Olympian Caroline Harvey selected No. 1 overall
Defenseman Caroline Harvey was the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Wednesday’s PWHL Draft at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.
“It’s been a special year,” Harvey said after being selected by the Goldeneyes. “I’m just cherishing the moment with family and friends.”
Named MVP with the women’s gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games, she tied for the tournament lead in scoring with nine goals and seven assists and a tournament-best, plus-14 rating.
Harvey’s U.S. teammate, forward Abbey Murphy, was taken second overall by the Seattle Torrent.
In all, the 235-player pool of players represents eight countries and consists of 127 forwards, 68 defensemen, and 40 goaltenders, with more than 50% hailing from NCAA programs.
Live blog coverage at detroitnews.com
Welcome to The Detroit News’ live coverage of the PWHL Draft at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.
Reporter Connor Earegood and intern Alauna Marable will provide updates and analysis of the Detroit draft picks and photographer Katy Kildee will have photos and video from the six-round draft.
PWHL Detroit traded their first-round draft pick on Tuesday to acquire five-time Olympian HIlary Knight.
Here are the picks Detroit does have after acquiring Boston’s second-round pick (22nd overall) and third-round pick (34th overall) in exchange for forward Ella Huber, and Detroit’s third-round pick (27th overall).
Detroit’s draft picks
▶ No. 15 (Second round)
▶ No. 22 (second round)
▶ No. 34 (third round)
▶ No. 39 (fourth round)
▶ No. 51 (fifth round)
▶ No. 63 (sixth round)
First round draft picks
- Vancouver Goldeneyes: Caroline Harvey, D, Wisconsin
- Seattle Torrent: Abbey Murphy, F, Minnesota
- PWHL Las Vegas (Acquired from Detroit)
- PWHL San Jose
- PWHL Las Vegas
- PWHL Hamilton
- New York Sirens
- Toronto Sceptres
- Minnesota Frost
- Boston Fleet
- Ottawa Charge
- Montréal Victoire
Chris Ilitch on Detroit’s new PWHL team: ‘Very, very exciting’
“The PWHL didn’t have to guess whether Detroit was ready,” Chris Ilitch said Wednesday. “Detroit made it obvious.”
How to watch the PWHL Draft
▶ What: 2026 Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft
▶ When: 5 p.m. Wednesday
▶ Where: Fox Theatre, Detroit
▶ Draft format: Event will consist of six rounds with all 12 PWHL teams selecting from a pool of 235 eligible players
▶ First pick: Vancouver Goldeneyes hold the first overall pick. Detroit traded the third-overall pick to Las Vegas in exchange for Hilary Knight.
▶ Tickets: Limited number of tickets remain, starting at $22
▶ TV/radio: WMYD (TV 20). Livestreamed on PWHL website
