Re-Drafting The Inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft

The PWHL Draft 2023 set the table for the future. It was the foundational event of roster building for the PWHL’s six teams. Hindsight, even after only two seasons, is 20/20 on draft picks. There were many in the top three rounds who earned that honor and belong. There are also some from deep in the draft who’ve since proven they deserved more respect than they got. And finally, there’s a more dubious group of players who, if teams were able to do it all again, wouldn’t have been selected.

Some players had bad luck befall them like Kennedy Marchment whose career has been derailed by injury. Others, like Natalie Spooner were incorrectly placed by the PWHL in their original draft position. The most difficult aspect has been watching players capable of continuing in this league like Brittany Howard, Sophia Kunin, and Kaleigh Fratkin leave the sport following the first season. We didn’t penalize players in the rankings for retiring, but players who attempted a return to the league, and didn’t make a roster in year two were pushed down the rankings.

Some of the biggest risers in our redraft include Hannah Miller, who jumped 67 spots. Daryl Watts climbed 28 spots into our first round. Others who saw big jumps include Natalie Spooner, Corinne Schroeder, Katerina Mrazova, Tereza Vanisova, and Michela Cava.

Our list also rights the wrong of several undrafted players finding their way in like Maddie Rooney, Mariah Keopple, and Mikyla Grant-Mentis.

The fall was hard for others like Clair DeGeorge, Gabrielle David, Zoe Boyd, Jill Saulnier, Taylor Girard, Chloe Aurard, and Elizabeth Giguere. Sadly for some of these players, it was as much about a bad personal fit, and little ability to move teams, as it was their individual abilities. Regardless, performance in the PWHL can only be measured by what is, not by what could have been.

Here’s a top to bottom re-draft of the inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft.

1. Taylor Heise
2. Natalie Spooner + (Prev: #23)
3. Alina Muller
4. Daryl Watts + (Prev: #32)
5. Erin Ambrose + (Prev: #6)
6. Ella Shelton – (Prev: #4)
   
7. Hannah Miller + (Prev: #74)
8. Savannah Harmon – (Prev: #5)
9. Jocelyne Larocque – (Prev: #2)
10. Sophie Jaques + (Prev: #10)
11. Emma Maltais + (Prev: #11)
12. Jaime Bourbonnais – (Prev: #9)
    
13. Kristen Campbell + (Prev: #14)
14. Corinne Schroeder + (Prev: #33)
15. Grace Zumwinkle – (Prev: #13)
16. Susanna Tapani + (Prev: #25)
17. Katerina Mrazova + (Prev: #44)
18. Kristin O’Neill – (Prev: #7)
    
19. Ashton Bell – (Prev: #8)
20. Jessie Eldridge – (Prev: #16)
21. Tereza Vanisova + (Prev: #42)
22. Jesse Compher + (Prev: #26)
23. Gabbie Hughes – (Pev: #20)
24. Maddie Rooney (Previously Undrafted)
    
25. Kati Tabin + (Prev: #30)
26. Aneta Tejralova + (Prev: #41)
27. Kali Flanagan + (Prev #35)
28. Jamie Lee Rattray – (Prev: #15)
29. Hayley Scamurra
30. Nicole Hensley – (Prev: #12)
    
31. Jincy Roese – (Prev: #17)
32. Michela Cava + (Prev: #72)
33. Maureen Murphy – (Prev: #18)
34. Allie Munroe + (Prev: #50)
35. Hannah Brandt – (Prev: #27)
36. Emily Brown + (Prev: #46)
    
37. Jessica DiGirolamo – (Prev: #34)
38. Mariah Keopple (Previously Undrafted)
39. Lina Ljungblom + (Prev: #90)
40. Claire Dalton + (Prev: #67)
41. Loren Gabel – (Prev: #22)
42. Sidney Morin + (Prev: #49)
    
43. Mikyla Grant-Mentis (Previously Undrafted)
44. Victoria Bach – (Prev: #38)
45. Brittany Howard + (Prev: #47)
46. Amanda Boulier + (Prev: #77)
47. Dominika Laskova – (Prev: #19)
48. Denisa Krizova
    
49. Natalie Buchbinder – (Prev: #37)
50. Jade Downie-Landry – (Prev: 52)
51. Mellissa Channell + (Prev: #59)
52. Theresa Schafzahl – (Prev: #39)
53. Emma Woods + (Prev: #89)
54. Shiann Darkangelo + (Prev: #70)
    
55. Maggie Connors + (Prev: #62)
56. Maggie Flaherty – (Prev: #24)
57. Brooke Hobson – (Prev: #45)
58. Elaine Chuli + (Prev: #78)
59. Emma Soderberg – (Prev: #58)
60. Sophie Shirley + (Prev: #63)
    
61. Sophia Kunin – (Prev: #60)
62. Kaleigh Fratkin (Previously Undrafted)
63. Alexandra Labelle + (Prev: #88)
64. Paetyn Levis – (Prev: #57)
65. Chloe Aurard – (Prev: #21)
66. Elizabeth Giguere – (Prev: #28)
    
67. Jill Saulnier – (Prev: #40)
68. Liz Schepers + (Prev: #73)
69. Amanda Pelkey (Previously Undrafted)
70. Rebecca Leslie + (Prev: #71)
71. Sydney Brodt + (Prev: #85)
72. Lexie Adzija – (Prev: #65)
    
73. Catherine Dubois (Previously Undrafted)
74. Jillian Dempsey – (Prev: #66)
75. Taylor Girard – (Prev: #51)
76. Natalie Snodgrass (Previously Undrafted)
77. Ann-Sophie Bettez + (Prev: #79)
78. Kennedy Marchment – (Prev: #31)
    
79. Alexa Vasko + (Prev: #83)
80. Claire Butorac (Previously Undrafted)
81. Kaitlin Willoughby (Previously Undrafted)
82. Zoe Boyd – (Prev: #53)
83. Leah Lum (Previously Undrafted)
84. Clair DeGeorge – (Prev: #30)
    
85. Jess Healey + (Prev: #87)
86. Gabrielle David – (Prev: #54)
87. Catherine Daoust (Previously Undrafted)
88. Sarah Bujold (Previously Undrafted)
89. Gigi Marvin (Previously Undrafted)
90. Becca Gilmore (Previously Undrafted)

Now Undrafted

• Madison Bizal (Picked 43rd overall)
• Maude Poulin-Labelle (Picked 55th overall)
• Kristin Della Rovere (Picked 56th overall)
• Amanda Leveille (Picked 60th overall)
• Abbey Levy (Picked 64th overall)
• Sandra Abstreiter (Picked 68th overall)
• Olivia Zafuto (Picked 69th overall)
• Emma Buckles (Picked 75th overall)
• Kayla Vespa (Picked 76th overall)
• Caitrin Lonergan (Picked 80th overall)
• Tatum Skaggs (Picked 82nd overall)
• Minttu Tuominen ( Picked 84th overall)
• Olivia Knowles (Picked 86th overall)
• Audrey-Anne Veillette (Picked 89th overall)