The “State of Hockey” has officially been put on the women’s hockey map this season. PWHL Minnesota’s up-and-down season ended with them being the first-ever Walter Cup Champions. Now, the second PWHL Draft and the first PWHL Awards ceremony will be held in St. Paul.
Not only will the state of Minnesota be in the spotlight for hosting, but there are also 11 native Minnesotans hoping to be chosen in the draft. With PWHL Minnesota being the Walter Cup Champs, many eyes will be on them for who they choose, just like last season when they chose Taylor Heise. PWHL New York will have the first overall choice, followed by PWHL Ottawa and then PWHL Minnesota’s turn in third. After them, PWHL Boston, PWHL Montréal, and PWHL Toronto will be last since they finished first in points during the regular season.
“I think it’s just an extremely exciting time for women’s hockey, and I’m excited for the opportunity to hopefully play in the league,” said Izzy Daniel during a pre-draft media availability. She will be one of 167 players hoping for one of 42 open spots in the draft. We’ll explore Minnesota’s options and who they should pick next Monday evening, June 10th, when they hunt for players to add to what will be their defending Walter Cup Championship team. This won’t be in the order of their picks, but they could pick up these players in any round, starting with a center.
PWHL Minnesota Could Use Gosling
Every team needs at least one strong center, and while PWHL Minnesota had several great centers this season, with the uncertainty of who will stay and who will go, it wouldn’t hurt for them to pick up someone like Julia Gosling. She’s a strong, confident center who would be a great fit for PWHL Minnesota, and she also has a bit of size. With how much each player in the pre-draft media talked about the league’s physicality, a sizable player wouldn’t hurt, and she seems to play like Grace Zumwinkle, which would make her a great addition.
“I would say I’m a 200-foot power forward. I’m pretty tall and have a pretty good shot, so whenever I can release that shot, I’m a pretty big threat and just driving pucks to the net, getting in front of the net, but also taking care of the d-zone and getting back and being a back checker and helping out down there because I don’t like getting scored against either,” said Gosling when asked about her style of play.
When she said 200-foot power forward, it was exactly the style of player PWHL Minnesota could use. While they have a lot of speed and finesse, they could use a little more power and someone who can play both ends of the rink and not focus on just one. They have great forwards and defense, but having a little of both in a player is always good.
PWHL Minnesota Needs Boreen
After watching Abby Boreen play in her 10-day increments with PWHL Minnesota this season, it’s safe to assume they want her back. She’s a strong, fast skater who can move with finesse, unlike any other player. She’s a great puck handler, and it would’ve been great to see her play a full season with that talent. She fit in well with the team, and being a part of a championship makes her more valuable to them.
“It’s obviously been a really exciting time. I’m honored to be a part of it and obviously, with being a part of Team Minnesota winning the Walter Cup in the first season, I think there’s a lot of excitement regarding women’s hockey right now in the state of Minnesota, so from that standpoint, I think this draft is going to be a great turnout. Fans can now come and experience it with us, but yeah our team has jokingly said we’ve been on like a world tour after winning the Cup. I mean, it’s just been so special the amount of support that we have gotten; we’ve been recognized at so many different sporting events, still recovering from it…,” said Boreen on winning the Walter Cup and the Draft coming up.
PWHL Minnesota will likely choose Boreen since they’ve had her on their team and know her capabilities. Hopefully, PWHL Minnesota fans will see her in a Minnesota jersey again.
PWHL Minnesota Likely Takes Bilka
The final pick we’ll be looking at is one of The Athletic’s Mock Draft by Hailey Salvian thinks PWHL Minnesota will take with their first-round pick. That player is left-wing Hannah Bilka, and according to Salvian, she could be a huge asset as “She is really creative and slippery with the puck and has game-breaking speed” (from ‘PWHL Mock Draft: Sarah Fillier goes No. 1 to New York, but what comes next?’, The Athletic, 06/06/2024).
“Bilka is kind of like shot out of a cannon, she’s quick, she’s fast, she’s sporadic, super creative, you’ll get a lot of creativity out of her and she can put the puck in the net. She’s a super special player; she works really hard, and any team would be super lucky to have her,” said Cayla Barnes of her friend and former teammate Bilka who will also partake in the PWHL Draft.
Related: PWHL Minnesota Shows Dreams Can Come True
Any time you hear “shot out of a cannon” as a description for someone’s play, you know you won’t be disappointed. For someone who isn’t as familiar with Bilka’s game, I’m hoping they do pick her up because she sounds like a fun and dynamic player who would fit in well on PWHL Minnesota.
PWHL Draft is Upon Us
While it seems like the top few picks are figured out, since this is only the second draft in PWHL history, anything could happen. The NHL Draft may seem pretty predictable, but they’ve even had some surprises the last few seasons, and PWHL Minnesota could also surprise everyone. It’ll be interesting to see who they choose to fill out their team, and any of these players would be worthy options, as would the many Minnesota natives on the list, including Izzy Daniel.
