PWHL Mock Draft: Who does Montreal end up with in a simulation of all seven rounds?

The PWHL Draft will be held Monday night in Minnesota, and like their NHL counterparts, Montreal holds the fifth pick. There is plenty of talent available for all six teams, so much that there are certainly players who won’t hear their names called who will end up playing PWHL games next season.

The draft is seven rounds, and unlike the 2023 Draft, the order will remain the same for each round. Teams are allowed to trade 2024 draft picks as well as any players they have under contract or hold the rights to. They are not allowed to trade any future picks. It is the first time teams are able to trade draft picks. The order was based on the regular season standings, so the Walter Cup champion Minnesota and finalist Boston pick third and fourth respectively.

The eligible player list can be found here.

Once again, I was fortunate enough to be part of a mock draft with other women’s hockey writers and followers. I drafted for the Montreal team. Joining me in the draft was its organizer Nathan Vaughan of Stanley Cup of Chowder for Boston, Nate Wells of Gopher State for Minnesota, Michael Lopez of Tendy Love and Care was New York, Kyle Cushman of The Score represented Toronto and Anne Tokarski drafted for Ottawa.

Round 1

I was working this draft under the (pretty safe) assumption that Swedish forward Lina Ljungblom (Montreal’s 15th round choice in 2023) will sign with the team for this season. It meant my focus in the first round was squarely on defence, and I knew once the top three forwards went off the board that I was taking whichever of Thompson or Barnes was available.

It’s somewhat ironic, considering that my first pick in the 2023 Mock Draft was… also Thompson. She spent last year in medical school at New York University, and is one of the top defenders in the world. She already has experience with Erin Ambrose at the international level and makes her a perfect fit.

Round 2

After adding a LD in Thompson in Round 1, my expectation was always to add another top defender in Round 2. I was hoping that player would be Savolainen, but she was taken right before, so I went with Maja Nylén Persson. She is a 23-year-old RD who has played in the SDHL. She was the captain of Brynäs and had 38 points in 36 games.

I seriously considered Julia Gosling here, but decided that there would be a run on defence and the drop off would be too significant and there was potentially more depth at forward later on.

Round 3

I was hoping that Ohio State forward Gardiner would fall, but Boston once again took our top target. That left me with a choice of forwards, and I decided to go with Boreen. She played for PWHL Minnesota last season, but her time at pharmaceutical school prevented her from signing a standard player agreement. In order to sign one, she would have to go through the draft. While other players have questions about their transition to the PWHL, Boreen has done it. She had four goals and one assist in nine regular season games, and one assist in five playoff games.

Round 4

Concordia grad Emmy Fecteau was on my radar when I took Boreen, but my gamble of waiting a round paid off. She is the top Quebec-born player in the draft, and has significant potential. She is a two-time national champion, and was a point-per-game player. She has the potential to be a significant middle-six contributor for years to come.

Round 5

I have the opportunity to take another young local up-and-comer in Alexie Guay. She was once seen as a future offensive star from the blue line, and while she hasn’t yet taken that next step, she is still a top young defender in this draft. She solidifies the left side of our defence, and can learn from Ambrose and Thompson. A no brainer, and a player I had targeted before the draft had started.

This also isn’t the first time we have written about her at EOTP…

Round 6

I wasn’t focusing on goaltending in this draft, but with Elaine Chuli set to become a free agent, I had the position in the back of my mind. Despite three other goaltenders off the board, she was always the top one on my list, and the chance to grab her after filling the other positions was an easy choice. She has made an Olympic and World Championship all-star team representing Czechia and the 27-year-old is a very solid 1B alongside Ann-Renée Desbiens.

Round 7

At this point I knew I wanted a forward. I had some players in mind, including Petrie, but after she was drafted, I went with Meixner. At 29, she’s slightly older than most players in this draft and she played with Nylén Persson at Brynäs. She had 24 points in 22 games last season in the SDHL, and has represented Austria internationally. She is a perfect add to a bottom-six forward role.

Roster

This is how the roster looks after the seven rounds plus the players already under contract for next season.

^ = 2023 Draft Pick, unsigned
* = Three-year contract (two years remaining)
# = Two-year contract (one year remaining)

Italics = 2024 Mock Draft selection