2026 PWHL Draft order: Who picks when in Detroit?

ASFN Admin · Jun 17, 2026

The Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise in Detroit is coming together, with the team reaching 10 players on Monday, June 15, as part of the PWHL’s multi-phase expansion/free agency expert.

And now, the next pieces of the puzzle have been released, as the league announced the order for the 2026 Draft – set for the Fox Theater in Detroit on Wednesday (5 p.m., WMYD-TV 20) – on Monday evening.

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BUILDING A TEAM: PWHL Detroit roster updates: A pair of Michiganders

With four expansion franchises joining the previously eight-team league, the draft order was up in the air beyond the No. 1 pick. That’s owned by the Vancouver Goldeneyes, who earned the top spot via the Gold Plan, which called for the team with the most points earned after playoff elimination to pick first overall, rather than the worst overall team, the Seattle Torrent.

But it was unknown whether the four expansion squads – Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose – would slot into the draft before or after the four teams that missed the playoffs. Instead, the league opted for a compromise, putting the Torrent – who finished five points back of the No. 7 New York Sirens in overall points over a 30-game schedule – at No. 2 and then the four expansion squads, whose order was determined by random draw.

And Detroit? Hockeytown’s PWHL franchise landed the No. 3 overall pick ... but not for long.

Will PWHL Detroit pick No. 3?

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PWHL Detroit GM Manon Rheaume traded her team’s first-round pick to PWHL Las Vegas for Team USA star Hilary Knight, the 37-year-old forward who was claimed by Vegas on a “Expansion Foundational Offer” and signed to a one-year deal with an approximate $106,000 yearly value. Detroit sent the No. 3 overall pick to Vegas, which has the No. 5 pick as well in a stacked draft.

PWHL Detroit was busy in the trade market on Tuesday, as Rheaume sent Ella Huber, signed on Monday, back to Boston, along with Detroit's third-round pick, for for the Fleet's second-round pick (22nd overall) and third-round pick (34th overall). Detroit's picks:

Round 1: None.
Round 2: No. 15 overall, No. 22 (via Boston).
Round 3: No. 34 (via Boston).
Round 4: No. 39.
Round 5: No. 51.
Round 6: No. 63.

Who are the top PWHL Draft prospects?

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Team USA and Wisconsin star Caroline Harvey is expected to be selected No. 1, but behind her are Abbey Murphy – a 24-year-old Illinois native who starred at forward for Minnesota and Team USA – and Laila Edwards – another Wisconsin star from Ohio who became the first Black woman to play hockey for Team USA in the Olympics and finished with eight points in seven games. Also in the top-four mix is Michigander Kirsten Simms, a winger formerly of Wisconsin and Team USA. The Plymouth native put up 25 goals and 47 assists in 41 games with the Badgers in 2024-25, then had a goal and six penalty minutes in Olympic competition in February.

SCOUTING THE FIRST ROUND: Who are potential top picks today in Detroit?