Lacey Eden just finished the best individual season by any player in NCAA women’s hockey, leading the entire college game in scoring with 77 points. She has won her fourth national championship and did most of it while her more celebrated Wisconsin teammates were at the Olympics without her.
She is 24 years old, she has never lost a national championship game, and she is about to become a professional hockey player.
| Position | Forward — C/RW |
| Shoots | Right |
| Height | 173 cm (5’8″) |
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lbs) |
| Date of Birth | May 2, 2002 (Age 24 at draft) |
| Nationality | American 🇺🇸 |
| Current Club | Wisconsin Badgers — NCAA (WCHA) |
Recent Statistics
Source: USCHO.com. NCAA (WCHA) stats are not directly comparable to PWHL competition.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PTS/GP | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Wisconsin | NCAA | 15 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 1.00 | 6 |
| 2021–22 | Wisconsin | NCAA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2022–23 | Wisconsin | NCAA | 40 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 1.00 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Wisconsin | NCAA | 41 | 27 | 29 | 56 | 1.37 | 15 |
| 2024–25 | Wisconsin | NCAA | 41 | 24 | 33 | 57 | 1.39 | 6 |
| 2025–26 | Wisconsin | NCAA | 41 | 29 | 48 | 77 | 1.88 | 4 |
Who Is Eden?
Born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, Eden picked up hockey at age four following her older brother Liam into the Navy Youth Hockey Association. Originally committed to Princeton before COVID cancelled their 2020–21 season, she transferred her commitment to Wisconsin.
Over six seasons in Madison, Eden became the most decorated player in program history. A second-line right wing for most of her career, she stepped into a graduate super-senior season in 2025–26 and became the NCAA’s leading scorer with 77 points in 44 games. She served as alternate captain on back-to-back championship teams, winning her fourth NCAA title in March 2026 as the first player in the history of the sport to do so.
At the international level, Eden has represented Team USA five times at the senior level, winning gold at the 2023 and 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championships. She was a high-profile cut from the 2026 Olympic roster, but while her Wisconsin teammates Harvey, Edwards, Simms, and McNaughton were winning gold in Milan, Eden posted 17 points in eight games to keep the Badgers alive. It was the loudest possible answer to being overlooked.
What Eden Brings to the Table
Eden is a proven, ready two-way forward in this class. She’s a team player who elevates linemates and does the work that doesn’t always show up on a scoresheet.
- Elite two-way game: Eden has checked at the USA national-team level throughout her career, matching up against the world’s best while remaining a consistent offensive contributor. Her plus/minus of +70 in 2025–26 led the entire NCAA, and she sat +13 higher than her nearest teammate on the same roster.
- Clutch production: When the Olympic group left for Milan, she didn’t shrink. Seventeen points in eight games kept Wisconsin in contention, and she followed it with a nation-leading 77-point season. She also recorded a point in every single round of the 2026 NCAA Playoffs.
- Championship pedigree: Four rings, eleven postseasons, no moment too big. Eden’s track record in high-leverage hockey is among the best available in this draft.
Areas to Develop
Physical adjustment to the pro game is perhaps something Eden will have to navigate in the PWHL. At 5’8″ and 150 lbs, Eden can impose herself along the wall in college hockey, but PWHL opponents are bigger and more consistent defensively than anything she’s faced. She’ll need time to win battles at the next level the same way she does now.
Where Could She Land?
Eden sits between fifth and eighth on most public boards, with PDub Hockey’s rankings placing her fifth. She’s a sure-thing two-way centre in this class, a position the PWHL values highly, which should keep her firmly in the top half of round one.
Expansion teams (Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, San Jose) are the most logical landing spots. All four enter the draft without established rosters and need players who are ready to contribute now. Eden’s leadership background and immediate-impact profile make her an ideal early pick for a franchise that can’t afford a long development curve.
Seattle, Minnesota, or Ottawa are the most likely alternative destinations among existing clubs, all of whom have been identified as needing centre depth and two-way versatility. If teams don’t grab her in the first five picks, she could slot in here at picks six through eight.
A first-round selection is as close to guaranteed as it gets in this class.
The Bottom Line
Lacey Eden may be the most ready forward available, and in a draft year with four expansion franchises building from nothing, ready is underrated.
She’s the only four-time NCAA champion in the history of women’s hockey. She led the entire college game in scoring after being cut from an Olympic roster. She’s checked for the United States at the senior level. She is, by every observable metric, a professional hockey player today.
PDub Hockey 2026 PWHL Draft Profiles
Caroline Harvey | Abbey Murphy | Tessa Janecke | Laila Edwards
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