PWHL Ottawa signs 2024 draft pick Anna Meixner to one-year deal

PWHL Ottawa announced Thursday the signing of forward Anna Meixner, the club’s sixth-round pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft, to a one-year contract.

“Anna is a veteran player who had tremendous success in Europe. We think her offensive skills will translate really well in the PWHL,” General Manager Mike Hirshfeld said in a team statement. “We are excited to have her as part of our organization. We like her speed and her instincts in the offensive zone.”

The 30-year-old Meixner spent the last four seasons with Brynas IF of the Swedish Women’s Hockey League. Her best season was in 2022-23, when she scored 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points in 30 games, good enough to be named most valuable player.

“I’ve been following the activities of the league throughout the first season. I think it’s every player’s dream to play with the best players in the world and to play against the best players in the world,” Meixner said in the statement. “I could see myself playing in front of these big crowds.”

While her 2023-24 season was riddled with injuries, she still had 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 22 games.

Internationally, she’s served as captain of her native Austria for the past three years, most recently at the Division 1A Women’s World Championship, where she scored three goals and four assists for seven points in five games.

Meixner says she’s no stranger to playing in front of big crowds.

“During the (SDHL) finals in Sweden, we played in front of a crowd of over 8,000. It was an unbelievable experience for me.”