Max Miller
PWHL San Jose is building a roster for its inaugural season, but the next step in that process begins on Wednesday at the 2026 PWHL Draft.
On Monday, the league finally announced its official draft order for the 2026 Draft. PWHL San Jose will have the 4th-overall pick.
With 10 players already signed through expansion, the newest Bay Area team will look to get a franchise cornerstone through the draft. Women’s hockey has exploded, causing expansion in the PWHL. The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 brought greater name recognition to many women’s hockey stars. The top players in the 2026 PWHL Draft are all Olympians.
Some of Team USA’s top stars from their gold medal team, forwards Laila Edwards and Abbey Murphy, are projected to be top-five picks in the draft. But the standout of the draft class is Team USA’s defense, Caroline Harvey.
For a draft preview, check out The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy’s mock draft.
Hosted by PWHL Detroit, the 2026 PWHL Draft will be a six-round event. Just like the NHL Draft, the order in which each team picks won’t change from round to round. That means PWHL San Jose will have the fourth pick, out of 12, in each of the six rounds.
Per the PWHL, A record total of 236 eligible players declared for the 2026 PWHL Draft, including 23 Olympians from eight countries.
The draft starts at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and the entire event will be streamed on the PWHL’s YouTube channel. There are other broadcast options available, depending on location and TV plans.
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