Sirens sign Emma Peschel to three-year contract
One of the top young rearguards in women’s hockey has inked her first professional contract.
On Wednesday, the New York Sirens signed defender Emma Peschel to a three-year contract, which will carry through the 2028-29 season.
Peschel was one of the top blueliners of the 2026 PWHL Draft class. The Sirens selected her seventh overall in Detroit this past June, the third defender taken in the event, after Laila Edwards, selected fourth overall by the expansion team in San Jose, and Nelli Laitinen, who went sixth overall to Hamilton.
Peschel enters the PWHL following a standout career at Ohio State University. There, she became not only one of the best defensive players in all of college hockey, but she developed into one of the top two-way players at her position. Her efforts made the Buckeyes one of the top teams not just in the WCHA, but in the NCAA. As a sophomore, she was a young but crucial piece to Ohio State’s run to the national championship, the program’s second national title.
In her four years as a Buckeye, Peschel appeared in 151 games, scoring 31 goals and 77 assists for 108 points. As a senior, she was a First-Team All-American, one year removed from when she was a Second-Team All-American as a junior.
The Edina, Minn. native’s play has also earned her some international credibility. After taking home a silver medal at the 2022 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship, she earned a spot on the U.S. National Team roster for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, set to begin on Friday.
With the signing, the Sirens now have 20 players under contract for the 2026-27 season, giving them four more spots to fill before the new campaign.
New York begins its fourth season of operation on December 6 with a matchup at Prudential Center against the rival Boston Fleet.
