New York Sirens set to restock expansion-depleted roster with No. 1 pick in PWHL draft

By Canadian Press on June 24, 2025.

New York Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust opens the PWHL draft on Tuesday night holding the No. 1 pick with an opportunity to begin restocking a roster that lost plenty of of top talent in the league’s recent expansion draft and signing period.

The Sirens have offensive holes to fill at forward, after losing two of their three leading three scorers — Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge — as well as starting goalie Corinne Schroeder to Seattle. Daoust, however, hasn’t ruled out selecting a defenseman at No. 1 in adding to his already deep blue-line core.

Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien, women’s college hockey’s MVP last season, and Colgate’s Kristyna Kaltounkova are considered the top-ranked forward prospects available. Kaltounkova is from the Czech Republic and has the opportunity to be the first European-born player to go first in the PWHL draft.

Rounding out the top-three prospects is Clarkson defenseman Haley Winn entering the eight-team, six-round draft, the league’s third since being established.

The Sirens are selecting first for the second straight year after once again finishing last in the standings. Their first pick last year was Sarah Fillier, who finished tied for the PWHL lead with 29 points.

The Boston Fleet, who lost star player Hilary Knight to Seattle, have the second pick, followed by the Toronto Sceptres and Montreal Victoire. The Ottawa Charge are scheduled to pick fifth followed by the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost.

Vancouver won a random draw to have the seventh pick, with Seattle going eighth. The two expansion teams will then alternate the order in each successive round.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

John Wawrow, The Associated Press