Real talk: The idea of doing a mock draft makes me want to run and hide. There is absolutely no way I’d ever come close to getting anything right and it stresses me out just to think about it.
Instead I decided to approach this by looking at what needs I think each team has based on last season's record and outcomes as well as who they lost in the expansion process. Using the draft eligibility list, I've identified players that might be able to fit each teams' specific needs. It’s less mock draft and more sharing insight on players who I think have the skills to be successful in this league.
I’ve got a couple of likely controversial opinions and some thoughts on drafting to your needs and how to define the “best available” player, but mostly just wanted to try and parse the very long list of players that declared for the draft and use my knowledge of the NCAA players to try and shore up each team.
I'll have a post for each team, including the two expansion squads. First up - New York
I’m honestly kind of at a loss about the Sirens. On paper, they should not be as bad as they’ve been over the course of two seasons. Sarah Fillier had a top-three season among all players, not just rookies and that somehow didn’t help. They had three players in the top three among all scorers. Of course, that changed with the expansion process and now they have some very big offensive openings to fill.
Forwards
GM Pascal Daoust is adamant his draft strategy is to take the best available player. The problem, in my opinion, is that the best available player could - and should - vary from team to team. The best available player is both the most talented and at the same time is the one that fills the role you need filled. For me, looking at who the Sirens have, who they lost and who is likely to be available in later rounds, I don’t think it behooves them to draft Kristýna Kaltounková first. Having lost the puck handling, speed and passing of Alex Carpenter makes Casey O’Brien the right first pick for them now.
In my opinion, there are a few good, solid players of size that can body players off pucks, fight for space in front of the net and unleash a slapper that they can get in later rounds.
St. Cloud State’s Emma Gentry could be a really good option. The 5’11” lefty is never afraid to put the puck on net and had a career 10% shot percentage. She’s very good in the clutch, would be a good option for a lower-line faceoff taker and I think would thrive in the more physical PWHL game. Additionally, because of the variety of international players on St. Cloud’s roster over the years, I find SCSU grads end up playing a really interesting hybrid game of North American and European hockey that serves them well in the PWHL.
Northeastern’s Skylar Irving played a really important supplementary role when she was teammates with the likes of Alina Muller, but really stepped up and became even more crucial after they graduated. She’s creative and crafty, finds open ice even when it looks like there isn’t any and it feels like she never scored from the same place twice.
Defenders
Daoust said he thinks defense is thin around the league and he focused on protecting his blue line, so I don’t think New York is taking a defender with their pick. That being said, Haley Winn
is an absolute scoring threat alongside being the best defender in this draft. Her movement and that she’s a legitimate scoring option throughout the zone, not just the blue line, could make picking first serve multiple purposes for them.
I’m not sure how many defenders New York will actually take here, but someone possibly not on a ton of radars is Chayla Edwards, who I was a big fan of on and off the ice when she was with Wisconsin and I’d absolutely use a late round pick on her. And if no one is smart enough to do that, she should be getting FA invites to every camp. She’s more stay at home, but angles well, is really calm and patient and would be a good pair for a more active and offensive blueliner. The Sirens could use a defender who doesn't feel the pressure of also contributing to wins by scoring goals who can really focus on locking down the back end.
Goaltenders
Daoust said Kayle Osborne has what it takes to be this team's starter, but he doesn't know if that will happen this season. Having lost Corinne Schroeder, I think it behooves the Sirens to bring in one or two goalies from this talented pool of prospects. I'm guessing NY will be active in free agency to add a more veteran goalie to mentor Osborne and anyone else they have in net, but it makes sense to me to get another young player who has the potential to push Osborne for the starting role. That competition will only make both goalies better.
I’m tending to lean towards one of the international goalies here, but I feel like Tindra Holm is similar in approach to Schroeder, so instead I’m thinking Norway’s Ena Nystrøm or Switzerland’s Nicole Vallario.
(Photo: PWHL)
