Caroline Harvey went first overall to the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the PWHL Draft on Wednesday, capping a year that already includes the IIHF’s female player of the year honor. The Wisconsin defender is the second U.S. player to be selected No. 1 after Taylor H
DETROIT — When Caroline Harvey’s name was called with the No. 1 pick, it landed in a room that had already been buzzing for hours, and it didn’t quiet down when the selection was made.
The Wisconsin defender. a 23-year-old who has been stacking trophies and milestones all year. became the first Vancouver Goldeneyes player to go at the top of the board in the PWHL Draft held Wednesday at the downtown Fox Theater. The moment carried extra weight because it arrived on the same day Harvey was named the International Ice Hockey Federation’s female player of the year.
“It does,” Harvey said when asked if it seems like a blur. “It’s been a special year. With all the experiences with the U.S. team and Wisconsin. I’m just so grateful for all my coaches, teammates and family. It really takes a village. I’m feeling really blessed right now.”
For Vancouver, it’s a statement pick as much as it is a basketball-to-the-rim kind of splash. The Goldeneyes finished sixth and were the second team eliminated from contention in their inaugural season. and Harvey immediately shapes both their identity and their urgency. She brings power skating and deft play-making, and she’s closing her college career with consecutive 60-point seasons.
In Milan at the Milan Cortina Games, Harvey had just helped define the tournament. She finished tied for the tournament lead with nine points—two goals and seven assists—coming into a draft class described as deeply talented, one that also features four U.S. teammates.
The draft’s early run leaned heavily toward American talent. After Vancouver set the tone with Harvey, Seattle selected Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy with the next pick, and Las Vegas chose Penn State forward Tessa Janecke at No. 3.
Vegas’ pick wasn’t isolated to the board—it connected to Detroit. Las Vegas landed its selection from fellow expansion team Detroit in a trade that sent Hilary Knight to the Motor City.
San Jose then picked Laila Edwards, Harvey’s Badgers teammate, with the fourth overall selection.
Harvey’s selection placed her among a Vancouver core that already includes familiar defensive and offensive threats. Her new blue line includes Sophie Jaques, a defender of the year finalist, and forward Sarah Nurse.
The Goldeneyes are also in transition off the ice. GM Cara Gardner Morey has yet to select a coach after Brian Idalski was fired, leaving the organization with a new No. 1 talent while the leadership plan is still in motion.
An emotional detail followed the draft’s procedural beats. Harvey was from Pelham. New Hampshire. seated in the second row with her mother on one side and close friend and national team teammate Edwards on the other. Each time the packed theatre heard anything connected to Detroit or Knight. the room reacted with loud cheers. underscoring how much these picks—and these trades—are tied to real allegiances.
From a league history standpoint, Harvey’s No. 1 status also sits in a narrow group. She is the second American player to go No. 1, with Minnesota choosing Taylor Heise with the first pick in the league’s inaugural draft in 2023.
The larger setting added to the sense of a league arriving in its next chapter. The draft was held in one of the PWHL’s four new markets—Detroit—at the Fox Theater, with all 12 teams making their selections from tables on the stage.
In the end, Vancouver didn’t just draft a standout. It grabbed a U.S. gold medal-winner and three-time college champion whose year now includes both the spotlight of international recognition and the responsibility of being the player everyone is watching first.
PWHL Draft Vancouver Goldeneyes Caroline Harvey Abbey Murphy Tessa Janecke Laila Edwards Hilary Knight Sophie Jaques Sarah Nurse Cara Gardner Morey IIHF female player of the year