Ahead of the 2026 PWHL Draft, much attention is on the many high-profile, draft-declared players from the University of Wisconsin, including Olympians Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards. They’re not the only defenders in this draft class that should turn heads, however.

One of the most interesting potential blueliners set to enter the league next season comes from Wisconsin’s perennial rival, Ohio State. Here’s what you need to know about Emma Peschel—who has become the backbone of an extremely successful college program—and why most PWHL teams should at least have an eye on her.

Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
Height	178 cm (5’10″)
Weight	None Listed
Date of Birth	January 20, 2004 (Age 22 at draft)
Nationality	United States 🇺🇸
Current Club	Ohio State — NCAA

Recent Statistics

Source: Elite Prospects. NCAA stats are not directly comparable to PWHL competition.

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	PTS	PTS/GP	PIM
2024-25	Ohio State	NCAA	40	8	26	34	0.85	45
2025-26	Ohio State	NCAA	34	10	29	39	1.14	28

Who Is Peschel?

Despite hailing from Edina, Minnesota, Peschel was keen to commit to a university outside of the state of hockey.

“I wanted to do something different,” she told Jocks Next Gen back in April, speaking about her college recruiting process. “Like, Ohio State at that point was just getting good.”

She cited Buckeye head coach Nadine Muzerall as a major reason for her commitment to Ohio State and her continued growth as a player.

With Ohio State, she has become a two-way defender, showing promise both offensively and defensively. She quarterbacks Ohio State’s power play as a veteran presence and played at a point-per-game level in her senior season.

Peschel played for the United States U18 team for the 2022 Worlds, winning silver. She debuted for the senior team in the 2025 Rivalry Series and was injured ahead of the 2026 Olympic roster release.

What Peschel Brings to the Table

Simply put, Peschel is a big, physical defender—the sort of player any team would want.

• Size: This is an asset you can’t teach, and at 178 cm tall, Peschel has it.

• Intentional Physicality: Peschel describes herself as playing a very physical game, and she does so without tallying the egregious penalty minutes associated with an Abbey Murphy, for instance. Between her junior and senior campaigns, she cut her infractions in half (from 21 penalties taken to 10), setting herself up for success with PWHL checking.

• Defence: Also on Jocks Next Gen, Muzerall spoke of Peschel’s development on the defensive end of the puck, citing that as a major area of focus for her in the past year or so of training.

Areas to Develop

Peschel plays such a well-rounded game that there appear to be few real flaws to it. However, moving from a powerhouse NCAA program in the form of Ohio State—who have made it to the Frozen Four Championship every season since 2021–2022—to a weaker or perhaps previously non-existent PWHL club would be a major test of her skills.

Where Could She Land?

Peschel is pretty widely anticipated to be selected somewhere in the first round. The only question is where, and that will most likely depend on the needs of various teams following the expansion process.

If the New York Sirens don’t land Laila Edwards, who some anticipate could go second overall (presumably to Seattle), Peschel could fill what is currently a major need for them.

New York spent the last draft stockpiling mostly forwards, but they don’t have the kind of talent that can change a franchise on the back end. Since losing Shelton, they lack a true offensive defender, and a presence like Peschel could aid their abysmal special teams on both ends of the ice.

Apart from that, though, she’ll more than likely end up with an expansion squad.

The Bottom Line

Kyle Cushman describes Peschel well, writing in December of 2025 that, “she’s trusted defensively, moves pucks well, is a shot threat from the point, and she’s a good skater. It’s a well-rounded package that has her as a projected impact blue-liner from Day one in the PWHL.”

She goes under the radar compared to the high profiles of her former WCHA rivals Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards, but it’s hard to imagine her as anything but a key player wherever she ends up.

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PDub Hockey 2026 PWHL Draft Profiles

Caroline Harvey | Abbey Murphy | Tessa Janecke | Laila Edwards | Lacey Eden | Kirsten Simms | Nelli Laitinen | Viivi Vainikka | Emma Peschel | Elisa Holopainen | Petra Nieminen