Unlike years past, where I would produce a post-lottery mock draft of the first 16 teams and a complete mock draft right before the event, I’ve worked with our team at Sportsnet to create a post Combine mock draft.
With the inaugural PWHL season officially in the books and the league’s first-ever champion having been crowned in Minnesota, it’s time to shift our focus to Year 2.
Draft day is upon us, and the league’s six teams are set to welcome a new crop of players into the pros from the main stage at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, Minn., on Monday, starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and running seven rounds deep.
Here’s what you need to know heading into Monday’s draft.
New York will select first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft. Draft order is determined by league standings after the regular season — playoff results aren’t taken into account — with the PWHL also implementing its “Draft Order Points” system that awards points for each win following a team’s mathematical elimination from playoff contention down the stretch of the regular season. And, unlike September’s inaugural player draft, which employed a snake-draft format, this year’s draft will feature the same order through all seven rounds.
Draft order for each of the seven rounds:
1. New York
2. Ottawa
3. Minnesota
4. Boston
5. Montreal
6. Toronto
PWHL teams will select from a pool of 167 eligible players. In this pool of players are 93 forwards, 48 defenders and 26 goaltenders. All individuals officially declared for the draft ahead of the league’s May 8 deadline.