This is the eighth (and final) in our series looking at the draft needs of each team. Read about New York here, Ottawa here, Minneota here, Boston here, Toronto here, Montréal here and Vancouver here.
Instead of a mock draft, I'm 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.
We obviously have nothing to go off for the expansion teams in terms of stats, so let's just look at the players they do have and try to find some complementary draftees to fill the rest of the spots.
As much as I downplayed the idea of "best available" for the early draftees, I think it's what will drive Seattle, particularly when it comes to forwards. I'd guess they'll be looking to get some depth and top tier talent for the third and fourth lines, so they may make a couple of reaches as they look to find they "best for them" players to complement what they have.
Forwards
Where Vancouver seemed to focus on setting up on defense, Seattle has gone the other direction and seems to have focused more on offense and have three of the top 13 scorers in the league last season.
If they go with a goalie to start, I think the second round choice will depend on the quality of defender left available, meaning it could be a third round pick at the earliest before they draft a forward.
Anna Bargman is a player I might overdraft based on how well-rounded her game is and that I think she's going to score more goals than a lot of the player I expect to be available at that point.
I was a fan of Lily Delianedis throughout her college career at Cornell. The team is defense-first and it shows in her 200-foot game, but it also felt that any time the Big Red needed someone to come up big, Delianedis was there. Her stats don't give an accurate portrayal of the player I think she can be.
Defenders
Despite that focus more on the front end, Seattle has a really solid foundation on the blue line. I think they'll be looking for at least one big stay-at-home defender as they've got a couple of players who are offensive powerhourses.
It would be unsurprising to see them go with Quinnipiac's Kendall Cooper with their first pick. GM Meghan Turner will be extra familiar with her game thanks to that shared Bobcat background.
I mentioned St. Cloud's Dayle Ross before, but I like her for Seattle. Based on the roster, I think they're going to be a little feisty and really difficult to separate from the puck and she fits that to a tee. She's a big player who's a really deft skater, allowing her to close quickly and really take away time and space and force opponents to make quick decisions - and often mistakes. She's going to do well with the phsyicality allowed in the league.
If they're looking in later rounds, Brooke Becker from Providence is a similar player who isn't going to be quite as physical separating players from pucks, but who is dependable and strong.
Goalies
Like Vancouver, they have just one goalie on their roster thus far and having been successful through the expansion process and free agency to round out the rest of the roster, I'd imagine they'll be looking for a goalie or two through this draft. Vancouver picks before them in the first round, but Seattle picks before them in the second. I am foreseeing some mental chess will be going on as each tries to figure out what the other will do and when the run on goalies will begin.
The biggest difference between Sanni Ahola and Hannah Murphy, the two best goalies available in the draft, is that Ahola's international experience makes her much more likely to be able to step right into the net.
As for other options, Callie Shanahan could do well learning from Corrine Schroeder. The two didn't overlap in their years at Boston University, but it's clear BU has a type when it comes to goalies they recruit.
I've mentioned them elsewhere, but I think both Amanda Thiele and Megan Warrener could do well as backups in the league. Both shared net duties throughout their collegiate career and still thrived through changing situations. That ability to be what is needed when will serve them well in the PWHL.
