PWHL Announces Draft Order

The Professional Women’s Hockey League announced the order for their 2026 Entry Draft on Monday, just 48 hours before it is set to begin.

Draft. Order. Locked. 🔒

The 2026 PWHL Entry Draft order of selection is here! The GOLD Plan winner, the Vancouver Goldeneyes, will select first overall on Wednesday.

Watch the picks roll in beginning at 5PM ET on TSN, Scripps Sports and the PWHL YouTube Channel!
📰 bit.ly/3QtxbPE

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— PWHL (@thepwhl.com) 5:15 PM · Jun 15, 2026

The league has opted to abandon precedent, placing the four new expansion teams in the third through sixth slots. Last season’s expansion saw Vancouver and Seattle pick at the end of each round.

Vancouver will pick first this year by virtue of having finished first in the “Gold Plan” at the end of the regular season. They’ll be followed by the Seattle Torrent, who were the regular season’s worst team. Next come the expansion teams, in an order determined by random draw, followed by the remaining non-playoff teams and then the playoff teams.

The random draw has placed Detroit at number three, San Jose at number four, Las Vegas at number five, and Hamilton at number six.

With the much-reported but not yet executed trade for Hilary Knight in the works, this is about the worst-case scenario for Detroit. It’s one thing to trade the 12th overall pick for what could be one season of an aging Knight. It’s another thing entirely to give up the third overall pick for that return, no matter how much of a legend she is. Especially with the draft in Detroit and with Detroit hockey fans already having been stung by lotteries and poor drafting for the last decade-plus.