Sirens enter PWHL draft with top pick and a roster in need of replenishment

The PWHL’s Sirens scored big with the top overall draft pick last year in Rookie of the Year shoo-in Sarah Fillier.

Now, after a second straight last-place finish and the hectic movement around the league’s expansion process, they’re back with the No. 1 pick in Tuesday night’s draft. 

Unlike with Fillier, there is no consensus No. 1 pick this season. 

The conversation about the No. 1 pick revolves around three college standouts: Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova, Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien and Clarkson defender Haley Winn. 

Other top prospects to watch include Nicole Gosling, Natalie Mlynkova and Rory Guilday.

When is the 2025 PWHL draft?

The 2025 PWHL draft takes place on Tuesday, June 24, at 7 p.m. ET in Ottawa, Ontario. The league’s eight teams, including the two expansion teams, will select 48 players during a six-round process. 

The Sirens are followed by the Boston Fleet, Toronto Scepters, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge and the Minnesota Frost. PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle participate in a random draw to determine their first-round order of selection. After the first round, the two expansion teams will alternate positions while the other six maintain their order.

In addition to the No. 1 pick, the Sirens have the No. 9, No. 17, No. 25, No. 33 and No. 41 picks. 

What’s the state of the Sirens roster?

The Sirens lost top goal-scorer Alex Carpenter and first-string goalie Corinne Schroeder to PWHL Seattle after leaving them unprotected in the exclusive signing window for expansion teams. Later Jessie Eldridge was selected by PWHL Seattle, with Gabby Rosenthal headed to PWHL Vancouver in the expansion draft. 

Since the expansion draft, New York has re-signed Taylor Girard, Lauren Bernard, Kayla Vespa and Savannah Norcross to one-year contracts. They also picked up Jincy Roese, an alternate captain for the Ottawa Charge for the last two seasons. 

Teams can continue signing players on expiring contracts and completing trades, which may include 2025 draft picks, until the signing period pauses on Friday, June 27 and re-opens on July 8.

Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust has expressed confidence in the back end with defenders such as Ella Shelton and Micah Zandee-Hart, who were protected from expansion teams along with Fillier. With this, an emphasis may be placed on drafting forwards to complement Fillier. 

Who could the Sirens pick at No. 1?

Kristyna Kaltounkova: The former Colgate forward is on paper a perfect pick for New York. Not only did she play at Colgate under current Siren’s head coach Greg Fargo, but she also comes with solid stats and international experience playing for her native Czech Republic. During the collegiate season, she ranked No. 6 in goals per game (0.70), and at Colgate holds the records for most goals in program history (111), most game-winning goals (19) and most power-play goals (37). 

“[Kaltounkova] is built for the PWHL game,” said Casey Ditzel, play-by-play announcer for Clarkson, Colgate’s rival in the ECAC. “She’s a big-body player, a physical forward that can dominate puck possession but also has 50-goal scorer capabilities. … She really dominated in college.”

Casey O’Brien: O’Brien is the reigning Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the top player in college hockey. A three-time national champion and two-time First Team All-American with Wisconsin, O’Brien led the country with 88 points and 62 assists. 

Haley Winn: If the Sirens go defense, Winn figures to be the pick. The First Team All-American out of Clarkson can play both ends of the rink and ranked No. 7 nationally this past season in assists per game (0.84). She also helped the USA win gold at April’s World Championships.    

“I think Haley Winn is a generational talent,” Ditzel said. “She is a player that has a skill set that has not been seen very often or at all in women’s hockey. She has the skating ability to contend with forwards from a defensive position. She has a shot that Pierre McGuire touted as an NHL-caliber shot, which is something that’s never seen in women’s hockey. … A player who is likely going to wear the ‘C’ for Team USA in the future and is going to be the face of women’s hockey when we look down the road in 10 years.”

Who are some possibilities for the Sirens’ No. 9 pick? 

Michelle Karvinen: Under the radar compared to the draftees coming straight out of college, the 35-year-old Karvinen enters the draft as an established star in Europe. The forward is a three-time Olympic bronze medalist for Finland, a four-time SDHL Champion and a Russian League Champion. 

Jenna Buglioni: The forward was a two-time national champion and captain for the Buckeyes. She tallied 70 goals and 94 assists in her career while becoming the program record-holder for game-winning goals. She is small, though, coming in at 5-foot-3.

Nicole Gosling: Another stellar defender from Clarkson, Gosling is also a part of the Canadian national team. While unlikely to get out of the first round, she could be a steal at the No. 9 pick.  

“Gosling is a building block that’s going to be sturdy on the defensive end,” Ditzel said. “She showed over five years at Clarkson that she can play big minutes. She can take power play roles and penalty kills. She has the ability to run a blue line.”

Ella Huber: Minnesota standout Abbey Murphy elected not to enter the 2025 draft, but the Golden Gophers still have a solid prospect in Huber. Known for her hockey sense and skating, she was tied for No. 6 in the nation in assists and No.12 in points. 

What about a goalie for the Sirens?

After losing Schroeder, the Sirens may look to free agency to find a new No. 1 goalie. But they might add a developmental goalie in the later rounds of the draft to pair with the young Kayle Osborne, who remains on the roster.