PWHL Press Release
Draft lottery awards Minnesota the first overall pick
TORONTO, ON (September 1, 2023) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced the results of a draft lottery conducted to establish the order of selection for the inaugural PWHL Draft, scheduled for September 18, 2023. Minnesota has been awarded the first overall pick, followed by Toronto, Boston, New York, Ottawa, and Montreal completing the first round. The lottery was administered by PWHL Hockey Operations using a computerized list randomizer during a video conference call with all six General Managers. Teams had equal odds of securing the top pick in the lottery process.
The draft consists of 15 rounds and 90 total picks using a snake format in which, once a round is completed, the following round will be conducted with the teams selecting in the reverse order of the previous round. There will be no draft picks traded until at least the completion of the 2023-24 season.
Any player who is interested in competing in the 2023-24 PWHL season must declare for the draft by Sept. 3. Prior to the Sept. 18 draft, a 10-day free agency period will commence at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sept. 1 allowing each team the opportunity to sign three players to Standard Player Agreements.
2023 PWHL DRAFT ORDER OF SELECTION
Round 1:
1. Minnesota, 2. Toronto, 3. Boston, 4. New York, 5. Ottawa, 6. Montreal.
Round 2:
7. Montreal, 8. Ottawa, 9. New York, 10. Boston, 11. Toronto, 12. Minnesota.
Round 3:
13. Minnesota, 14. Toronto, 15. Boston, 16. New York, 17. Ottawa, 18. Montreal.
Round 4:
19. Montreal, 20. Ottawa, 21. New York, 22. Boston, 23. Toronto, 24. Minnesota.
Round 5:
25. Minnesota, 26. Toronto, 27. Boston, 28. New York, 29. Ottawa, 30. Montreal.
Round 6:
31. Montreal, 32. Ottawa, 33. New York, 34. Boston, 35. Toronto, 36. Minnesota.
Round 7:
37. Minnesota, 38. Toronto, 39. Boston, 40. New York, 41. Ottawa, 42. Montreal.
Round 8:
43. Montreal, 44. Ottawa, 45. New York, 46. Boston, 47. Toronto, 48. Minnesota.
Round 9:
49. Minnesota, 50. Toronto, 51. Boston, 52. New York, 53. Ottawa, 54. Montreal.
Round 10:
55. Montreal, 56. Ottawa, 57. New York, 58. Boston, 59. Toronto, 60. Minnesota.
Round 11:
61. Minnesota, 62. Toronto, 63. Boston, 64. New York, 65. Ottawa, 66. Montreal.
Round 12:
67. Montreal, 68. Ottawa, 69. New York, 70. Boston, 71. Toronto, 72. Minnesota.
Round 13:
73. Minnesota, 74. Toronto, 75. Boston, 76. New York, 77. Ottawa, 78. Montreal.
Round 14:
79. Montreal, 80. Ottawa, 81. New York, 82. Boston, 83. Toronto, 84. Minnesota.
Round 15:
85. Minnesota, 86. Toronto, 87. Boston, 88. New York, 89. Ottawa, 90. Montreal.
Fans can stay connected to the PWHL and register for email updates at thepwhl.com. Follow the new league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six new team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.