Forty-eight Canadians heard their names called as women’s hockey history was made in Toronto
The inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Draft is in the books, and Canadian hockey was the star
of the show.
In total,
more than half of their players who were selected in Toronto – 48 of 90 (53.3%) – hail from the Great White North.
The list features representation from eight Members, and 43 players who have
worn the Maple Leaf in international competition at some level (or all
levels) of the National Women’s Program – nine Olympic gold medallists, 13
Women’s Worlds gold medallists and nine U18 Women’s Worlds gold medallists
among them.
(Ten other Canadians – all of them Olympic gold medallists – were among the
players who inked deals during the early free-agent signing period, and
were not part of the draft pool. That contingent included Team Canada
captain Marie-Philip Poulin, 2022 Olympic MVP Brianne Jenner and standout
goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, among others.)
The run of Canadians started from the No. 2 pick, where Toronto selected
veteran defenceman Jocelyne Larocque. She was the first of three
first-rounders, along with fellow blue-liners Ella Shelton (No. 4 to New
York) and Erin Ambrose (No. 6 to Montreal).
The first 🇨🇦 are off the board in the #PWHLDraft2023!
Voici les premières joueuses du 🇨🇦 sélectionnées au repêchage 2023 de la LPHF!
🍁 Jocelyne Larocque (2-TOR)
🍁 @ella_shelton11 (4-NY)
🍁 @ambrose_13 (6-MTL) pic.twitter.com/dFm0NUV2Q6— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) September 18, 2023
Each of the 15 rounds featured at least two Canadians, with a high of five
going in Round 2. Toronto selected a Canadian with 13 of its 15 picks,
followed by New York (11), Montreal (nine), Boston (seven), Ottawa (six)
and Minnesota (two).
With the
National Women’s Under-18 Championship set to return to the ice in
November for the first time since 2019, its alumna were all over the draft; 42
players represented their province or region at the tournament.
CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY MEMBER
Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (28) – Lexie
Adzija, Erin Ambrose, Victoria Bach, Jaime Bourbonnais, Zoe Boyd, Emma
Buckles, Michela Cava, Mellissa Channell, Elaine Chuli, Claire Dalton, Kristin Della
Rovere, Jessica DiGirolamo, Jessie Eldridge, Loren Gabel, Brittany Howard,
Sophie Jaques, Rebecca Leslie, Amanda Leveille, Emma Maltais, Kennedy Marchment, Kristin
O’Neill, Jamie Lee…
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