming in at a younger age here as well so noi barova the final pick of round number five we've got two rounds to go so far so good right fans this has been a fun night there is the Walter cup what they will be playing for again next year but right now that resides in the Twin Cities as Minnesota won the championship less than two weeks ago so round five this is what it looked like harie McMahon Petri Osborne wilgren and noi barova going off the board and like I said I think at this point in the draft we're going to see maybe a few more goldendent at the goldendelight.com for a go tender you're getting a good golender here today when you talk about the prospects let's take a look at some of the prospects in this year's draft as we go to break and get ready for round six Landing in Minnesota was definitely really exciting for me but also came with a lot of nerves um I think women's hockey is in such a good spot and there's so many exciting things going on so um to be one of the prospects of the draft is a huge honor and um something I'm really looking forward to tomorrow um um as I'm preparing for the draft I'm a little anxious but I think you know those feelings are good feelings they're normal um but honestly it's just super exciting um to attend and to have my family and friends um support me and experience it with me um it's going to be really a great time I think I'm most excited to just play in a league with the best players in the world um I think this has been a long time coming so to be a part of that is really special uh I think just meeting new people becoming a pro um living on my own and exploring a new city and just that Pro lifestyle so it'll be a fun uh first job for me and um I'm super excited to get it going I kind of wanted to get out of outside my comfort zone and experience a new place so wherever I end up whether it's back home in Minnesota that' be great but um I'll be happy wherever I end up any team that values me as a player or a person that and they want to have on their team like I'll be excited to go to it's even hard to describe it because uh the moment when I realize that it's actually happening like just I just get the Goosebumps all over my body to hear my name that would be incredible uh and of course to just call my family after and uh we have done this together cuz they helped me so much but that would be a dream come true and I can't wait and I hope just uh I'm going to hear my name tomorrow I think hearing my name called at the draft will be something that's almost undescribable um I think this is a dream that I've had for such a long time and it's been a long time coming for women's hockey so it's going to be super special and to share it with my family is going to be even more special so I think a lot of emotions um and yeah it's just going to be amazing to be there with them and I'm super excited and looking forward to it the moment I hear my name call that I'm sure it's going to be really emotional um I've worked so hard to to get to where I am and everything my parents have done um you know especially these past six years uh with going through college and and school um it's just going to mean a lot for my family and um there will be a really exciting new chapter uh in my life if I would hear my name it would be a dream come true since I start to play hockey so this is something I've been dreaming about and yeah I'm looking forward tomorrow that day was probably the most anxious I've ever been in my entire life um I feel like I had no idea where I was going now the nerves are kicking in never happened before right so I feel like no one knew anything we were just coming from a hockey Cananda camp where we're all together um and honestly the draft was all that was on our minds a lot of us the entire time so I feel like it was a lot of buildup to that moment um and for me I had no idea when I was going to go where I was going to go the moment where I actually got picked was an incredible moment um it was comforting um being selected by Troy and Gina with familiarity with them and um having my parents there was really cool to experience the whole um inaugural draft so I I think looking back at it it was a very crazy day that um determined a lot about my future but I'm so glad that it happened yeah it's a big adjustment um I don't think that a lot of people understand the quality of hockey um in this league is exceptional um and it's day in and day out um so that's definitely an adjustment period to um understand your body and what you need to do to keep performing at that highest level that you can and be consistent um for me I I I'm really happy with the season um I think that as an individual I've I've grown a lot through the season and I I'm understanding what it takes to be a pro now and I think um it's kind of just hitting me now after the season has ended that this is my career and it's about long-term wins and I think that's a learning experience I think it's something that I'm really excited for the future here in Toronto and to continue on to be a pro athlete is pretty cool with the fifth pick in the first round of the inaugural pwl draft Ottawa selects Savannah Harmon the draft was just an amazing experience to be a part of um was lucky my mom was able to be uh in the stands with me and to hear my name selected by Ottawa was just such an honor um and then to get here and play in front of the fans here every night there just nothing short of amazing and to be able to call TD place home and you know get to put on these jerseys every night and play in front of them they're Rowdy they're fun and they keep us going and we're just thankful yeah being a part of this inaugural season um such an honor um this League's incredible and it's only just the beginning um sky the limit for sure and I think uh we're just getting started here in [Music] Ottawa New York is pleased and very happy to select Jill Son Well my draft was kind of funny because I was at the snack table eating the snacks um and I had like three bread sticks in my mouth when I got like drafted um so I had to like quickly guzzle those down and put the rest in my pocket of my suit and then go you know give caty a hug I think the funny thing about draft night was um it was like all the kind of stars had aign for me in New York um you know I was wasn't drafted for a little while so I started to see all my friends get drafted and then everyone started to go to New York no one really knew anything about this group and then all of a sudden all these wonderful humans started to get drafted there and it became the team that everyone wanted to get drafted to um so then when I heard my name you know halfway through the draft I I just started laughing because the first thing person I saw was Jesse who was my best friend and then it was like all of the girls from New York started like standing up for the crowd to hug me it took like 20 if I swear to get to the stage but um it was cool it was a memory I'll have my my mom filmed my grandfather and my grandmother watching me get drafted at from home and that was pretty special you know to see them emotional that this had really kind of come to fruition and it was a really special day those are the prospects as we came into this year's draft and that's what they are playing for every season in this league it belongs in Minnesota right now but who knows next year perhaps Toronto and speaking of Toronto we welcome in Natalie Spooner this year's leader in goals and points Natalie uh congratulations on a great first year with Toronto but unfortunately you're on crutch has now suffered a left ACL injury in the semifinals here in Minnesota first of all how'd the surgery go and what's your what's your likelihood to be back in time for the regular season surgery went great um I think as good as it could have gone and uh now the rehab starts but I'm always a goal Setter and the goal is to be back for the season um I always say nothing can be as hard as childbirth so I'm up for another challenge well of course the first season in Toronto was so tremendous so many highs in that season the long winning streak through the middle of the regular season all the excitement in the semi-finals of course going to five games what was it like just to finally get some games under our belt the anticipation of the first season was something but to actually play the games had to have been a whole other experience yeah I mean looking back now it was such a whirlwind I think obviously the way our team started probably wasn't the way we wanted to but to be able to really rally and the way that our group stuck together um I'm so proud to just say that we went on that winning streak we were able to clinch that first place um in the season and obviously the ending wasn't uh how we wanted but I think that there's a lot that we can learn and I know we have the right pieces down the line to to raise that Walter cup we were talking with your general manager Gina Kingsbury early here tonight and she talked about the Toronto culture and she went in depth about it and how it's Unique it's special she wants to protect it you've got new teammates coming in now and and what do you make of this draft for Toronto oh it's been amazing I mean I think you know a lot of them I already KN know so um I think they'll fit right in and step in and uh join our team and I think that we have a really welcoming environment we have a lot of fun but at the same time we're super welcoming and we want everyone to bring what they're good at and I think that that's from you know our GM from our coach I think they really preach you know do what you're good at and don't worry about what other people are doing just do what you're good at and I think that that's what's made our team so successful Gina also talked about the leadership in Toronto and how important that is to have players in the locker room on the ice who other players can look up to and and know that they're going to lead the way in every facet of the game you're one of those leaders obviously uh both in the talent that you provide but also the the leadership uh that you provide to the players what is that like to be in that role in a new league like this and and kind of help these young players enter into this league and play professional for the first time yeah I mean I think kind of coming into it you know I could say I had a lot of experience but at the same time it was pretty new for everyone um you know playing this this type of season we hadn't played in a long time but I think there's a lot of players with a lot of experience on the team and we could really bouncey ideas off each other and um you know we had great leadership throughout the whole locker room and different people could step up on any day and I think that that's what made the locker room really great Natalie thank you very much good luck with the recovery thank you can't wait to see you back on the ice the scoring champion from year number one in the pwl Natalie Spooner New York is up next and the pick is ready to go let's go back up to the microphone and New York general manager Pascal Dau with the 3 31st overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft New York selects New York [Applause] [Music] emyo Emmy fecto out of Concordia University Canadian taken by New York and that is New York's last pick they made the trade so they will not have a seventh round pick but this is a good one in the sixth well I think if you're New York you're happy with the way this draft went you engaged in a trade the first ever in pwhl draft history and I think they made the most of it here clay they got a lot of picks early and now they're closing it out with a bang here with the 25-year-old from Concordia University she's a 2022 us Sports Champion and 89 points in her collegiate career of course the Canadian native but will be coming over the border to play here in New York and joining a lot of new teammates who were selected here today as [Applause] well it is a team that has the likes of Alex Carpenter 23 points this year second most in the pwhl Ella Shelton top scoring Defender and now fecto is headed to New York as well this is a team that you can see already they're going to be challenging for a playoff spot and and this is this is a year where they take advantage of having the first overall pick and making a trait and have a bunch of picks early but this is rounding into shape quickly for New York Emmy is with sya well first off congratulations what does it how does it feel to be a member of the pwhl thank you it's a it's an honor for sure I'm very grateful to be here and to be selected today and having been from Canada were you hoping to stay in Canada or are you excited to go to New York I'm very excited to go to New York there are some K Bakers in New York in the in the team so I'm very excited amazing and what are you most excited about about your rookie season uh just to work hard uh to uh make an impact with the team and be there for my teammates play for my teammates and and win amazing well thank you and congratulations good luck thank you very much back to you clay yeah it's all about winning that's pretty it's pretty good answer look looking forward to winning and New York with this draft roster looks like they're set up pretty well to win in 2025 well they started off the draft with a bang and drafting Sarah filer with their first overall pick here in the 2024 pwhl draft they added a player like tules who I said was one of the players that I thought was one of the most valuable picks here in the draft I love that addition they picked up a variety of different players you got some Canadians some Americans some players who have played overseas and you got a little bit of everything defense forward go Bender I don't think you're disappointed leaving the draft here today if you're in New York now this was a good night for pwhl New York and now Ottawa is back on the clock here at Roy Wilkins Auditorium so we're we're we're getting on the backstretch of this thing and now it's a little bit harder to make selections uh you know there's still some great talented players even in this room yet that are going to hear their name called but uh it's a little bit more challenging now to find the right fit would you think I agree 100% And you can kind of script the beginning of it as you try to figure out okay who are we going to take we got this pick we got that pick but once you get further on everything's a scramble you don't know who's going to get picked win and at this point you're looking for the best available and trying to fill those remaining gaps that you have left all right Ottawa is next and the general manager Mike hfield with the 32nd overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Ottawa is police to select forward Anna [Music] Mika Ana Mike now selected by [Music] Ottawa austri played in the Swedish League she's going to be 30 years old and you know a veteran obviously can bring some leadership to this roster immediately I think this is a player that could have potentially been selected a little earlier in the draft so I think this is a great pick for Ottawa here and you talk about experience she's got it at every single level of the game she plays with speed and she's also a great Puck Handler which is great to have that you can do both if you can play with speed and handle the puck well not every player can bring both of those at the same time she is somebody who can she was the 2023 sdhl MVP and a three-time ewl champion and of course uh anytime you can bring that kind of uh resume to the table you're a very valuable player Hannah Bila fourth overall pick of Boston is up here now congratulations Hanah on being selected here tonight thank you I appreciate it so what are you looking forward to about going to Boston I think uh just going back to a city that I was able to spend four years at Boston College um one of the best cities in the world so I'm so excited yeah and and now you're going to be a part of a of an established team already that has already made it to a final what can you add yeah I think they have so many great players already so um just kind of adding to that skill that that fast pace they play and yeah hopefully uh it works out in the end you hear a lot of players talk about the draft and the later it gets on if you haven't been picked yet that stress gets built up you got picked early and then you got to enjoy the rest of the draft so what has it been like here today to know you got your name called and now you can kind of take in this environment and enjoy this moment yeah I'm I'm super grateful um obviously um just be able to spend it with my friends and family here is is really incredible all right congratulations again great to see you enjoy the night thank you all right so Minnesota is up next here in round number six and being told that the pick is in and making the announcement Nick smok with sled hockey and Lisa silky from the Minnesota Women's Hockey Association they'll be at the microphone to make the Minnesota announcement here in round number six [Music] [Music] [Applause] with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Minnesota selects defenseman May bson [Applause] [Music] so BS another Canadian St Lawrence University and another Defender Boston is on the clock now yeah and for Minnesota this is exactly what they needed from Germany here 98 points in her collegia career 75 assists as a Defender there on the blue line which is exactly what Minnesota was hoping to had a player who not only Assa defensively but can contribute to the offense as well I think they get that here in May bson fantastic choice she's 23 years old she'll turn 24 this season and I love this pick for [Music] Minnesota May Bon going to the Walter Cup champion Minnesota franchise bson out of St Lawrence University and another Defender and speaking of Minnesota we've got Kelly Panic coming up in just a moment but first we want to hear from May on her special night she's making her way over to sya [Music] sah take it away well congratulations how are you feeling right now in this moment honestly super relieved I think I've been shaking in my seat since the first pick so super excited and how does it feel to be joining the championship team oh I'm so honored this is honestly my first time in Minnesota so I can feel the energy and thanks to everyone for sticking around and who is here to support you today on this special day I have my family here my brother and my parents so they're the best shout out to them and and we know your brother also plays professional hockey how have you two pushed each other to get to this point where you are today yeah I just wanted to be him since the day I was born saw my saw him play hockey and that's what I wanted to do so that's something we share and a passion for sure so super amazing well congratulations and good luck in your rookie season thank you back to you play so may bson joining Minnesota and Kelly panck forward for the Walter Cup champions joins us now you got a new teammate got a lot of new teammates here tonight what are you making of the draft for your franchise yeah it's really exciting um obviously hosting it in Minnesota is exciting um having Walter here with us um always great to see him and then like you said walking our new teammates in looking forward to it I mean it's crazy how fast the new Season's going to come up so we're just one year through the pwhl and of course Minnesota in the unique position to have gone through the entire grind of preseason regular season semi-finals finals hoisting the Walter Cup right now you're the only team that can say that you've done that raising up that Championship uh what was that like to kind of go through the ups and downs of this first season and know in the end it was all worth it yeah we wanted to maximize our games that was for sure um doing the max 10 and playoffs and like you said It's a Grind from the very start last year's preseason was really long um but to see the progression of our team to the very end was really exciting and then lifting Walter cup at the very end of it you couldn't have dreamt it any better all right Kelly stick with us for a second Boston is ready to make its selection here with the 34th pick overall and it's time for social media star Crystal sorum to come to the stage and announce the next pick for the Boston franchise hello with the 34th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Boston selects forward Shay Maloney woo [Music] Boston gets Shane Maloney here in the six round and born in Illinois she just had her 24th birthday back in January 80 points in her collegiate career she's also played overseas in the sdhl tally 20 points playing for lexand if so somebody who's got experience across the pond and here in the United States and now is getting added to this Boston team who came so close to that Championship here today and are just looking for those extra pieces to get them to that Finish Line next year yeah I mean you played Boston up close in personal for five games here just a couple of weeks ago that's a franchise that is just missing a couple of pieces otherwise they might have the hard work yeah I think that's a great thing about this league you could say that about every single team um there's so much depth and it's just getting added to tonight and and then the future years as well but like I said every team is so close and it's it makes it really fun game and game out talk about the the influx of European to the the width and breadth of women's hockey now and the amount of talent that's going to be brought into this league coming next year yeah we call ourselves the best league in the world and I think a big part of that is bringing more European players over and the more that come the more they go tell their friends what a great place it is or what a great opportunity is to play um I think it just adds to that and again adds to the depth and hopefully growing this league in the future all right you going to stick around and talk to us a little bit more make a few more picks I don't don't know about you're really good on the microphone stick around so Montreal is on the clock here and they've got the 35th pick in the sixth round are there any surprises so far in your estimation um maybe the the Abby borin pick going to Montreal was that a shocker to you um not a shock necessarily just because having played with her she's phenomenal a great person in the locker room a great teammate a great player on the ice and I think she took the most of her opportunity this season and I think other teams saw that and um I mean sad for us in Minnesota to to see her go but really happy for her and the opportunity she has ahead of her and you know we've talked all night long about what this is like for the players getting selected here today and finding new teams uh to play for here in the pwhl but what is it like as a player already in the league already on a team here watching these players come in not even necessarily just for the team you play for in team Minnesota but just in general kind of seeing this moment in this dream come to life for all these players yeah they I mean it's exciting for everyone most people haven't had this opportunity like I never had the opportunity leaving college to be excited about a draft and to have those nerves and the anticipation and you can just see every person they come off stage and they're so relieved and excited and invigorated and um I think they're going to bring that to every team they go to so it sounds like uh Montreal is going to take a timeout uh this will be their second timeout here tonight 5-minute timeout allotted when they are taken and so Montreal needs to take a little more time the last pick they took in the fifth round Anna wilgren are defend Ender out of the University of Wisconsin so let's talk about the Minnesota Championship again while we have you up here Kelly and I mean it's just so fresh in your memory only 12 days old is there a particular moment a turning point in the series where you felt yes this is going to happen um I actually think I went back to our series of Toronto game two in Toronto I think we' refound our game even though we ended up losing that game I think they scored in the last a minute 30 seconds to get up one zero lead um I think that was a big turning point for our team just to get back to the team that we knew we could be and the knew we knew we were um and then just kind of trying to ride that momentum through the rest of the playoffs and what was the end of the season regular season I should say like for you guys obviously a tough break there coming back from the world championship break you lose a handful of games going to the playoffs then lose those first two against Toronto uh in such a short season here in the pwl there's not a lot of room for error yet somehow you guys found a way to turn it around figure it out just in the nick of time what is that moment like in a season where your backs are against the wall and it's now or never we felt that for five games coming back from the international break and we just couldn't like I said we couldn't find our game again um and like you said being found it at the right time but it is it's you never know at a five-game series um all it takes maybe is one game or one shift one goal whatever it is to turn it around and I mean mat Rooney was huge for us in that first series turning it around for us we had a great back one in her and then when Nicole came in in the second series against Boston it was the kind of that same feeling so um I think we just started playing as individuals and then as a team better hockey we're waiting for Montreal's pick here in the sixth round the 35th pick overall they've taken a five-minute timeout to deliberate we're talking with Kelly panck one of the Minnesota captains and leaders for This Walter Cup Championship team what is the biggest change you expect to see in year number two not just with your team but the league I think every team knows what each other's teams ident ideas so that scouting piece of it I think is going to be a big difference and I think it's just going to make every game more and more competitive and as each organization kind of finds their Niche finds who they are um they start drafting for it and they start picking for it and you know developing around it so um again as more players get at it and more teams find you know their identity and solidify that it's going to make that uh scouting job both easier and maybe harder in some ways as well talk about the crowds that you guys saw here uh in the pwhl this season in the regular season in the playoffs Minnesota of course being one of those fan bases that showed up night after night so many other teams can say the same and especially in the playoffs those that finals uh matchup uh every game at home here so big the games in Boston so big what was that like I mean again for so many players they're playing in front of crowds like that for the first time um I will never forget the feeling driving into the Exel Energy Center for that first game um it was really emotional just you know we'd heard about the anticipation the number that was going to show up that game and to see it as you're running on to the ice like it was a really emotional feeling and then to see those crowds continue to show up for us um it's easier to get a crowd like that for one night but to get it for multiple nights like that throughout the entire season and then throughout playoffs like that's such a huge boost to go out there and play for a crowd that's invested into it they're part of the experience with you does everybody get a day with the cup um I have not heard if we do um so maybe we get that going maybe we get that going here talk to maybe we should get that moving around the state of Minnesota I I won't have to travel that far I mean like most of our roster is from here lives here at this point what would you do with your day with the cup party of course course my family need yeah we're talking with Kelly panck from the Minnesota franchises we're waiting on Montreal's pick here in the sixth round uh they've taken a second timeout here tonight again uh best players available it becomes a little bit more challenging here uh to deliberate as we get into these later rounds let's take a look at Minnesota's draft have to recap and get Kelly's reactions to what has happened here tonight Claire Thompson went off the board first for Minnesota the third overall pick a Defender yeah I've had to play against her it feels like too much so excited to be on a team with her she brings a lot of energy to the ice kind of can do it all as a Defender play some offense defend um again a great person to have around a team um from the people I know that I've played with or so excited to get her you know in the US and on our team and Brit kurl uh great college player she's going to become a pro for the first time your thoughts on bri Bri's another player that you can put her in any spot in the lineup and she just is a jolt of energy um she's physical she's strong she's competitive she can shoot the puck um she can penalty kill for you she can be on a power play someone who I think is going to add a lot to to our group and uh to the competitiveness of our team Kelly I hope you get your day with the cup please it's great to see it congratulations on the championship Kelly Panic from the OTA franchise all right Montreal has made its decision with the number 35th pick general manager Danielle savaj Jo 35th pick overall in the 2024 pwl draft Montreal is very proud to select Defender Anna chelin [Applause] so another European shelin from Sweden another Defender as Montreal took a while to make this pick Alexis but they think they've got a good one another older player 30 years old so a veteran leader that can come in and bring some leadership right away but with that that age comes experience and some championships on her resume as well three-time sdhl champion and a member of the 2023 Sweden All-Star team they took a lot of time to make this pick but I think this was a great pick here for Montreal the only team so far that's taken timeouts to think about their picks here today I like the choices they've made coming out of those timeouts so Montreal is done in the sixth round New York is done for the night made a trade so their last pick was in the sixth round new head coach Greg Fargo joined this year it's great to meet you in person congratulations on the new job and and a big night here for the pwl New York franchise yeah it's been uh it's been a great night my first draft experience obviously but uh you know it's been a lot of fun to be over at the draft table and see how Pascal and uh and everybody over there navigate the night was been great so now you're heading into year two in the pwl as a whole but your for first year as a head coach and a member of this New York team what did you learn about the league uh in that first season viewing it from afar that you can now use as a coach yeah I mean as a fan this past year it was such a you know a privilege to watch these women compete at such a high level I think coming into it no one really knew what to expect but um sitting back and watching it um I think it it motivated a lot of the women that are here tonight getting drafted I know for our players back at Colgate they were you know talking about the draft talking about the league and uh it's just great to see all those dreams come true tonight and uh and to be able to see them play next year on the ice we're talking with Greg Fargo head coach of New York so you had the first overall pick it it seemed like it was a lead pipe cinch a lot of people expected that pick and it happens to be Sarah filer your thoughts on on her yeah I mean um you know I've had the pleasure of watching Sarah from the other bench for a few years now and uh I mean she's a world class talent and uh and a great player 200 foot player that we're excited to add to our lineup and I'm excited to coach uh but she'll have an immediate impact on our lineup for sure and uh and certainly the league I think a lot of people will be watching to see what she does this year you have to be also proud with all the Colgate selections made here tonight including Daniel sakne who was taken in the number two spot right behind Sarah yeah I mean all the all the girls from Colgate they they've done such a great job representing the school um and our program and just really excited to see them get drafted tonight but uh Danielle as you mentioned uh extremely exceptional Talent exceptional leader um she too is going to have a great impact on the game and uh in the league for many years to come it's going to be fun to watch her see what she can do Greg good luck on the job thanks so much congratulations on a big night for pwl New York all right so Toronto is up next let's go back up to the stage and general manager Gina Kingsbury with the 30 6 overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft pwl Toronto selects forward ANUK [Applause] Linder Well after going a little bit without many Europeans now we're getting them in a little bit of a wave here here's Linder played in the Swedish League last year forward and she is headed to Toronto and played our College hockey here at the University of Minnesota duth 93 points 42 goals 51 assists and like you mentioned played in the sdl 31 points in that league and she'll be a nice addition here to pwl Toronto with their sixth selection lindar is from Lio Lakes Minnesota so a big cheer from the Minnesota fans in attendance here Linder turning pro here tonight let's go to sya well first off congratulations how does it feel to be here in your hometown and have your name called I'm just so overwhelmed with emotion I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be in a room with such great talent and with it being your hometown who's here to support you today yeah my dad and my fiance are here and then some former Bulldog teammates amazing and with that what skills are you hoping to take to the next level with you to the pwhl yeah I think I bring a blue collar play um I'm a 200 foot player and I like to play physically so hopefully that translates well into the league well good luck in your rookie season thank you thank you so much back to you clay so here's the round six recap Emmy fecto uh batherson for Minnesota Malone shelin and lindsor rounding the out and we've got one round left Julia goling forward taken by Toronto with the last pick of the first round joins us now Julia out of St Lawrence University congratulations on your big night has your life changed dramatically not too much but obviously it's nice to know where I'm going now and it's close to home so just super pumped to be in Toronto when did you set your sights on becoming a professional uh I kind of assume there's going to be a league by the time I graduated just with the girls all pushing for league so being a pro is what I've always wanted to do and it's a easy job that I'm going to love now you're joining a team in Toronto whose season didn't end the way they were hoping but they put together one of the best regular seasons we saw of any of the teams here in the pwhl how excited are you to join a team who's already established themselves as a threat and now potentially a chance to push for that Walter cup next season yeah it's definitely exciting I mean they're super talented I know a lot of them so I think I'll just jump right in with all of them I know Troy and Gina have done a great job and just with them battling through the first part and then coming in and winning the league so excited to get going with them and hopefully bring a championship congratulations on your big night thank you thank you all right so Boston is up next and that pick is in the first pick of uh Aaron and the announcement is Aaron Frankl [Music] [Applause] [Music] with the 37th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Boston selects forward Alana marova [Music] all right so Boston had this pick because of the trade with New York first pick in the seventh round marova from Russia and a very talented young player and another player on that International side of things bringing in yet another uh country to represent here so cool to see her get added into the Boston lineup just 22 years old of course another young player here added into the p wh let's go uh back and talk a little bit to about New York and Alex Carpenter joins us up here at the desk we just talked to your new head coach and what are your thoughts on on him and the new and the draft here tonight yeah super excited just had a quick chance to talk to him uh you know when we were making our pick and I'm just really excited uh for this new start with our team this season and of course last season for New York didn't go as planned up until right at the the end of the season things started to click a little bit for you guys and you became a really dangerous team unfortunately at that point too late to make it into the playoffs and make a playoff push but you really turned it around at the end so what can we expect out of New York to start this next season I think you can expect that exactly how we ended That season uh obviously a little too late for us but I think that just shows what type of group we have there that we have that no quit attitude even when we were out of the playoffs we were still striving to be a good team there's a look at uh your general manager your head coach it was just a success successful night all around in bolstering this roster it feels like great they did an amazing job U very happy with all of our picks and uh we're looking forward to getting started with all of them is there there has to be a lot of excitement right now among the the veteran players on that team that you know help is on the way so to speak yeah definitely was texting with a few of our teammates in New York here and everybody's just super excited and ready to get started already yeah and what would you say is the identity of New York or the identity you were striving for in that first season and what these new players can expect to fit into in year two yeah I think like I said before that never quit attitude like you saw at the end of the season I think that's was shown throughout last season and I think we want to continue that into this upcoming season are there any surprises that you've seen in this draft here tonight or anything that maybe took you off guard or surprised you a little bit honestly I I don't really know I think every Everybody did a great job with this draft and uh you know it was really exciting to be here in person well great to see you Alex you're such a great play we love watching you thank you appreciate it Alex Carpenter from the New York franchise uh had the first overall pick here tonight and Sarah filer of course went first overall Pearson and harie I mean there are just some big names in there this is going to be a fun team to watch in 2025 and of course New York involved in that trade as well with Boston so the fact that they got a extra draft picked here tonight they add a little bit more to their roster I really think New York did a fantastic job here in this uh 2024 draft I like a lot of the names they went with and again they got a variety of players in all three areas of the [Music] ice all right so Ottawa is up next they're on the clock and this will be the last pick for Ottawa here in the seventh round it's been a busy night for the Ottawa franchise as well taking sakne first overall and then with the second pick Sean a Defender one of the first Defenders going off the board those were their two uh Cornerstone picks of this 2024 draft well I think something we're seeing here as the draft has gone on and now we're nearing the end of it hard to believe we're already almost to the finish line here but something we saw a lot in year one in the pwhl was parody just about any team could have probably been there hoisting up the Walter cup at the end of that season and now we're seeing them fill some of these gaps and that parody I'm sure only going to expand as next year starts to unfold so I'm really excited to see how these new pieces fit in all right let's go back up to the microphone Ottawa is ready to make the pick and their general manager is ready to make the announcement with the 38th overall pick uh in the 2024 pwl draft Ottawa is pleased to select Defender mateline wethington [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well this is a popular pick here in Minnesota Matty wethington of the University of Minnesota is heading to Ottawa and will be a rookie in the pwl 23 23 years old and he Dina Hornet played at the University of Minnesota so finally seeing a gopher go as well 100 points in her collegiate career and a 2019 Minnesota Miss hockey winner again the award given to the best uh girls hockey player in high school so she comes with a little bit of history and it's going to be cool to see how she fits in to this Ottawa team so that's the last pick for Ottawa and she hails from Minnesota Maddie wethington just a very solid Defender with a big shot and I think this is something that Ottawa could definitely use again we talk about the fact that they want some depth they want some variety and what both of their uh defense and forwards can do and she can provide that with not only a solid defense but the ability to put the puck on that as well let's hear from her she's with sya well we heard some pretty amazing screams and a lot of hugs for you when you got your name called there who's here to support you tonight uh both my parents they've been tremendous supporters of me and as well as my three sisters uh so it's been pretty fun to have them here and in my home state as well amazing and I mean there we [Music] go and growing up in Minnesota and playing your hockey career here what are you going to miss most but what are you most excited about heading to Ottawa yeah obviously it's the state of hockey it's been said over and over but I'm excited for a New Market Ottawa seems like a great place um have family history there actually so I'm looking forward to uh the great fans I heard they're fantastic there amazing well thank you so much and good luck in your rookie season thank you so much back to you clay all right so this is how ottawa's draft picks look up to now and this is their complete list sir DNE seinan Phillips marowski McMahon mice now and wethington and I think Ottawa got everything they needed again we talked to all of these GMS and coaching staffs before the draft here tonight heard what they were looking for heard what the kind of players that they were aiming to get and I feel like Ottawa is another team that picked up on everything they needed a goenda goenda on that blue line they got some forwards that can bolster that offense they've got a lot of talent on offense but now they've got a few more players that can help complement that so a job well done I think by Ottawa here in the draft so that's it for ottawa's draft night and now Minnesota back on the clock for their final pick and the pick is already in and to make the announcement here in the seventh round for Minnesota Jeran zubich and members of the Women's Hockey Association of [Applause] [Music] Minnesota hi I'm jerianne with Wham and the rest of Wham here up there in the crowd too hi guys with the 39th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl d Minnesota selects forward Katie [Applause] null another veteran from hockey East Katie null with a big time scoring touch for the northeastern Huskies she is headed to St Paul to play for Minnesota nor Eastern's got a ton of talent and Minnesota snatches up a great player here in Katie null you take a look at some of her highlights here willing to make those hard plays the diving goal there able to finish in front of the net just a great uh playmaker and a great scorer 23 years old had a birthday back in January and of course a New York Nate of 131 points in her Northeastern career [Music] [Applause] Katie null another player with uh leadership qualities obviously and is going to fit right in with already a very talented front line for Minnesota absolutely and this is what Minnesota was looking for they've got the top end Talent they want a little bit more of that complimentary play that they can help support some of those star players so I think this is somebody who can do that and also play that gritty game and finish those tough plays uh she provides that as well and Katie null is with sya now you must be so excited to hear your name called what does this moment mean for you yeah it means so much I mean it's obviously such an exciting time in women's hockey and the fact that I have the opportunity to be a part of it it's it's really exciting and what are your expectations for yourself heading into your rookie season yeah I think just really try to make an impact wherever I can and uh play my physical style of game and really just try to do what I can and who has helped you get to this moment today that's here supporting you or watching back home yeah there's so many people my sister's here today which is really special and uh big shout out to my parents and the rest of my family at home um they're so they're so important to how I get here and um really couldn't do it without them and the rest of the support team so I'm I'm really grateful for all of them I couldn't have done it without them well congratulations good luck in your rookie season thank you back to you playay understandably Katie a little emotional and this is a big night for all of these players so she joins this list of newcomers to the Walter Cup championship roster Thompson curl Hova qug Petri bson and now another forward Katie no with the seventh pick or the seventh round 39th pick overall and the emotion never gets old seeing that clay this is why we do it this is what these moments are supposed to be about and whether it's the emotion from the players their families their teammates whether it's former teammates or their new teammates it's really cool to see um them really enjoying and soaking up this moment because you never get to be drafted to the pwhl uh other than that first time so it's really fun to see them getting to enjoy it Boston has been on the clock and they are ready to make their fun final Choice here in round number seven so let's go back to the microphone for the seventh round pick for Boston with the 40th overall pick in the 2024 pwhl draft Boston selects Hadley [Applause] harits another Ohio State Buck guy had harmatz as Championship pedigree a hug from naen muzerall and she is headed to Boston I think that is just about all the Buckeyes clay I think there's maybe maybe one or two left I mean that there's been so many snatched up here in this draft so many players from that Ohio state championship winning team coming with not only the experience of winning a championship but doing it so recently as well and hoping to help contribute to the teams that they've been picked to here today so Boston's getting a great player in harmatz 23 years old a native of Pennsylvania 88 points in her collegiate career uh which is huge as well coming from the blue line so I think this is a tremendous last pick here for Boston Ohio State's Hadley hartmetz Pennsylvania Phoenixville is her hometown and she just turned 23 good Defender and now Boston has wrapped up its night all in all your thoughts on on on the Boston evening and their draft choices I mean to be honest I know it might sound like the easy answer but I've been so impressed with what each team has done here so far knowing what they were looking for I really feel like these teams have gotten what they wanted in Boston being yet another one of them let's go to sya now I'm sure you were anxiously waiting your name called how are you feeling right now having it being called uh very excited and just very honored to be amongst all these great women here tonight and I know your college coach na muzal is here to support you what does that mean for to you it means a lot especially without having my parents here she's like another mom to all of us so it really means a lot to have her here and what are you most excited to heading to Boston uh well I'm familiar with the city playing a few years at Boston College just excited to get back there and get going amazing well congratulations good luck in your rookie season thank you so much back to you clay all right congratulations to Hadley Montreal is on the clock for their last pick as you look at Boston's night yeah one of the teams here who did not pick up a goalie here in the draft got a couple of forwards a couple of Defenders and a big thing they were looking for was Defenders who could kind of move the puck well with speed join that Rush carry the puck up the ice and create plays offensively I think they found that here tonight remember Boston gave up their second round pick to New York and and made some made some moves there and and this is what they end up with obviously they filled some needs that they thought they needed to fix here tonight yeah definitely and I don't necessarily think they needed a goenda goenda a lot of action this season and now they've filled some of those needs that they needed in front of their goal tender here Boston so close to hoisting that Walter cup obviously uh still some gaps looking to fill to hopefully get back to that again next season and end up on the winning side of it this time around and they're hoping that they got that job done here today with their picks so congratulations Boston Courtney kessle and that franchise for a successful draft night we're down to just two selections left uh the two Canadian franchises left Montreal and Toronto each having a pick remaining so Montreal is on the clock and they've taken their time a couple of couple of picks here tonight and looks like they're doing it again it's it's it's heavy deliberation with Montreal well and it's funny because when we talked to savaj Jo to start uh the draft here she was talking about the fact that for many of those picks especially early on they were just going to go with best available well now we've seen them start to think a little bit more about some of these picks and trying to figure out really what the right move here and maybe that doesn't always necessarily mean best available so they're being intentional with their picks here we've seen it a couple times tonight they've got one more chance to make a good pick here today and here's Danielle savou the general manager of Montreal with their final Choice here in the seventh round since it is our last speak I just would like to take the opportunity to thank you to thank uh the city and and Minnesota organization and the league for this amazing event again uh it is our second uh ever and again it that's going to stay uh in in our art for a long time L thank you inza DEA a Ford Amanda [Applause] kle so Amanda kessle getting taken off the draft board here the Madison Wisconsin native but player College hockey here at the University of Minnesota which is why you're hearing the fans and attendance give a big round of applause because they have watched this player uh play here in the state of hockey she's also got experience in the nwhl with the Metropolitan riveters and in the pwba combining for 44 points over her seasons in those two leagues she's won multiple NCAA championships multiple IIHF World Championships and also as a three-time Olympic medalist including one gold medal she's a Patty casm Award winner I could go on all night tell me when to stop clay I mean this is a tremendous tremendous talent that is getting picked up late in the draft here she's 2 32 years old but like we said before with some of these older players they bring a long large resume with a lot of uh championships a lot of medals and you can add Amanda kessle to that list uh job well done by Montreal here with that pick late in the draft yeah that's a fan favorite here tonight Amanda kessle veteran leadership she will bring to Montreal this is their night Barnes Garder borin Abby borin was maybe the biggest surprise of the night Greg wilgren gelin and Amanda kessle so that means Toronto is on the clock for the final pick of the night the 42nd and final pick of the 2024 draft and you know to Echo what you just heard from the Montreal general manager tonight has been a a great success and St Paul has been a beautiful host it really has and uh you know we're Minnesota natives clay so we know how lovely this state and these people are but a big thank you to everybody who made tonight happen there's a lot of people behind the cameras behind us running around all over the place making this Draft come together as beautifully as it has uh you can see there a lot of people here in this room making tonight a big success and it's a huge moment this is the start of of the the dreams and the careers of so many players in this room here today and a chance for so many franchises to hopefully put together what they hope is a Walter Cup Championship winning team so this is a very very special night and the start of the uh second season in the pwhl so Toronto is still thinking about this pick and it will be the last one of the night and the beginning of the Quest for the Walter Cup in 2025 will officially begin so the teams have exclusive window through June 20th to resign players free agency will begin on the 21st of June if you're wondering about the nicknames and the logos they're coming and we're hearing August for the nicknames and the logos and the season will start right around Thanksgiving time late November 30 regular season games that's up from 24 in year number one and we're going to see some more neutral sight games maybe some outdoor games and such in year number two in the pwl so much to be excited about I know especially the logos and nicknames are something that I've been asked about so much this season so I'm excited to finally see that come together and and have some cool jerseys and cool names to be able to call these teams and also love the expanded season I'm never going to complain about more hockey and I know nobody else is as well so I love to see a few more games added to the schedule and those neutral sight games were huge hits this year clay all the different places that these teams were taken to perform in front of different fan bases in different cities so I'm excited to know that they're going to add more of that to the calendar because it was a huge hit in year one all right the final pick of the night folks and it belongs to Toronto let's go back to the microphone and see who Toronto has taken here with the final selection of the draft with the 42nd overall pick in the 2024 pwl draft Toronto selects rean [Applause] Kirk another Ohio State I think that's it and it's a goaler with the last pick Reagan Kirk is off the board and that is it for the night Reagan Kirk is the last pick of the 2024 draft this is a goenda stats coming out of Ohio State University 10 shutouts last season just over one goals against average and just under a 95% save percentage she's a Canadian native uh great with her rebound control and does a good job of taking pressure off her defense with the way that she can handle the puck outside of the crease and behind the net as well always nice to know you can rely on your goenda in front of the net as well we haven't seen many goal tenders go here in the draft clay but I think this is a great pick here by Toronto with the final pick of the night from St an Manitoba Reagan Kirk from Ohio State is headed to Toronto and that is pick number 42 and the final pick of the night and Reagan is making her way to the stage she had to shake a lot of hands here tonight cuz she was very popular it's a good problem to have big cheer from the uh many people here in attendance as they heard her name get announced and again all those bucke guys in the tremendous season that they had last year and for for many recent Seasons here not surprised to see just about all of them find new homes here in the pwhl tonight and Reagan will make her way to sya and her final drafty interview of the evening sya take it away congratulations the last pick but certainly not the least I mean you're coming off a 26 save shut out from the national championship game what about your game will allow you to fight for a number one spot in Toronto yeah I think I just love to compete and I love to battle and practice and you know makes myself better makes my teammates better and that carries over into the game so I'm super excited to get started in Toronto now it took you a little while to get up to the stage who's here today to support you oh gosh it's amazing um both my parents made it um a lot of Buckeye family I'm sure you've seen them all I was sitting by myself at one point CU they've all got picked and doing their Media stuff which is amazing and just so happy to be here and so proud of them all as well well congratulations and good luck in your rookie season thank you so much back to you clay great job sya thank you very much here's Toronto's KN in a capsule Gosling was the first overall pick sixth overall and a Defender after that Megan Carter Izzy Daniel was the third round pick for Toronto Bernard noi barova lindsor and Kirk one of the few teams who picked up a goendale pick of the night I think Gosling great pick first overall for Toronto I mentioned earlier I thought Izzy Daniel could have maybe gone higher in the draft so a good steal for Toronto with their third pick I think they did a lot of things right here tonight well Jana heord from the pwl senior vice president of hockey operations in a Hall of Famer has some closing remarks on what has been a great night thank you clay and Alexis and a huge thank you to the people of St Paul the state of hockey and the fans around the world who are tuning in on YouTube to help us celebrate another important Milestone to all the pwhl staff St your dedication and Excellence has helped Propel this league to a place we have only been dreaming of for the past several years I speak on behalf of hockey fans everywhere in saying that I can't wait to see what year 2 has in store on and off the ice perhaps most important of all to the players to the women of past Generations who have had to fight to play the game to the current pwl players who are here tonight and to the young women and girls who are dreaming of a future in the pwhl thank you the pwl was built on a vision to create a worldclass player experience with the best players in the world and we're now on the map we're not done yet this is just the beginning to the prospects who had their names called tonight congratulations on being part of history and welcome to the best league in the world [Applause] to the undrafted prospects that are here tonight who are now preparing to enter free agency and chart their own course to a pwl roster know that the journey is not always a straight line and never stop chasing your dreams on behalf of the pwhl mark and kimra Walter pwl Advisory Board including Billy Jean King Alana Claus Stan Casten Royce Cohen and everyone at the PW Uhl thank you for making this inaugural season incredible and we can't wait to keep raising the bar for professional women's hockey the draft is the first event on the calendar for any season so I'm excited to say that the clock is officially counting down to training camps home openers and the start of what will be an even bigger second season of The pwhl thank you have a great night well shed by Jana heord and there is Sarah filer the number one overall pick in this year's ja draft headed to New York and here is a round one recap after Phil it was sakne Claire Thompson Hannah Bila Caleb Barnes and Julia goling went in the first round pis Jova San curl Pearson Gardner and Carter in round number two in three I know you like that pick at the top I do that was one of the I think the best picks of the night New York had a real a lot of really good picks but Nora tullish was somebody that heading into the draft I kept finding myself starring and circling her name thinking whoever picks her up I think is going to get a tremendous ad and New York is the one that picks her up here today and of course in this round three maybe the biggest surprise of the night through and through Abby bin getting picked up by Montreal round four Gabby Rosena went first to New York marowski mcque Bard Greg and Bernard heading to Toronto heart sheet in round five let us off going to New York McMahon Petri Osborne wilgren and noi brova vecto Mike snar bson Maloney shelin and Linder in round six marova wethington NL haratz kessle and Reagan Kirk last but not least Alexis has been a lot of fun it was great working with you all year looking forward to year number two in the pwhl for Alexis Pearson I'm clay matvick we hope you enjoyed the night it was a special one for 40 new two new players in the pwl Sarah filer walked on the perk full carpet here tonight and heard her name called first so for everybody involved in this great production here tonight we say so long from Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St Paul Minnesota enjoy your night [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this broadcast and its content are copyrighted by pwl Holdings LLC for the private use of our audience All Rights Reserved any other use or reproduction of this broadcast without the consent of pwl Holdings LLC is prohibited [Music] e [Music] of