The 2024 PWHL Draft is less than two months away.
While we don’t know exactly when the draft will be (the league has only said it will take place in June in Minnesota), we do know that 42 of the best players will be selected across seven rounds.
In the meantime, The Athletic is kicking off its draft coverage with a look at the top 30 players who could be drafted out of the NCAA.
The class of 2024 is led by Princeton University center Sarah Fillier, already a star forward for Team Canada, who has the kind of skill to make an immediate impact in the PWHL. The best players from the national championship team (the Ohio State Buckeyes) are featured throughout the list. So is the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, Izzy Daniel, and four of the 10 finalists.
The Athletic canvassed several coaches, general managers and agents from the PWHL and the three major NCAA conferences when compiling this list. Of course, on draft day some decisions will come down to a GM’s preferences or team need, especially as we get into the later rounds.
SDHL players like Ronja Savolainen and Daniela Pejšová — who are expected to declare for the draft — will be in the second edition of the PWHL Draft Ranking once the declaration list has been released by the league after the May 8 deadline. Canadian defender Claire Thompson is not here either; she graduated from Princeton in 2019-20, and will be included next time around.
The goal of this particular ranking is to evaluate the top talent from the NCAA. We did not include players with a fifth-year of eligibility unless explicitly told they were forgoing that final season to declare for the draft.
Let’s get started.

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Tier 1
A star with the Canadian women’s national team already and Princeton’s captain, Fillier scored a career-high 30 goals in the NCAA this season, often playing 25-30 minutes for the Tigers.
Fillier is a talented and intelligent playmaking center with high-end offensive tools. She’s an elite skater who puts defenders on their heels and has the ability to break a game open with her agility and straight-line speed. She has worked to develop a multi-faceted shot with a quick release and a knack for picking corners, including from bad angles. She’s got slick individual skill and regularly beats defenders one-on-one and also reads and anticipates the play at an advanced level to get open off of coverage. And while Fillier is not an imposing, power-forward type or dominant defensive player, she’s a committed three-zone center. She spent time on the wing at Princeton this season and for Canada on the top line with Marie-Philip Poulin at the 2024 women’s world championship, so she brings some positional versatility as well. Fillier profiles as a top-of-the-lineup PWHL player capable of making an immediate impact.
Photo:
Shelley Szwast / Princeton Athletics


Bilka is a creative and dynamic offensive forward with legitimate skill and speed. Her skating, in particular, really pops. She can drive down ice with a balanced, strong and powerful forward stride, putting defenders on their heels and into bad gaps. Her lateral speed, crossovers and agility make Bilka difficult to handle in transition and on the cycle. She’ll hunt and track pucks on the forecheck with good determination. What really makes Bilka special, though, is her offensive ability from the blue line down. She’s slippery and creative with the puck on her stick and has the ability to make plays and score with a good shot. Bilka has shown a willingness to take pucks to the net when she doesn’t have a clean look, which adds another dimension to her game. She’s a dominant player who can really impose her will on the game in a variety of ways. She’ll beat you in straight lines, out wide, or into the guts of the ice.
She projects as a top-line winger in the PWHL.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


If there’s anyone who could conceivably go No. 1 instead of Fillier, it’s Serdachny, who scored the golden goal at this year’s women’s worlds. Serdachny jumped from No. 4 to No. 3 on our list and closed the gap between her and the top two forwards in the draft. While Fillier and Bilka pop more with their dynamic skill, Serdachny brings a different element to her game that might be more attractive to general managers with the first or second pick.
Serdachny is a natural center who has played huge minutes as a forward in college hockey, often pushing close to 30 with the Raiders. She registered 50-plus points in three straight seasons — including an NCAA-leading 71-point season in 2022-23 — and has driven the bus at Colgate. She’s got size, good all-around tools, and a net-front/cycle package that makes her effective shift to shift. She’s strong on pucks with a hard shot (maybe her biggest weapon) that can cleanly beat goalies when she gets pucks in space. She understands how to use her body to gain favorable positioning and just seems to stay around things offensively. She’s got a lot of pro quality and projects as a top-six play-driver.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics


The consensus top college defender in the draft, Barnes is a small but talented D who led the NCAA in goal differential at plus-71 this season. Barnes has been a staple of the U.S. national team since making the 2018 Olympic team as a teenager. And after transferring from Boston College, where she was the Eagles’ captain, to OSU, she helped lead the Buckeyes to a national title.
Barnes is an excellent transitional defender who has great vision of the ice and the ability to make quick easy passes out of the defensive zone. She can also get out in transition and make plays off the rush herself. She handles the puck comfortably and does a really nice job escaping pressure in her own zone and side-stepping opposing players in neutral ice. Barnes does a nice job jumping off the line to make herself available as a pass option with perfect timing, and she’s got a strong shot when she does activate in the offensive zone. She closes gaps well with her footwork, and is generally disruptive to provide two-way value as a complement to her offensive ability and smarts. And while Barnes lacks size, she’s strong on her feet and should be up to the increased physical challenge of the PWHL, just as she has been at the international level. She projects as a top-pairing D who can quarterback a power play at the next level.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


Tier 2
Curl is a well-rounded, hardworking forward who can play both center and the wing, has good size, and finds ways to involve herself in games. She doesn’t play with the finesse of a Fillier or have the skating of a Bilka, but Curl plays a strong 200-foot game that will make her a good pro player. She is strong on faceoffs, blocks a lot of shots, doesn’t tend to force a lot of plays and goes into the dirty areas where her good size gives her an advantage, particularly in puck battles along the walls. Curl scored 62 points on an excellent Badgers team this season and has skill as a passer, shooter and handler, so there’s some offensive upside to her game as well. She’s at her best driving, protecting pucks out wide and following plays to the net. Curl projects as an impactful top-nine forward who can impact play in multiple ways and play with a variety of linemates.
Photo:
Courtesy Wisconsin Athletics


This year’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner, Daniel was critically important to Cornell getting into the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years. She outscored her next-closest teammate by 25 points and either scored or assisted on 10 game-winning goals this season. Her 59 points in 34 games is third among college grads, behind only Curl and Serdachny, and first in points per game (1.74). Daniel might have the best hands in the draft, with an ability to handle and pull pucks into her body and a superb touch as a passer and playmaker. She breezes around the ice manipulating the puck and making plays offensively, has a natural curl-and-drag wrister, and is an agile skater who often loses her mark on cuts and changes of direction. She plays the game with a ton of poise on the puck. Some of the staff we spoke to preferred Serdachny, Curl, and in some cases Gardiner, but Daniel has high-end skill and poise with the puck. Being named player of the year will certainly give her a boost, too. She projects as a top-six winger and point producer in the PWHL.
Photo:
Oscar Forester / Cornell Athletics


The captain of this year’s national champions and a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist a year ago, Gardiner was above a point per game in each of the last three seasons in the NCAA.
Gardiner is well-rounded but also fast and talented. She’s got legitimate straight-line speed through the neutral zone to back defenders off and put them into compromising spots off the rush. She’s got a hard shot, including a comfortable one-timer, and was dangerous on the flank for OSU’s power play. Gardiner has good hands out wide and a strong playmaking sense. She tracks back hard, plays a sound positional game defensively, supports the play well and has a good stick and a commitment to the little things. She projects as a top-nine winger.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


Tier 3
Simpson was the consensus No. 2 college defender behind Barnes, according to the coaches and executives polled by The Athletic. A two-time U18 Worlds gold medalist with USA Hockey and one of the top D in college hockey in each of the last two seasons, Simpson has a lot to like in her profile. Size. Strength. Competitiveness. Skill. Skating. Right shot. You name it. “She will be a great pro,” said one coach.
Simpson plays a confident and active game, regularly skating pucks out of her own zone with poise and is good at reading when to jump into the offense. She has a great shot from the point, maybe one of the hardest among college draft eligibles. She defends well both against the rush and in-zone, and can play a hard physical game, which should translate well to the PWHL. As PWHL clubs look to add on the blue line, she’ll be viewed as a premium asset once the big stars are off the board.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics


Hartje is an interesting player heading into the draft. She is one of the smaller forwards on this list, but what she might lack in size and speed she makes up with her smarts and statistical track record after three seasons as one of the top offensive players in college hockey (143 points in 101 games). Hartje has great hands and is always making the right plays and has a real willingness to go to the net and battle for pucks. She’ll make a soft, small-area skill play to create on one shift and score on a tip or rebound the next. She’ll be a good middle of the lineup pro.
Photo:
Courtesy Yale Athletics


We might not see many goalies drafted, considering most teams — save for New York — have their starter signed for two more years. But Philips is a lock.
Philips leaves the NCAA with the all-time record in career save percentage (.958) and goals-against-average (.96). In two years as a starter for Northeastern — after backing up PWHL Boston’s Aerin Frankel — Philips was a back-to-back finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award and was named National Goalie of the Year in 2022-23. She’s a very athletic goalie with decent size who reads plays well. Philips, who is the No. 3 goalie for Team USA, is a top-10 talent but likely gets drafted lower than her rank would suggest with some goalie tandems — in Minnesota and Boston in particular — pretty well set. A team like Toronto would do well to grab Philips as a backup or 1B goalie for next season with Erica Howe and Carly Jackson each on one-year contracts.
Photo:
Courtesy Northeastern Athletics


Carter, the Huskies’ captain in her fifth year at Northeastern and a back-to-back Hockey East defender of the year, is a competitive, hard-to-play-against left-shot defender. Carter can eat difficult minutes and play a shutdown role against top competition. She uses her size well to play a physical game and has an active stick, which makes her highly disruptive against opposing forwards. Carter moves pucks comfortably but her value will likely be more on the defensive side of the puck as a pro. There was some debate about Carter versus Colgate’s Sydney Bard — who is one slot lower on this ranking — here. Their draft order will likely come down to team need: Does a team want someone who can jump into the play, or a reliable defensive player? If it’s the latter, Carter will be the pick.
Photo:
Courtesy Northeastern Athletics


Bard is a highly talented, intelligent and mobile offensive defender. She’s got great hands for a D, regularly beating opponents one-on-one in transition or when she jumps into the offensive zone. She’s great on the offensive blue line, due to her lateral skating and high IQ. Bard sees the ice at an advanced level as a passer, quickly identifying teammates on the back side of coverage and then executing plays through seams to find them. She’s on the smaller side but her playmaking sense will carry her a long way and she defends hard.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics


Greig is a talented and well-rounded forward who was a point-per-game player and nearly broke 20 goals in three consecutive seasons at Colgate.
There’s a lot to like about Greig’s game, which is a nice blend of skill and sandpaper. She’s really smart with the puck and sees the game well, but also plays with a competitive fire and isn’t afraid to mix things up on the ice. She has a quick release from the slot and has good hands, but is also effective when she’s at the net front banging in rebounds. Greig can be a good third-line winger and second power-play-type player in the PWHL, but could also be a good complementary piece beside a more gifted offensive center — she mostly played with Serdachny at Colgate this year and matched a career-high 42 points offensively. Said one NCAA coach: “Whoever gets Dara is going to love her.”
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics


Tier 4
Hymlarova’s offensive numbers don’t pop quite like the other forwards in this range, but she led a low-scoring St. Cloud team this season and is already an important piece of Czechia’s women’s national team. And though she played mostly the wing for the Huskies, she has often played up the middle with the national team, giving Hymlarova some positional versatility heading into the pro level.
Hymlarova excels running the point on the power play, likes to shoot the puck and does well to drive off the wall and take pucks to the net. She’s also a committed defensive player who will pursue pucks and block shots. She doesn’t project as a star in the PWHL, but she should be a solid contributing role player who can play both special teams.
Photo:
Courtesy St. Cloud State Athletics


After emerging as one of the top D in college hockey in her fourth season at Clarkson, Markowski transferred to Ohio State for her fifth year and played second-pairing minutes on a loaded blue line. She’s an effective two-way defender who possesses a quick shot, sees the ice well, starts a lot of rushes with crisp outlet passes, and is capable of joining plays offensively. She’s been invited to a few senior national team camps with Canada now, which might make her a riser in the draft, given how many Hockey Canada ties are in the league.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


Wethington was a top young player appearing in three-straight U18 worlds for USA Hockey, including as a 15-year-old. At Minnesota, she logged huge minutes in all-situations for the Gophers – around 27 per night – including more than 60 minutes in their 4OT loss to Clarkson in the NCAA tournament.
She’s a two-way defender who plays a solid and reliable game defensively, moves pucks efficiently, and can shoot it with a hard shot that she does a good job getting through. Wethington defends hard with a good stick and willing physicality. She should have a good pro career.
Photo:
Courtesy Univeristy of Minnesota Athletics


Hartmetz is a heady, poised, puck-moving defender. She has a great first touch, especially into her excellent catch-and-release shot — she rarely has to dust pucks off and often creates advantages because of it. She is very active in the offensive zone, whether she’s walking the line or jumping down into open space. Her feet help her defend to a reasonable level and she understands spacing and timing on both sides of the puck.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


Wilgren transferred from Minnesota State, where she was captain for three years, to Wisconsin this season, where she was effectively the team’s No. 3 defender behind Caroline Harvey — the best young D in the world right now — and her partner Vivian Jungels. Wilgren has decent size, plays a good gap and makes smart reads in the defensive zone. Offensively, she has good edges and plays well with the puck, but she might be more of a defensive defender at the next level. Wilgren has been on the Team USA bubble for a few years now — she was part of the Olympic tryouts in 2022 and was among the final cuts before this year’s World Championship – which might give her an advantage against other defenders in this tier.
Photo:
Courtesy Wisconsin Athletics


Petrie has been a go-to player, when healthy, at both Harvard and Clarkson. She was also a top player growing up with USA Hockey, appearing in three U18 worlds and playing boys AAA hockey in California until her freshman year at Harvard.
Petrie took some time to get her feet under her this season after missing the 2022-23 season due to injury, but as time went on she was an X-factor for the Golden Knights, most notably scoring the game-winning goal in the fourth overtime against Minnesota to send Clarkson to the Frozen Four. Petrie is a strong player down the middle of the ice and solid on both sides of the puck. She’s at her best when she’s using her size and strength around the net. Embracing a power-forward role in the PWHL could help differentiate Petrie from a deep draft class.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics


Batherson was one of the most productive defenders in college this season following a transfer from Syracuse to St. Lawrence. Batherson plays a simple, yet very effective game on both sides of the puck. She’s an excellent skater and moves pucks out of the zone and up to her forwards very well. Playing with a skilled forward group at St. Lawrence last season definitely helped boost Batherson’s stat line — only U.S. star Caroline Harvey had more assists among defenders — but Batherson reads the ice well, which is what makes her so effective at transporting pucks. And while she’s probably not going to be rushing the puck solo or walking the blue line in the PWHL, Batherson has a great shot from the point when she does use it. She defends more with her feet than by being hard to play against, but it works for her.


One of the most productive D in the country this season, Reilly wore the ‘C’ for Quinnipiac, played big minutes, scored a career-high 10 goals and played above a point per game as the Bobcats’ leading scorer.
Her 39 points in her final year is more than double her preview career high (18) in college. So whether this is a new trend for Reilly or just one highly productive season is a fair question. But Reilly is a hard worker with good offensive instincts and a big one-timer, which gives her some offensive upside at the next level. Her play defensively isn’t as strong as some of the other defenders in this tier and comes with some leaks. She projects as a depth defender and second-unit power-play type in the PWHL.


Guay played nearly 25 minutes a night for Clarkson this season as part of a three-headed monster on its back end with senior Nicole Gosling — who will shoot up this ranking if she declares for the draft rather than returning for a fifth year — and junior Haley Winn. She was a top young player coming up, twice leading U18 worlds in scoring for a defender and once winning the tournament’s top D award.
Guay is a really smart player and a good skater with good edges and footwork. She is excellent with the puck on her stick, with the kind of patience and IQ that allows her to make good plays in all three zones. And her reads and quick feet help her break up plays on the defensive side of the puck.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics


McQuigge doesn’t have the statistical profile or individual skill of the top forwards in college hockey, but she plays a physical, hard-nosed game that really shines around the net and in the corners. She has a clear, transferable identity — rival players in the ECAC hated playing against McQuigge — which could make her a solid contributing depth forward and a good pro who could fit into the physical PWHL game. She’d be well worth a late-round pick.
Photo:
Courtesy Clarkson Athletics


Kirk really only had one season as the true starter at Ohio State after starting in her first two college seasons at Robert Morris before the program shut down in 2021. As the Buckeyes’ No. 1 this season, Kirk posted a 22-2-0 record en route to a national championship. Her .945 save percentage was seventh in the nation and her 1.05 goals against average was No. 2 overall and first among draft-eligible goalies. In the national championship game, Kirk posted a 26-save shutout for the win. Goalies are going to be difficult to predict in the draft. And if Cami Kronish — who pitched a 31-save shutout in the 2023 NCAA Championship for Wisconsin — didn’t get drafted, it’s fair to wonder if Kirk will. But she’s a top-30 talent on paper, and would fill out a team’s goalie depth chart nicely.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


If there’s one more goalie who could be included in a college ranking, it’s Osborne, who was either the Raiders’ starter or 1B goalie — she split the crease with Hannah Murphy for two years — over the last four seasons. In 92 games in college, Osborne posted a .927 save percentage and a 1.64 goals-against average. She was named the ECAC tournament MVP this season and was a semifinalist for national Goalie of the Year. Osborne is solid in her crease, but the highlight of her game is how often, and well, she comes out to play the puck. It might scare some GMs who want a goalie to “tend the goal,” but Osborne’s teammates and coaches at Colgate have spoken highly about their puck-moving goalie, especially behind what was a solid Raiders blue line.
Photo:
Courtesy Colgate Athletics


Tier 5
Kuopalla led Hockey East in scoring this year with 21 goals and 39 points — 11 more than her nearest teammate with the Black Bears. Kuopalla’s heavy shot — and the variety of ways she can get that shot off — highlights her game. She’s dangerous on the power play, where she regularly picks corners, but also creates off the rush, often scoring from mid-distance in transition. She’s not a particularly crafty player, but she gets her looks and finishes them or creates rebounds for her teammates. She was also a good penalty killer for the Black Bears.
Photo:
Courtesy UMaine Athletics


Bernard was an important part of a stacked Buckeyes blue line, playing around 21 minutes a night this season for the national champs. She’s an intelligent, efficient, two-way defender who has above-average tools across the board: She’s a decent skater, makes good reads and puts a lot of pucks on net and through traffic. Bernard also has good offensive-zone instincts, often jumping off the line without the puck to find a pocket to get open to as a passing option or jump on a rebound/backdoor play. She defends well with an active stick and good timing. She’d be a fine pick as a potential depth defender.
Photo:
Courtesy OSU Athletics


Minnesota Duluth’s captain this year, McMahon was one of the better centers in college hockey. She excels in the faceoff circle and plays the game the right way, putting together extended shifts in the offensive zone with her well-rounded game. She’s determined and goes hard to the net. She’s a decent skater who can manufacture off the rush and around the perimeter of the O-zone but also tracks pucks on the forecheck and plays well through contact to extend sequences. Her offensive package doesn’t pop but she’s a reliable 200-foot player who could factor in as a solid bottom-six center who can be counted on in the PWHL.
Photo:
Courtesy UMD Athletics


Knoll is the kind of player a team might look at to round out its roster. She’s not a dynamic offensive talent per se, but she has a well-rounded toolkit and is coming off a season where she finished tied for second in scoring at Northeastern. Knoll is a reliable defensive player and at her best offensively around the net. Her ability to protect the puck and get to the middle of the ice is a standout quality. She could be good organizational depth for a team, well worth a late-round pick. If she’s not drafted, she’s a lock for a training camp invite.
Photo:
Courtesy Northeastern Athletics


A five-year player at BU who captained the team during her final two seasons with the Terriers, Mattivi is a born-and-developed star for the Italian national team who was named the top defender at consecutive Division 1B worlds. She’s a good skater for her size and plays hard. She doesn’t have high-end offensive tools but she has poise with the puck, is smart in all three zones and easy to play with. There’s no guarantee she gets selected but she’d be a fine late-round pick.
Photo:
Courtesy BU Athletics


(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos courtesy of Colgate University Athletics, Princeton University Athletics and Ohio State Athletics)