Sarah Fillier Goes First As 42 Players Are Selected At 2024 PWHL Draft

Lower than two weeks after crowning Minnesota because the first-ever Walter Cup champion, the Skilled Ladies’s Hockey League returned to the State of Hockey for its second-ever draft.

Canadian ahead Sarah Fillier adopted within the footsteps of Minnesota native and PWHL Minnesota participant Taylor Heise, the league’s first-ever No. 1 choose final fall. Someday after her twenty fourth birthday, the 2022 Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion heard her identify known as by PWHL advisory board member Billie Jean King as the primary alternative of 2024. She’ll go to PWHL New York.

“It’s a dream come true, particularly to go to a metropolis like New York,” stated the previous Princeton College captain, who posted 93 objectives and 194 factors in 120 profession NCAA video games. “I went to high school simply down the highway, so it seems like coming residence just a little bit.”

Along with ending on the backside of the PWHL’s first-year standings, the New York group is in the hunt for an area to name its personal subsequent yr. In 2024, the membership performed six of its residence video games on the New York Islanders’ UBS Enviornment on Lengthy Island, 4 at Whole Mortgage Enviornment in Bridgeport, Conn. and two at Prudential Middle in Newark, the house of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

Because the 2025 PWHL season expands from 24 to 30 video games, New York will even have a brand new face behind the bench. On June 7, GM Pascal Daoust introduced that Colgate College girls’s coach Greg Fargo would take over behind the bench.

“I’ve performed towards him for 4 years within the ECAC,” stated Fillier. “So it’s thrilling to be on his group now.”

Fargo replaces Howie Draper, who’s returning his outdated submit on the College of Alberta whereas remaining a particular advisor to PWHL New York.

Fillier was one in every of 5 NCAA graduates chosen within the first spherical, together with Danielle Serdachny (No. 2, Ottawa, Colgate), Hanna Bilka (No. 4, Boston, Ohio State), Cayla Barnes (No. 5, Montreal, Ohio State) and Julia Gosling (No. 6, Toronto, St. Lawrence).

The exception was Claire Thompson, the 26-year-old Canadian defender from Toronto who was chosen third total by Minnesota. Already an Olympic gold medalist and world champion, Thompson declared for the draft after spending the 2023-24 season in medical college at New York College.

Arguably the best-known identify in all the draft, Amanda Kessel wasn’t chosen till the second-last choose, No. 41 by Montreal. The 32-year-old is an Olympic gold medalist and three-time nationwide champion who comes from a famous hockey household. Her oldest brother, Phil Kessel, is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, whereas middle-child Blake is married to PWHL Boston head coach Courtney Kessel.

Throughout her taking part in profession, Amanda was troubled by concussion points. Through the 2023-24 season, she elected to work within the Pittsburgh Penguins’ entrance workplace.

Kessel has been a top-tier expertise, however it was a little bit of a shock to see her declare for the draft after taking time away. Now, the query turns into whether or not she’ll cross the border to play in Canada, or if Montreal may leverage her rights in a commerce.

With 167 gamers from 19 nations declaring for the 2024 draft, the Europeans made noise beginning in Spherical 2.

First, PWHL Boston executed a five-pick commerce with New York which allowed GM Danielle Marmer to snag Czech defender Daniela Pejsova with the seventh choose. Her Swedish-league teammate, Finland’s Ronja Savolainen, then went to Ottawa at No. 8, and New York took Swedish defender Maja Nylen Persson at No. 10.

For the reason that SDHL permits body-checking, the 5-foot-9 Pejsova believes her physicality may very well be her largest asset for Boston. “I noticed that it’s actually used on this league,” stated the 21-year-old after her identify was known as, admitting that she was nonetheless shaking over the chance to play in the perfect league on the earth after already finishing six professional seasons in Sweden.

Two different nations had been additionally represented within the ultimate draft checklist. Ahead Anna Meixner of Austria, who additionally spent final season within the SDHL, was chosen thirty second total by Ottawa. And Russia’s Ilona Markova, from Ufa of her nation’s ZhHL, was taken thirty seventh by Boston.

In 2023, the primary goaltender chosen was Nicole Hensley, who went twelfth total to Minnesota. In 2024, Gwyneth Philips from Northeastern went two picks later at 14, to Ottawa.

Whereas 61 NCAA gamers declared themselves eligible to be one of many 42 gamers chosen on Monday, one other 35 declared from the USports program in Canadian schools and college. The one participant chosen from that checklist was 25-year-old ahead Emmy Fecteau from Montreal’s Concordia College — taken thirty first by New York.

The PWHL will wrap up the occasions of its largely profitable inaugural season throughout a VIP luncheon in Saint Paul on Tuesday, with the presentation of the first-ever PWHL Awards. Recipients of the league’s group management award, rookie of the yr, coach of the yr, ahead of the yr, defender of the yr, goaltender of the yr, and Billie Jean King MVP award can be introduced.

In August, the league is predicted to current its group names and logos for the primary time. And after beginning the 2024 season on July 1, it’s anticipated that the 2024-25 marketing campaign will start in late fall.