Minnesota lands No. 1 pick in PWHL draft lottery
Minnesota won the Professional Women's Hockey League draft lottery Friday and will make the first selection in league history on Sept. 18.
Here are the complete results of the lottery:
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota |
| 2 | Toronto |
| 3 | Boston |
| 4 | New York |
| 5 | Ottawa |
| 6 | Montreal |
The lottery was administered by PWHL hockey operations using a list randomizer during a video conference call with the six general managers, who were announced earlier Friday. The teams had equal odds of securing the top pick in the lottery process.
The PWHL draft will be 15 rounds long with 90 players selected. It will be conducted in a "snake" style, with the order inverting for each round. As a result, Montreal will have the first pick of the second round.
Teams can sign up to three players prior to the draft. Players graduating from NCAA and U Sports programs after the 2022-23 campaign aren't eligible to sign in this window and will only be available to teams in the draft.
Taylor Heise, 23, will be among the top players available on draft day. The Lake City, Minnesota, native decimated the NCAA with the University of Minnesota over five seasons, accruing 96 goals and 225 points in 172 games. Heise was named MVP at the 2022 World Championship in her debut with the U.S. national team after racking up 18 points in just seven contests.
Switzerland's Alina Muller is another top name available through the draft. Despite previously signing a contract with the PHF's Boston Pride, Muller is required to enter the draft since she finished her NCAA career in the spring. The 25-year-old has already played at seven World Championships and three Olympics. She scored 98 goals and 254 points in 159 games at Northeastern University over five seasons.
The PWHL pre-draft free agency period begins Friday at 1 p.m. ET.