Amidst the conclusion of the semifinals and the buzz around expansion, the declaration list for the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft was released on Tuesday. With a clearer picture of each teams’ options, here’s a look at some notable prospects on PDH’s list, as well as the full 36-player rankings, expected to make up Rounds one through 3.

Top Defender: Caroline Harvey (1)

Between her NCAA title, Patty Kazmaier nod, and Olympic MVP en route to gold, Harvey has left zero doubt as to who should go first overall. Rookie of the Year shouldn’t be the only award she’ll be in contention for next season.

Top Forward: Abbey Murphy (2)

Her extracurriculars don’t change the fact that Murphy is the best pure scorer in the draft. She led the NCAA in both goals and points on a per-game basis, and hit 40 tallies in her final game of the season.

Top Goalie: Andrea Brändli (16)

Brändli’s declaration was a saving grace to this year’s underwhelming goaltending class. The Olympics’ best netminder led Frölunda to an SDHL regular season title with a .945 SV%, to add to her numerous accolades prior to 2026.

High On: Viivi Vainikka (8)

SDHL forwards’ offence failing to translate to the PWHL has been a major storyline over the last couple seasons, but Vainikka could be the one to buck that trend. She’s a creative playmaker and excellent puck protector, and is coming off an SDHL championship run where she was named MVP.

Low On: Josefin Bouveng (25)

Bouveng’s counting stats are excellent, but looking further into them shows more of a complementary player rather than an offensive driver herself. More than half of her 43 points came on scoring plays involving the aforementioned Murphy, and without Sweden’s primary scoring threat in Hilda Svensson on her line at the Olympics, Bouveng put up just two points in seven games.

Wild Card: Kyla Josifovic (31)

Josifovic not only captained UConn to a Hockey East championship, she scored the title-winning goal in 2OT, and followed it up with the GWG in their NCAA tournament victory over Princeton. The 5’11” forward cracked the point-per-game barrier with 40 in 39 games, but had a career high of just 17 prior to this season. PWHL teams need to be wary of Josifovic potentially being a one-year wonder, but the undeniable strength of that one year makes her incredibly enticing.

Full Rankings

First Round

RankLastFirstPositionTeamNation
1HarveyCarolineDWisconsinUSA
2MurphyAbbeyFMinnesotaUSA
3JaneckeTessaFPenn StateUSA
4EdwardsLailaFWisconsinUSA
5EdenLaceyFWisconsinUSA
6SimmsKirstenFWisconsinUSA
7LaitinenNelliDMinnesotaFIN
8VainikkaViiviFBrynäsFIN
9PeschelEmmaDOhio StateUSA
10HolopainenElisaFFrölundaFIN
11NieminenPetraFLuleåFIN
12BiedermanElyssaFColgateUSA

Second Round

RankLastFirstPositionTeamNation
13WunderIsabelFPrincetonCAN
14DwyerGraceDCornellUSA
15MorrowSydneyDMinnesotaUSA
16BrändliAndreaGFrölundaSUI
17ShannonLilyFNortheasternUSA
18DiAntonioCarinaFYaleCAN
19ConstantinopleJulesDNortheasternUSA
20JungelsVivianDWisconsinUSA
21MatthewsSloaneFOhio StateUSA
22JohanssonTheaFMinnesota-DuluthSWE
23RayJordanFYaleUSA
24AdamAviFCornellCAN

Third Round

RankLastFirstPositionTeamNation
25BouvengJosefinFMinnesotaSWE
26RegaladoAlyssaDCornellCAN
27SwiderskiSaraDOhio StateCAN
28IginlaJadeFBrownCAN
29CatterallSenaFClarksonCAN
30ChanTiaGUConnCHN/CAN
31JosifovicKylaFUConnCAN
32JarvisEmersonFQuinnipiacCAN
33NelsonJamieFMinnesotaUSA
34BatalovaMariiaDAgidel UfaRUS
35KirchmairReichenFProvidenceCAN
36FortinoLauraDReal TorinoITA/CAN

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