(WXYZ) — The PWHL Detroit team continues to grow ahead of its inaugural season in the Professional Women's Hockey League.
On Wednesday evening, the league is hosting its draft at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, which has brought some of the biggest prospects in women's hockey to Hockeytown.
Detroit has six picks in the draft, but that could change if PWHL Detroit GM Manon Rhéaume decides to move up. Detroit originally had the third overall pick third, but Detroit traded it to PWHL Las Vegas in exchange for Hilary Knight.
Detroit also traded Ella Huber and the 27th pick to Boston in exchange for two picks. The team will make its first pick 15th overall in the second round.
Watch below: PWHL Detroit GM Manon Rhéaume speaks at awards ceremony in Detroit
Get the latest updates on the draft and the PWHL Detroit picks below
Current PWHL Detroit roster ahead of the draft
- Forward Hilary Knight
- Forward Daryl Watts
- Defender Cayla Barnes
- Forward Hanna Bilka
- Forward Britta Curl-Salemme
- Forward Jesse Compher
- Defender Sydney Bard
- Forward Taylor Girard
- Forward Shiann Darkangelo
- Defender Nina Jobst-Smith
PWHL Detroit makes first pick
After about an hour and a half, PWHL Detroit officially went on the clock, and Rhéaume and Chris Ilitch announced the team selected Swiss goaltender Andrea Brändli.
The fans inside the Fox Theatre cheered loudly as it was announced Detroit went on the clock and also chanted "Let's Go Detroit."
Brändli had a 17-5 record with Frölunda HC in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) last season with a 1.49 goals against average and .945 save percentage. She led the SDHL in save percentage. She's also a two time Olympian with Team Switzerland and won the Bronze medal in 2026.
Watch the pick in the video below
Caroline Harvey goes No. 1 overall
As expected, defender Caroline Harvey was the first overall pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft in Detroit, selected by the Vancouver Goldeneyes. The 23-year-old is one of the most accomplished players in women's hockey. She was named the top collegiate player and was the MVP in the Olympics.
Abbey Murphy is 2nd overall pick
Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Abbey Murphy was selected second overall by the Seattle Torrent. The two-time Olympian had 40 goals and 26 assists in 31 games last season. She had 261 points in 171 career games with Minnesota.
PWHL Las Vegas picks 3rd after trade with Detroit
Detroit had the third overall pick in the draft, but traded it PWHL Las Vegas for Hilary Knight. With that pick, Vegas selected forward Tessa Janecke from Penn State.
Laila Edwards goes 4th overall to PWHL San Jose
Laila Edwards, the 6-foot-1 defender who became the first Black woman to play for Team USA Hockey, was drafted 4th overall. She had 199 points in 151 career games at Wisconsin.
PWHL Las Vegas picks again
With the fifth overall pick, Las Vegas picked forward Lacey Eden, who had 245 points in 178 career games with the Wisconsin Badgers, where she was a four-time NCAA champion.
Plymouth native Kirsten Simms gets drafted
With the eighth overall pick, the Toronto Sceptres drafted forward Kirsten Simms, who is from Plymouth and played at the University of Wisconsin.
"It's something that I never could even dream of," Simms said Tuesday. "Just for the team to be announced, and then for the draft to be announced in Detroit, and for it to be 20 minutes away from where I live and where I grew up is incredible. I can't even really put it into words but I'm just super excited."
"It's really cool that they're all here and going to get to support me and get to show up for me, which is something that's really special," she said.
During the 2024-25 season, Simms had a goal and an assist on the game-winning goal in the Frozen Four semifinal, and then had a penalty shot goal that sent the national championship game to overtime, before she scored the game-winning goal as the Badgers beat Ohio State 4-3.
Watch below: Plymouth native Kirsten Simms, a top PWHL Draft prospects, shares excitement in Detroit
