Hockey, Women's Hockey

Over 30 former U SPORTS players eligible for PWHL Draft on Sept. 18

TORONTO, ON – On Wednesday, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced the list of players that have declared for its inaugural draft on Sept. 18, with the list featuring an abundance of U SPORTS players. 

268 players declared for the PWHL Draft and will be eligible to be selected by the six teams in a 15-round draft, with the Minnesota franchise holding the top pick. Minnesota, Toronto, Boston, New York, Ottawa, and Montreal will select in snake draft format, filling out their rosters ahead of the inaugural 2024 PWHL season. 

FULL LIST HERE

The PWHL is a one-league solution to the divided women’s hockey scene that has dominated North America for decades and will provide the first full-time professional hockey setup for women outside of Europe. 

The league came to be when the PWHPA bought out the Premier Hockey Federation to create the single unified league, fully supported by LA Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra.

U SPORTS
Carley Olivier (Waterloo Warriors)

Eight U SPORTS players from the 2022-23 season declared for the draft, including forwards Chrissy Colizza (McGill Martlets), Rosalie Demers (Montreal Carabins), Audrey-Anne Veillette (Montreal Carabins), Danielle Fox (TMU Bold), and Kaleigh Quennec (Montreal Carabins). 

Defender Carley Olivier (Waterloo Warriors), in addition to goaltenders Tzu-Ting Hsu (Brock, and Alice Philbert (Concordia Stingers), also put their names up for selection. 

Veilette and Olivier won a gold medal with Team Canada at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games.

Of the 268-player list, 90 will be selected for PWHL rosters. 

In total, 37 former U SPORTS players are eligible for the draft, with past players including Olympic gold medalist Melodie Daoust, who has been a prominent player in the Canadian national team picture and PWHPA.  

U SPORTS
Melodie Daoust, former McGill Martlet (Canadian Olympic Committee )

Of the 27 U SPORTS players who are eligible but did not play in the league last season, 12 played in the PHF, seven in the PWHPA, one in China, one in Sweden, and nine did not play competitive hockey. 

49 Sports will have extensive coverage of U SPORTS players in the PHF throughout the season. The inaugural PWHL Draft will stream live at 1:15 pm ET on CBC Sports in Canada and live on Twitch for the American and international audience. 

U SPORTS ALUMNI ELIGIBLE FOR PWHL DRAFT

Forwards: 

  • Ariane Aubin,  Ottawa, DNP
  • Ann-Sophie Bettez, McGill, PHF
  • Sarah Bujold, STFX, PHF
  • Siobhan Birch, SMU, DNP
  • Melodie Daoust, McGill, PWHPA
  • Jade Downie-Landry, PHF
  • Kennedy Ganser, Alberta PHF
  • Maude Gelinas, Montreal, PHF
  • Kelly Gribons, Guelph, PWHPA
  • Laura Jardin, McGill, PHF
  • Alexandra Labelle, Montreal, PHF
    Tracy-Ann Lavigne, Concordia, DNP
  • Alexandra Pznikoff, PWHPA
  • Katie Rankin, McGill, PWHPA
  • Rebecca Unrau, UBC, DNP

  • Kaitlin Willoughby, PWHPA
  • *Chrissy Colizza, McGill
  • *Rosalie Demers, Montreal
  • *Audrey Anne-Veillette, Montreal
  • *Danielle Fox, TMU 

Defenders

  • Katherine Bailey, Guelph, DNP
  • Leah Bohlken, Saskatchewan, PWHPA
  • Taylor Davison, York, PHF
  • Christine Deaudelin, Ottawa, PHF
  • Megan Eady, Alberta, PWHPA
  • Cassidy Herman, Ottawa, DNP
  • Kaitlin Howarth, SMU, PHF
  • Bridget Laganière, Concordia, PHF
  • Kiana Wilkinson, SMU , ZhHL
  • *Carley Olivier, Waterloo

Goalies

  • Tricia Deguire, McGill, PHF

  • Maude Lévesque-Ryan, Ottawa, DNP
  • Lindsey Post, Alberta, SDHL
  • Katie Schertzer, UBC, DNP
  • Rachel Seeley, TMU, DNP
  • *Tzu-Ting Hsu, Brock
  • *Alice Philbert, Concordia

Leave a Reply