The team drafted a total of seven collegiate players, with the most intriguing for U SPORTS fans being former Montreal Carabin Audrey-Anne Veillette
The incoming Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Ottawa franchise added to their initial three free agent signings, selecting 15 more players in Monday’s draft (Sept. 18).
The draft occurred in Toronto, with tennis legend Billie Jean King announcing the first overall selection in front of hundreds of potential draftees and league personnel: Taylor Heise to Minnesota. There was lots of debate over draft rankings, considering players of all ages were being drafted from multiple different leagues.
The run on defence started on the very next pick, and four of the six players selected in the first round were defenders. With their first pick, Ottawa picked up Savannah Harmon fifth overall. Harmon, an undersized two-way defence, is a 27-year-old who played last season with Team Harvey’s of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), a predecessor to the PWHL.
With a shortage of quality defenders available, Ottawa shrewdly picked three defenders in a row to start the draft. A full list of their draft picks is available here. The team drafted a total of seven collegiate players, with the most intriguing for U SPORTS fans being former Montreal Carabin Audrey-Anne Veillette. Veillette was one of four U SPORTS alumni to be drafted into the league.
Veillette set the University of Montreal team record for goals in the 2022-23 season, with 26 – in just 22 games. The 26 goals also led all of U SPORTS. For her efforts, she was awarded with a berth on the U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian lineup. The Drummondville, QC product also won gold with Team Canada at the Winter FISU World University Games at Lake Placid this past winter.
The team, whose name, colours, and logo are yet to be announced, will begin play in January 2024 at TD Place. Follow along with the team on Twitter and Instagram for more information.
