It seems pretty fair to say PWHL New York won draft day. GM Pascal Daoust took advantage of PWHL Boston's desire to trade up, nabbing an extra pick in the process. In the end, Boston received the #7 and the #37 overall pick while New York received the #10, #16 and #28 picks.
Draft Picks
Round #1: Sarah Fillier (F), 2000, (#1 overall) – There's not much to say that hasn't already been said. She's a generational talent who compares well to Alex Carpenter, meaning New York now has the option of putting the two of them together on the top line or splitting them up, giving them fire power, finesse and some of the highest hockey IQ in the country on the ice more often than not. Fillier played nearby at Princeton, giving her a good connection to the Northeast region as well.
Round #2: Maja Nylén Persson (D), 2000, (#10 overall - from Boston) – One of nine SDHL players to be selected in this year's PWHL draft, Persson last played with Brynäs. She was named the SDHL’s defender of the year for three straight seasons and has been outstanding with Sweden at the last few World Championships. It says a lot about what Daoust and the staff see in Persson that they took her ahead of where most thought they might, using a pick acquired from their trade with Boston. Persson rounds out their defense and special teams in more ways than they could have hoped for. She's a fantastic defender and is going to make an immediate impact.
Round #3: Noora Tulus (F), 1995, (#13 overall) – New York kept the international flair going, nabbing the Finnish national team and Luleå standout. She led the SDHL in scoring by a not-insignificant nine points last season. At just 28, she has two Olympic bronze medals and five World Championship medals with Finland and she is one of the fastest, best skating forwards in the world. She pushes pace and draws defenders and she has the vision and skills to be able to thread the puck to teammates in that now open ice. The punch of grabbing Persson and Tulus basically back to back after already getting Fillier put New York at the top before the third round had even finished.
Round #3: Ally Simpson (D), 2000, (#16 overall - from Boston) – Getting a second third-rounder in the trade allowed New York to continue to shore up their defense, adding a player familiar to new coach Greg Fargo as Simpson graduated from Colgate. A good transitional blue liner, she has a powerful shot from the point and isn't afraid to use it and one of the things New York did better than many other PWHL teams this season was follow the puck and take advantage of secondary scoring. Simpson adds dynamism to the offense while being a solid, gritty backchecker who does well on the boards.
Round #4: Gabby Rosenthal (F), 1999, (#19 overall) – The Ohio State graduate did not play hockey last season and was a bit of a surprise as a top-20 pick. She joined Team USA during the 2022 Rivalry Series, but overall is a bit of a mystery right now. She seemed to be done for hockey at the end of her college career last season, but entered this year's draft. In college, she was consistent and solid for Ohio State, serving as the assistant captain her final two seasons. She sometimes got overshadowed by flashier teammates, but averaged a point per game over her final two seasons.
Round #5: Elle Hartje (F), 2001, (#25 overall) – Honestly a massive steal this late in the draft. One of the most consistent and high-scoring forwards in the college game over the past few seasons. After a slightly meek freshman year, she tallied 143 points on 41 goals and 102 assists in 101 games, topping 50 points in two separate seasons. She helped lead Yale to their first-ever Frozen Four and set a new program record in career points. During the COVID season when Ivy League teams did not skate, she played in Slovakia, adding more depth to her game. She's a brilliant two-way player and will be a big boon in transition and starting the breakout, something New York needs.
Round #5: Kayle Osborne (G), 2002 (#28 overall - from Boston) – This pick is basically New York's seventh-rounder and Daoust used it wisely to snap up Osborne just before she likely would have been drafted in the sixth round. Having played for Fargo at Colgate, they had a good handle on what Osborne can bring.
Round #6: Emmy Fecteau (F), 1999, (#31 overall) – The only USports player selected in this year's draft, she captained Concordia to a 32-2 record last season where they regained the championship title after losing with one second left in regulation the season before. She is energetic and hard-working and was at her best for her team when redemption was on the line in the post season, averaging more than two points per game. She was an obvious choice for Daoust, but I also think she was too under the radar for some other GMs and was a great choice to round out the draft.
Quotables
"When you look at the list you have, it's a shopping list and you're trying to fill as many positions as you can to have a training camp that will be high level and then a season where no one will feel like this is my spot for the year - this is a pro league and we need competition. We had the ability to move back three positions and we were very positive that we'd have our choice defender available and then we added an extra third round and moving from the seventh to another fifth round pick. We're really, really pleased." – GM Pascal Daoust on how the trade with Boston came about.
"It was. To be honest, it was." - Daoust, on if it was surprising to see Elle Hartje still available to draft in the 5th round
"She is definitely a strong leader, a good two-way player. She won two national championships. She's been through high level competition. She can play everywhere on the rink. I like to say 17,000 square feet. I'm really happy to have her." – Daoust on Emmy Fecteau
"New York City is an iconic sports city. I went to school just down the road so it feels like a bit of a homecoming to me. When they called my name and I was giving my parents a hug, I almost cried a little bit. It's a special moment." – Sarah Fillier
"It's an amazing feeling. It's really hard to put into words. I'm super proud of myself. I wanted to do something new and develop. I'm excited to meet the team and the fans." – Noora Tulus
"I feel like I have a good hockey sense. I like how I see the game. Someone said I'm fast and I have a good shot, so I think I have to listen to them." – Tulus
"I'm super excited to be going to New York. I'm excited to experience the city and everything New York has to offer." – Allyson Simpson
"It's definitely reassuring. Coach Fargo and I have had a great relationship over the past five years and being a part of leadership on his teams and interacting with him in that capacity has been really rewarding for me." – Ally Simpson on continuing to play under Greg Fargo
"I would describe my game as very versatile. I'm a shutdown defender as well as I can create opportunity offensively and create chaos in that way. I'm excited to bring both sides of playing to New York."– Ally Simpson
"I'm a 200-foot player. I'm definitely a center, so I'm really hoping to bring that strong solid center core to the league. I'm really excited to be a physical player and just be a role player help my team out wherever I can." – Gabby Rosenthal
"Obviously the speed and physicality. I think you have the best players in the world here, so obviously you're gonna get amazing games every game. I'm really excited to be a part of that." – Rosenthal on her impressions of the PWHL in season one
"I think the greatest thing about me is I'm ale to fit into whatever role is needed of me. That was something that I was able to cultivate in my time at Yale. Whether that was power play, PK, shutting down an offensive line, me myself being on an offensive line. I think that my ability to adapt to whatever's needed is going to serve me really well next year. Also my hockey IQ is something that is pointed to. I know that I hear a lot and I owe that to my dad, who was my coach my whole life. So shout out Dad." – Elle Hartje
"I'm very proud to represent USports today. I will show how much we can play a USports and how the level is also very good. So far the players from USports did an amazing job and I think we're gonna continue to show how we can play hockey and how hockey is as similar as in the NCAA." – Emmy Fecteau
Current Roster
(listed with the amount of years remaining on their current contract)
Jaime Bourbonnais, D, 2 years
Ella Shelton, D, 2 years
Micah Zandee-Hart, D, 2 years
Chloe Aurard, F, 1 year
Jill Saulnier, F, 1 year
Alex Carpenter, F, 2 years
Jessie Elrdrige, F, 2 years
Abby Roque, F, 2 years
Corinne Schroeder, G, 2 years
Draft Picks by Position
Forward: 5
Defense: 2
Goaltender: 1
Takeaways
Yes, they were eliminated from the postseason first, but there were a lot of things to like about what New York did in season one and it's pretty clear that a lot of their difficulty came from miscues and misunderstandings among staff. Between a new coach in Greg Fargo and the talented roster that is now absolutely overloaded with top-tier talent, New York looks to be in prime position to turn things around in year two.
On important thing PWHL New York general manager Pascal Daoust talked about as he discussed individual picks and overall approach was the need for constant competition. He said no player on the team should feel comfortable and that their spot on the roster was a given. This loaded draft class ensures that training camp will be an all out battle for a spot on the ice when the puck drops on season two. It's clear now that attitude was not present under Howie Draper, so it felt telling that it was a focus of what Daoust said and how he drafted.
Also importantly was the thread of communication that ran through Daoust's comments, from not just assuming he would draft Fillier to texting her before he walked up on stage to have the pick announced, and then talking about getting information from his national team players on international players he was interested in. It might all be subtle and I might be getting some confirmation bias, but I liked what I heard from Daoust in addressing the teams' needs, how he approached the draft and picks and how the draft class came together.
Beyond that, New York focused on added right-handed defenders.
"I think we have already a good D core. We're adding some great D with the right side of the blade. That was a need. When you have the opportunity to go with two top right-handed D, that was in the plan. They also bring physicality. We like the way they skate. We like the way they're closing the gap."
Ottawa was known for its international squad last season, but I really think New York could be poised to do something interesting with players from several non-North American countries that play a different style of hockey. Daoust said he also picked them for their past proven track records. New York let some games slip away last season and Daoust put some thought into drafting players that can make a difference in the final few minutes of a close game.
"When you want to build a team that is heading to get the championships, you need to have people that have a track record as winners. Adding international experience to the dressing room you bring that little extra that can make a difference."
Lastly, I don't think it's a coincidence that just one of New York's draftees is 22. These aren't young rookies, but a wide array of more seasoned players with experience in a wide variety of leagues and tournaments. Add in the Colgate players familiar with Fargo and you have a draft class that feels ahead of the curve and the first camp hasn't even started yet.
(Photo: Heather Pollock/PWHL)