2026 PWHL Draft: Top 15 NCAA prospects coming out of Olympics
The women’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will go down as one of the biggest in the sport’s history. There were record-breaking performances from Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin, to the thrilling conclusion in the gold medal game.
On top of that, there were a number of younger players who made a significant impact in their Olympic debuts. Many of them return to their respective college teams in hopes of making a run toward a national championship, while bolstering their stock for the 2026 PWHL Draft.
Let’s look at the 15 best draft-eligible NCAA players coming out of the Winter Games:
1. Caroline Harvey, D (Wisconsin)
I mean, you can’t be surprised that she’s at the top of this list.
Harvey was already trending toward being the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, thanks to a series of dominant seasons in Madison, and her efforts at the past few IIHF Women’s World Championships. How she was able to shine in the spotlight in Milan above the rest is uncanny, especially in an age where the pros have a greater chance of dominating the game. Harvey finished tied with teammate Megan Keller for the tournament lead in points (9) and was named the event’s most valuable player and best defender. Her skill and creativity at both ends of the rink are making her the can’t-miss prospect of the season.
2. Abbey Murphy, F (Minnesota)
If you’re just getting into women’s hockey, you’ll want to get used to hearing the name Abbey Murphy, or maybe even fear it. Despite standing at just 5-foot-5, the Golden Gopher brings a level of intensity and charisma that few have in the women’s game. On top of that, she’s one of the most talented players in the game. She put that on display in Team USA’s rout of Canada in the group stage and was one of the key pieces in helping the team win gold in Milan. Her confidence will be at an all-time high in returning to Minneapolis.
3. Laila Edwards, D (Wisconsin)
If you had any doubts that Edwards could play both forward and defense at the highest levels of the game, those were washed away in Italy. Along with finishing tied for third in the tournament in scoring, and being named to the Media All-Star Team, the senior Badger showed off her speed, her vision and that wicked shot of hers that has made her an offensive weapon at the international and collegiate levels. If she can tap into the physical side of her game a little more, she might become the most unstoppable player in the league next season, full stop.
4. Lacey Eden, F (Wisconsin)
While her big-name teammates were overseas, Eden was proving she could still perform at a high level with the Badgers. One of the biggest snubs from the Olympic roster, the Maryland native has scored 15 points over the past five games while the Games were ongoing, including a hat trick and five points against St. Cloud State last Friday. Eden’s ability to be a dual-threat playmaker is why she leads the country with 68 points in 34 games. She’s going to be a crucial piece if Wisconsin wants to go back-to-back.
5. Thea Johansson, F (Minnesota Duluth)
I think we all had an inkling that Johansson could be a star player with how she’s performed at the Women’s Worlds with Sweden. Even with the Bulldogs, she’s seemed like a player waiting in the weeds to make a splash. In Milan, the senior rose to the occasion. She finished tied with Hannah Bilka and Alina Muller for the most goals in the tournament (4) and was a key part in helping Damkronoma making it to the semifinals for the first time in 12 years. Now, returning to a Duluth team that hopes to compete against the “Big Three” in the WCHA playoffs, Johansson might have a little pep in her step as the team looks to make it back to the national tournament.
6. Tessa Janecke, F (Penn State)
Janecke was a player who was placed in a different spot in the lineup compared to last year’s WWC. After playing on a line with Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight last spring, the Nittany Lion played further down the lineup in Milan, still posting a respectable five assists in seven games. I don’t think it necessarily hurt her draft stock, though I do wonder, despite coming back to Hockey Valley with Olympic gold, if she has a little bit of a chip on her shoulder, as she looks to bring Penn State to national relevance when they inevitably face tougher teams in the NCAA Tournament.
7. Kirsten Simms, F (Wisconsin)
Simms didn’t have a big role with the U.S. at the Olympics, but that just shows how deep the team was. She averaged just 9:41 of ice time, second-fewest among American forwards. Yet, that doesn’t take away from what the Plymouth, Mich. native is capable of. She still has some of the best hands in the game, and her speed and determination make her one of the most difficult athletes to play against. Even though she has missed 10 games this season, Simms still ranks sixth in the country in scoring with 48 points in 24 games.
8. Emma Peschel, D (Ohio State)
Certainly one of the more exceptional two-way defenders in college hockey, who not enough people are talking about, Peschel is a player who can be relied upon to play in every situation and make a difference. Her name might show up on the scoresheet every night, but the more you see her play the big minutes against the opposition’s best players, the more you realize how much of a shutdown rearguard she can be at the next level. The Buckeye did show her scoring touch last weekend against Bemidji State, delivering seven points in a two-game sweep.
9. Josefin Bouveng, F (Minnesota)
Not going to lie, I expected a little more from Bouveng at the Olympics. Even though she spent the entire tournament on a line with Sofie Lundin and Mira Hallin, I still believed she could provide some depth to a Swedish team that arguably should’ve brought home a medal from Milan. Yet, she scored just a goal and an assist in seven games, despite being very active in creating scoring chances. I think returning to Minnesota and playing those top-six minutes will help give her some of that confidence back as the postseason carries on.
10. Issy Wunder, F (Princeton)
I’ve been very back and forth on Issy Wunder this year. At some points, she seems like a second- or third-round pick. Other days, she looks like she can jump right into a PWHL lineup now. A player I think Hockey Canada might be taking a look at in the near future has started to find a rhythm with the Tigers over the past few weeks. Even though Princeton played just four times during the Olympics, Wunder posted multi-goal performances against Dartmouth and Brown, and is quietly climbing up the national scoring charts, helping Princeton stay near the top of the ECAC standings.
11. Vivian Jungels, D (Wisconsin)
The only flash you see in Jungels’ game is when the light catches her skate blade – but that’s just fine. She’s currently second in the NCAA in plus/minus (+50), trailing only Eden in that category. She has just four goals and 17 assists for 21 points in 32 games, but her ability to be an unbeatable rearguard is what makes her stand out on a star-studded roster. With quick feet and great gap control, any PWHL team would love to have her in their top four.
12. Nelli Laitinen, D (Minnesota)
On a team that was expected to do better than it did (granted, the Norovirus outbreak didn’t help), Laitinen was a workhorse for Finland. She was one of the tournament’s on-ice leaders, averaging 22:34 a game across five contests. Having to play against the best players from Team USA, Canada, Czechia and Switzerland certainly didn’t make things easy for the Golden Gopher, but it showed that she’s willing to meet the challenge.
13. Emma-Sofie Nordström, G (St. Lawrence)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this might be the shallowest draft class, in terms of goaltending, in PWHL history. Yet, Nordström has the ability to be an exceptional No. 2, or even a starter (depending on how many new teams we have next year). With the Skatin’ Saints, the Danish netminder has seen quite the workload on some nights. Half of her appearances have required her to face well over 30 shots. She didn’t play much of the past couple weeks of the season, including the Saints’ loss to Harvard in the first round of the ECAC Tournament.
14. Elyssa Biederman, F (Colgate)
On a Raiders team that has certainly underperformed at points this season, Biederman has been a bright spot. While her offense has been hot and cold, the Franklin, Mich. native has found ways to score in big ways for her team, having posted two hat tricks and three four-point games thus far. Along with a goal and three assists two weekends ago against St. Lawrence, Biederman has 41 points in 34 games, tied for 14th in the nation in scoring.
15. Tia Chan, G (Connecticut)
With UConn being very inconsistent in the early going, I wasn’t sure what to think of Chan. She had been a key part in getting the Huskies into the national tournament two seasons ago, but had a rocky start to 2025-26. Yet, the way the former Chinese National Team netminder has played over the past month or so has propelled her team to a second-place finish in Hockey East. Chan has a record of 23-7-2, sitting third in the NCAA in save percentage (.947), tied for sixth in goals-against average (1.62) and tied for seventh with five shutouts.
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention: Sena Catterall (F, Clarkson), Joy Dunne (F, Ohio State), Katelyn Roberts (F, Penn State), Lily Shannon (F, Northeastern)