Now that the Walter Cup has been awarded to PWHL Minnesota, the league is turning its attention to its second season. On Monday (June 10), 42 prospects will be drafted by the league’s six teams from a pool of 167 players who declared for the 2024 Draft. They come from 19 countries and will all hope to earn a spot out of training camp. But to do that, they’ll need to beat established players who were part of the inaugural season and show that they are the better players.
3 Teammates Ready to Move to North America
Up first were the trio of Lulea Hockey teammates ready to come over to this side of the pond to play in this new league (at one year old it still qualifies as new if you ask me). At 21 years old, Czech Daniela Pejsova could be the youngest player to come over but isn’t worried about leaving home, she’s done it already. She explained that there is no proper professional league in Czechia, so she left at 15 or 16 to join Modo Hockey in Sweden. It was the right decision back then, but now there is a best-on-best women’s league in North America, and she feels it’s the best place for her. She also spoke about it with best friend Dominika Laskova (a PWHL Montreal blueliner, take note, Daniele Sauvageau). As for how she feels about the upcoming draft she said:
“I remember every year when I’m watching the draft of the NHL, I was always so excited for the guys and I was always wishing something like that would happen on the women’s side, and now it’s happening. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that it’s true.”
The two other European prospects on the call were Finns Ronja Savolainen and Noora Tulus. The former is a 26-year-old blueliner who played eight seasons with Luela HF and has a scoring touch. In 35 games last season in the Swedish league, she had 29 points and was Pejsova’s defense partner. Both players would love to find their way onto the same team and be paired together again. About her last year, Savolainen said:
“It’s been a bit hard this year because I kind of knew from the start that I wanted to move on, be a better hockey player, and challenge myself more than I do here in Sweden […] I can’t wait to see what happens in the future and next season. It’s going to be a dream come true to play in the best league in this world. I’m just proud of myself that I took the step…It was hard to say goodbye to Luela but I think it’s what’s best for me and my hockey career.”
On why it’s good for more Europeans to come over and join the PWHL, the blueliner explained:
“It’s important, and I think we’ve been talking with Noora about this, we only have one Finnish player there [Susana Tapani], and we want to inspire other people to do that and to get to the best league in the world. The more players we get, the more games against the US and Canada will get tighter and I think we can beat them in the future.”
Savolainen then pointed out that Finland only plays USA and Canada so many times on the international front, making it hard to improve. Not only is that a fair point, but being in the league also means they’ll train with and learn from them as well.
As for Noora Tulus, she’s 28 years old and plays right-wing. Last season she got 61 points in 36 games, the year before, she put up 56 points in 32 games. She might have reached her ceiling already, but with that kind of scoring contribution, I don’t know many coaches who would pass on her…The question is though, how well will her game translate to the PWHL:
“Of course it’s a different level to come from Europe, it’s going to be faster and more physical games […] but I feel I need to come with my game style and I need to trust what I can do on the ice and go with my strengths, so I’m hoping to play some creative game which is what I’ve been doing lately too.”
Meanwhile in North America
Abby Boreen finds herself in a special situation. Last year, she used the special circumstance clause to bypass the draft and be a reserve for PWHL Minnesota as she was enrolled to study Pharmacy full-time. Now though, she’ll be up for grabs even though she won the Walter Cup in the inaugural season…talk about going in reverse. Still, you can see she’s chuffed with her first season:
“It’s obviously been a really exciting time [winning the Walter Cup with Minnesota], I’m honored to be a part of it. There’s a lot of excitement regarding women’s hockey right now and the same in Minnesota, so from that standpoint, I think this draft is going to be a great turnout and fans can now come and experience it with us.”
Another one of the hopefuls for Monday’s draft is Team Canada power forward Julia Gosling. She went to the first game in Ottawa as they were taking on Montreal and was in for a shock…
“[…] They were booing Pou! [national hero Marie-Philip Poulin] That’s when I knew this league would be amazing. […] I just never thought that Pou could get booed before, I mean I was there, and I heard it and Ottawa fans were so loud. I thought this was crazy, I thought everyone would cheer for her. But just because she’s on the opposing team, they decide to boo her. It was crazy.”
Gosling could have returned to St.Lawrence University in the NCAA as she still had a year of eligibility, but she decided it was time to go to another level and turn the page on that chapter of her life. As a grad student, she wasn’t all that busy during the year and spent a lot of time watching PWHL hockey, perhaps that’s what made her impatient to get there. She mentioned:
“After my season and the World Championship, I felt like I was ready for the next step, to join all of these elite athletes and to join in with the best of the best, kind of challenging myself. In the end, that’s just what my gut was telling me.”
As for Izzy Daniel, she was reminded that she has no experience on the international stage and asked if she thought that could hurt her chances. Visibly taken aback by the question, she replied:
“I mean, maybe a little bit but I try not to think about it that way. I think people who know me and who taught me, they know what I bring to the table and I think I’ll just continue to prove myself and that I can play with the best in the world. I think I can’t let that influence me, it’s just white noise and I’m still working my hardest to get there one day.”
Props to her for handling that question in such a professional manner and not taking the bait.
Top of the Class
Most mock drafts agree that Team Canada’s Sarah Fillier should be the first overall pick on Monday. Until PWHL New York takes to the stage and says her name though, nothing is certain and Fillier did appear somewhat nervous. Asked how she would feel if she were to go first overall she explained:
“I mean it’s what you dream of, it’s an honor to be, you know, even in the recognition of the first six picks and alongside names like Cayla [Barnes] here and people with really storied careers so far. It’s an honor to be named in those shortlists, but to go first overall would be a complete dream come true! I grew up watching NHL drafts and watching those moments for those guys and it’s always so special for them and their families. No matter where I go, I’m sure it will be a moment I’ll remember forever.”
On what she thought would need an adaptation jumping from the NCAA to the PWHL, Filler stated the obvious:
“I think the biggest thing I’m going to have to adapt to is the physicality of the league. I think if you’ve watched any of the games this year, that’s one thing that has kind of ramped up and I don’t think it’s going away.”
That’s something that should eventually be addressed, the NCAA and the USports need to prepare their players in a way that makes them as ready as possible for the next stage. They should take a look at the PWHL rulebook and see what kind of adaptation could be made as well. Why stop there, though? I’m pretty sure the “jailbreak goal” would be a hit, what’s not to like?
Three days away from these players’ D-Day, Cayla Barnes gave thanks to those who came before her and worked so hard to ensure this venture would come to fruition:
“I’m just grateful for this opportunity, for the work people have put in to create stability in the league and to give younger players like me and Sarah that opportunity.”
There’s no denying that a lot of people have had a hand in this happening. Not just the pioneers of the sport who were in the first Olympic Games women’s hockey competition, but also today’s players who formed a union, went to equal rights advocate Billie Jean King to ask her help to finally make this league a reality. She then found the financial backing necessary to put things in motion and then, the general managers, the coaches, the staff, the media relations staff…It takes more than a village to raise a league. When asked who she’d be the most excited to play against, Barnes named a Team USA teammate:
“One person that comes to mind is Alex Carpenter in New York. She is a Boston College alum, so many years I’ve had the opportunity to know her through training and the national team. She’s one of the hardest players to defend, you know she is strong, she’s fast, she’s so talented and smart. In USA camps it’s always fun but hard to play against her so I’m looking forward to playing against her on a pro stage and seeing what that’s like.”
What if New York shocks everyone and picks her first? Then she’d just be glad to play alongside an athlete she admires so much, which was obvious when she was singing Carpenter’s praises.
This league really has a knack for giving the people what they want. Hearing the athletes speak to us prior to the draft gives us a sense of who they are and their personalities. This should get people even more excited about Monday’s draft since they’ll have had a chance to learn a bit about the players.
Related: PWHL Montreal 2024 Draft Targets
There will be plenty of intrigue and surprises on Monday. How soon will Amanda Kessel be drafted? She was once great, but she’s been away from the game for a while. Furthermore, she’ll be 33 by the time the season starts. Shouldn’t draft picks be used for players who are more likely to keep competing for a long time?
What about Claire Thompson? The former Team Canada blueliner has now finished her medical training and she’s ready to go. She’s got plenty of talent and has been Erin Ambrose’s partner with the National Team, but how long before she decides to go and be a physician full-time? While an understanding was reached to ensure that picks from the three first rounds earn at least $50,000, that’s not much compared to what she could make practicing medicine. Before thinking about expansion, the PWHL needs to find a way to improve the players’ wages, not everyone can live on what they are making. The situation is even more serious for players making league minimum and who cannot hold another job because their work visa states they can only work for the team…But that’s a topic for another day.
