PWHL unveils format of inaugural draft

The inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League draft is set to take place on Sept. 18 and the league has officially revealed how the event will transpire.

Taking place at the CBC headquarters in Toronto, the draft will be live-streamed beginning at 1 p.m. ET, complete with live analysis and player interviews for the first four rounds.

After the first round, the draft will follow a snake order wherein each subsequent round will unfold in reverse order. For instance, PWHL Minnesota, which holds the first-overall pick, will then choose last in Round 2.

The order of the first round was chosen by lottery.

While the opening of free agency on Sept. 1 saw signings of big-name national team players such as Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse, the draft opens opportunities for NCAA and USports players to join the pro league.

Prospects to watch ahead of the draft include Taylor Heise, who won tournament MVP during the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship with Team USA, Sweden’s Emma Soderberg and American Jesse Compher.

The full draft order:

Round 1: 1. Minnesota, 2. Toronto, 3. Boston, 4. New York, 5. Ottawa, 6. Montreal.

Round 2: 7. Montreal, 8. Ottawa, 9. New York, 10. Boston, 11. Toronto, 12. Minnesota.

Round 3: 13. Minnesota, 14. Toronto, 15. Boston, 16. New York, 17. Ottawa, 18. Montreal.

Round 4: 19. Montreal, 20. Ottawa, 21. New York, 22. Boston, 23. Toronto, 24. Minnesota.

Round 5: 25. Minnesota, 26. Toronto, 27. Boston, 28. New York, 29. Ottawa, 30. Montreal.

Round 6: 31. Montreal, 32. Ottawa, 33. New York, 34. Boston, 35. Toronto, 36. Minnesota.

Round 7: 37. Minnesota, 38. Toronto, 39. Boston, 40. New York, 41. Ottawa, 42. Montreal.

Round 8: 43. Montreal, 44. Ottawa, 45. New York, 46. Boston, 47. Toronto, 48. Minnesota.

Round 9: 49. Minnesota, 50. Toronto, 51. Boston, 52. New York, 53. Ottawa, 54. Montreal.

Round 10: 55. Montreal, 56. Ottawa, 57. New York, 58. Boston, 59. Toronto, 60. Minnesota.

Round 11: 61. Minnesota, 62. Toronto, 63. Boston, 64. New York, 65. Ottawa, 66. Montreal.

Round 12: 67. Montreal, 68. Ottawa, 69. New York, 70. Boston, 71. Toronto, 72. Minnesota.

Round 13: 73. Minnesota, 74. Toronto, 75. Boston, 76. New York, 77. Ottawa, 78. Montreal.

Round 14: 79. Montreal, 80. Ottawa, 81. New York, 82. Boston, 83. Toronto, 84. Minnesota.

Round 15: 85. Minnesota, 86. Toronto, 87. Boston, 88. New York, 89. Ottawa, 90. Montreal.

At the end of the draft, each team will have 18 players, which include three free agency signings and 15 draft picks.