PWHL Draft eligibility list: 23 Olympians among 235 player declarations ahead of Detroit event

DETROIT (FOX 2) – This year’s Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Draft eligibility list contains a record number of player declarations, including nearly two dozen players who competed in the 2026 Olympics.

Teams will have their pick from 235 players, including 129 forwards, 68 defenders, and 38 goaltenders, with the Vancouver Goldeneyes holding the first overall pick.

Five of the declared players competed on Team USA’s gold medal winning team this year: Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, Tessa Janecke, and Abbey Murphy.

Other players hailing from countries represented in the Olympics in 2206 include five from Germany, four from Finland, three from Italy, two from Sweden, two from Switzerland, one from Japan, and one from France.

According to the league, more than half of the declared players come from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 

See the full list here.

2026 PWHL Draft

The 2026 PWHL Draft will be held June 17 in Detroit, the home of the league’s newest team. Nine players hoping to be drafted into the PWHL this year hail from Michigan.

This event at the Fox Theatre will be open to the public, with tickets going on sale at 10 a.m. May 13.

Get tickets here.

PWHL expands to Detroit

Last week, the PWHL announced its first expansion team of the year. Though Detroit didn’t get a team in last year’s expansion, the city was highly favored to be the next place the league landed after a series of successful Takeover Tour games.

And Detroit has already shown up. Within days, more than 4,500 season ticket deposits had been made for a team that doesn’t even have a name or players yet.