Caroline “KK” Harvey became Vancouver’s first No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 PWHL Draft, with the Goldeneyes grabbing the Wisconsin Badgers and Team USA standout in Detroit. The draft also put U.S. prospects in the spotlight, showed Las Vegas going “draft
When Caroline “KK” Harvey’s name went up at the podium, the debate was essentially over.
Vancouver Goldeneyes used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft on Wednesday in Detroit. selecting the Wisconsin Badgers star and Team USA standout as the newest face of the franchise. The moment didn’t just complete a clear target for Vancouver—it set the tone for what the Goldeneyes are chasing in their second year.
Vancouver had shown plenty of star power in Year 1, but couldn’t quite find its stride on the ice. With Harvey now in the lineup. that inflection point has a name—and a skillset built to make everyone around her better. The 23-year-old has Olympic gold. three NCAA championships. and MVP honours at the Olympic. college. and IIHF levels as part of a career resume that already reads like a once-in-a-generation blueprint.
Harvey’s impact is tied to the way she plays: smooth skating. elite own-zone control. and the ability to drive offence from just about everywhere. At Wisconsin. and again on the Olympic stage—where she led the tournament in points en route to gold—she showed she could carry games from multiple angles. Now Vancouver gets her to begin a pro career that has already been framed. in real-time hockey conversation. as potentially the best player in the game today.
The draft itself delivered plenty of other signals, too, across all 12 markets where 72 players were selected.
U.S. talent took centre stage
Team USA’s dominant run to Olympic gold in Milan didn’t land as a surprise—Wednesday’s draft made it harder to look away from. Nine of the 12 players selected in the first round were American, including the top five selections.
Five of those first-round selections were part of the group that claimed Olympic gold in February.
Among the three non-American first-rounders, two came from Finland: defender Nelli Laitinen to Hamilton at pick No. 6, and forward Petra Nieminen to Montreal at No. 12. Defender Sara Swiderski was the lone Canadian in the first round, taken at No. 9 by Minnesota.
Across the full draft, the U.S. just barely edged Canada in total representation: 31 Americans were selected on Wednesday night, followed by 30 Canadians. Eight different nations were represented among the 72 draftees, including Finland (4), Switzerland (2), Sweden (2), Russia (1), Denmark (1), and Czechia (1).
NCAA programs continued to dominate the pipeline. and Wisconsin once again looked like the league’s best factory for elite prospects. Five Wisconsin players were selected within the first round: Harvey to Vancouver at No. 1; Laila Edwards. a defender and Harvey’s best friend. to San Jose at the next pick; Lacey Eden to Las Vegas at No. 5; Kirsten Simms to Toronto at No. 8; and Vivian Jungels to Ottawa at No. 11.
Vegas went all-in on the class of 2026
Las Vegas approached the night like a team building identity from the ground up—more picks, earlier bets, and a belief that the depth in this class can be engineered into a roster.
The yet-to-be-named franchise had two top-five picks on Wednesday night, and three of the night’s first 13 selections went to the desert thanks to a pair of pre-draft trades.
First. Vegas landed Detroit’s third overall pick in a sign-and-trade deal that saw Team USA icon Hilary Knight protected by Vegas before being dealt to Detroit. where she’ll start the season on a new squad for the third straight year. With that selection, Vegas chose Janecke, a prospect described as having an elite two-way game suited for the pros.
Two picks later, with Vegas holding its own fifth overall selection, the club took Eden.
Vegas also opened Round 2 after moving expansion signee Abby Boreen back to Vancouver, where she spent the 2025-26 campaign. Using the 13th overall pick, Vegas selected a third forward in Canadian Isabel Wunder.
No team made more selections during the night than Vegas; it collected eight picks through six rounds. Boston and Vancouver made the fewest picks—five each—while every other team made six picks.
Toronto secured its offensive answer at No. 8
Toronto’s draft priority was hard to miss after last season: the Sceptres struggled to score, and the expansion process cost them key forwards Daryl Watts, Jesse Compher, and Maggie Connors.
So when Wisconsin forward and Team USA mainstay Kirsten Simms remained available at pick No. 8, Toronto’s decision felt direct. Mock drafts had Simms earmarked for before Toronto’s slot, so seeing her still there underscored how stacked this top end was.
San Jose’s earlier pick echoed that same surprise. The Sharks selected Laila Edwards at No. 4, even though she was most often projected to go second or third, making the landing feel like a steal for a brand new franchise.
Like Edwards in San Jose, Simms is expected to slot in smoothly for Toronto and become a heavy early fixture. The 21-year-old Simms averaged a point and a half per game across her four-year college career with the Badgers, where she helped the program secure three national championships.
Detroit’s draft day delivered full-circle moments
After trading away its first-round pick to Vegas in the pre-draft Hilary Knight deal, PWHL Detroit had to wait longer than several other franchises to make its mark.
The stage was set in Detroit’s own legendary Fox Theatre, with a loud local crowd there to welcome the new organization. When GM Manon Rhéaume took to the podium to announce Detroit’s first-ever draft selection, the timing felt like it mattered.
Detroit was drafting at 15th overall and there was one clear need: goaltending. The top goalie on the board was the one they took, and the roar from the hometown crowd came as Swiss netminder Andrea Brändli’s name was called.
Brändli, 29, has shone on both the world championship and Olympic stages for Switzerland and has spent the last three seasons playing pro hockey in Sweden. This year marks her jump to the PWHL via the draft.
The story of the night carried extra weight because Rhéaume—Detroit’s GM—was the first woman to ever sign a professional hockey contract, and the veteran goalie-turned-leader was welcoming an iconic netminder of her own onto the same stage.
Detroit’s roster already featured top forwards like Knight, Daryl Watts, and Hannah Bilka, plus a franchise cornerstone established on the blue line in Cayla Barnes. With that foundation in place, the expansion squad needed a true No. 1 netminder to build around, and it did.
Brändli said it meant “the world” to hear her name called by the icon and to share a stage with Rhéaume, and the feeling was clearly mutual.
Seven selections later, Detroit turned the celebration back toward the community. The team selected hometown kid Casey Borgiel, who grew up not far from Detroit and will now play pro hockey in the very rink where it all began.
The night ended with Detroit fans getting two chances to feel like women’s hockey belongs here—one through a Swiss goalie with the weight of Olympic and international experience, and one through a hometown player now set to turn Hockey Town into her home ice.
PWHL Draft 2026 Caroline KK Harvey Vancouver Goldeneyes Kirsten Simms Toronto Sceptres Andrea Brändli Detroit PWHL Hilary Knight Hilary Knight trade Laila Edwards Las Vegas PWHL NCAA womens hockey Team USA Olympic gold Milan