The 2024 PWHL draft was announced back on April 27, with few details – just that it would be taking place in June, somewhere in the state of Minnesota. Today, ahead of Game 3 of the PWHL Finals at Xcel Energy Center, the PWHL formally announced that the draft will take place in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, along with the inaugural PWHL Awards ceremony on June 10 and June 11.
The PWHL Draft will be held on Monday, June 10, at 6:00 PM Central at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. The PWHL Awards will be held on Tuesday, June 11, at 12:30 PM Central at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront Hotel's Great River Ballroom. Both facilities are near Xcel Energy Center, PWHL Minnesota's home rink.
This will be a different feel than the previous draft, which was held at CBC headquarters in downtown Toronto. The 17-day lead time of this announcement is an improvement on the 5-day lead time that was given ahead of the 2023 draft.
A list of draft-eligible players has not yet been announced. Interested players had until May 8 to declare, and many players have individually announced their declarations on social media. The draft will consist of 7 rounds and a total of 42 players will be selected by the PWHL's six teams.
PWHL Awards
The PWHL Awards were voted by a selection committee consisting of league staff, some media members, and former players, with balloting taking place before the playoffs began. Finalists have been announced throughout the playoffs. The awards finalists are as follows, with the winners to be announced at the awards ceremony on June 11.
- Rookie of the Year: Emma Maltais, Alina Müller, Grace Zumwinkle
- Coach of the Year: Kori Cheverie, Courtney Kessel, Troy Ryan
- Forward of the Year: Alex Carpenter, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner
- Defender of the Year: Erin Ambrose, Megan Keller, Ella Shelton
- Goaltender of the Year: Kristen Campbell, Aerin Frankel, Corinne Schroeder
- Billie Jean King MVP Award: Alex Carpenter, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner
The Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award will be presented at the conclusion of the playoffs and will also be chosen by a selection committee, the makeup of which has not yet been announced.
Natalie Spooner has also already locked up honors as the league's top goal-scorer and points-getter, with 20 regular season goals and 27 points.
Offseason news items (not-quite-offseason edition)
- In a media availability on Friday, PWHL Advisory Board member Stan Kasten shared that names for the six teams will be announced this summer – but we may or may not know anything about team names or brand identities at the time of the draft.
- The PWHL announced on May 9 that Bauer would be the exclusive jersey partner of the PWHL and would be producing jerseys for the 2024-25 season, both game jerseys and replicas available for purchase. The inaugural season jerseys were made by SP Apparel.
The Victory Press will keep you updated with draft and roster analysis, as well as on-the-ground coverage of the 2024 PWHL Draft.