MEGHAN TURNER YOU HAVE ONE JOB: DRAFT LAILA EDWARDS!

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It’s official, Detroit has traded away their third overall pick to Las Vegas for Hilary Knight. I’m really happy for Knight that she doesn’t have to play in Vegas, but I honestly think this is a bad trade for Detroit…

Now that we know the draft order, I did a mock draft! Keep reading to see who I think your team might be picking 🔮

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Detroit has traded away their third overall draft pick to Las Vegas for Hilary Knight. PWHL Las Vegas will now pick 3rd and 5th overall.

This trade has been rumored for a while. We know that Hilary Knight wanted to sign with Detroit after she was left unprotected, but Las Vegas used their EFO on her so she had to sign it.

Detroit also traded Forward Ella Huber back to Boston in exchange for more draft picks.

Y’all know I’m Hilary Knight down and I’m really happy that she gets to play in Detroit, but I think this is a terrible trade for Detroit 😅

Before we knew the draft order, I thought this trade made sense. But now that Detroit is picking third, it means that they just traded away either Abbey Murphy or Laila Edwards!

This is nothing against Hilary Knight. Age isn’t slowing her down — she had an extremely productive season in 2025, and was named a forward of the year finalist. She also brings leadership to PWHL Detroit, which they will need as an expansion team.

Yet, Abbey Murphy and Laila Edwards are both extremely elite and unique young players that will define the future of a team. Either of these players could have been a number 1 pick in a different draft class. Trading away this pick is kind of crazy, even for Hilary Knight.

Last year the Sceptres traded away their third overall pick, Casey O’Brien, which is a trade that doesn’t look good in hindsight.

Initially when PWHL Las Vegas used their EFO on Hilary Knight, I thought it was stupid. “Why are you using your EFO to sign 36-year-old Hilary Knight for only one year,” I said.

In hindsight, this move is actually genius. Knight is an extremely valuable player no matter how you look at it, and it’s always a great idea to have something other people want.

With the third overall pick, Las Vegas is getting either Abbey Murphy or Laila Edwards, who is a foundational player they can build the team around. This is an EFO-caliber player, but you automatically get their rights for 2 years, and you don’t have to pay them as much as an EFO. Plus, you also get the 5th pick, which could be yet another US Olympian.

Las Vegas is the clear winner of this trade in my opinion, and they are shaping up to be an extremely formidable team.

Watch my full mock draft (with player hockey highlights)! 👇

Learn more about NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey conferences (WCHA, ECAC, etc) on Wikipedia.

Learn more about the SDHL (Swedish Women’s Hockey League) on Wikipedia.

Caroline “KK” Harvey 🇺🇸 | LHD, Wisconsin (WCHA), 5’8’’

This year:

KK Harvey is an exceptional skater, an extremely hard worker, and is the consensus number 1 pick. As a left-handed defender it makes sense for Vancouver to draft her, especially if Claire Thompson is retiring.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on KK Harvey.

Laila Edwards 🇺🇸 | RHD/RW, Wisconsin (WCHA), 6’1’’

MEGHAN TURNER YOU HAVE ONE JOB! 😂

I personally really want Torrent to draft Edwards but between Edwards and Murphy there is not a consensus pick for the second overall pick.

Edwards is a unicorn because she can play both forward and defense. In her women’s world championship debut at age 20, she played forward and was the youngest player to ever win MVP! Yet, she played defense for team usa in the Olympics, with the primary assist on the iconic game-tying goal.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Laila Edwards.

Abbey Murphy 🇺🇸 | RW, Minnesota (WCHA), 5’5’’

I also think Abbey Murphy is a unicorn between her extremely elite hockey abilities as well as her psychological warfare and penalties. We have not seen these two skillsets combined into one person yet in the PWHL and I absolutely expect her to be one of the biggest stars in the PWHL. Vegas getting her at 3 in exchange for Knight is a great deal.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Abbey Murphy.

Tessa Janecke 🇺🇸 | C, Penn State (AHA), 5’8’’

A US Olympian who scored the game-winning goal in the 2025 World Championship, Janecke is the best center available in the draft. She’s an amazing two-way player who perfectly fits the mold of what Troy Ryan is building in San Jose (Kristin O’Neill is also a defensive forward).

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Tessa Janecke.

Kirsten Simms 🇺🇸 | RW, Wisconsin (WCHA), 5’6’’

Yet another US Olympian! If you watched the 2025 NCAA championship then you’ve seen how clutch she is, scoring the game-tying penalty shot and then the OT game winner. Simms and Murphy together will be so electric.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Kirsten Simms.

Lacey Eden 🇺🇸 | RW, Wisconsin (WCHA), 5’8’’

Even though Lacey Eden was cut from the 2026 Olympic roster, she has still represented Team USA at the world championships 5 times and is the only player to ever win 4 national championships in women’s ice hockey 🤯

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Lacey Eden.

Andrea Braendli 🇨🇭 | G, Frolunda (SDHL), 5’7’’

New York and Detroit are the only 2 teams that need a starting goaltender. The question isn’t whether Braendli can be a starting goaltender in the PWHL. We know for sure that she can. The question is, can she be one of the best starting goaltenders in the league, à la Desbiens, Frankel, or Philips.

Given that since 2024, Braendli has a .924 SV% in six starts against the USA and Canada at the Worlds and Olympics while facing an average of 48 shots per game, some would argue that she can be one of the best goaltenders in the league. And if you believe that, you’re taking her in the first round instead of waiting for Detroit to take her in the second round.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Andrea Braendli.

Issy Wunder 🇨🇦 | LW/RW, Princeton (ECAC), 5’11’’

I feel like Gina Kingsbury is going to pick a Canadian. Wunder is from Toronto, big, strong and skilled, and I feel like her game will definitely translate to the PWHL.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Issy Wunder.

Sydney Morrow 🇺🇸 | RHD, Minnesota (WCHA), 5’7’’

Morrow is a proven offensive defender coming out of University of Minnesota who will instantly fit the Frost style of driving offense from the blue line.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Sydney Morrow.

Petra Nieminen 🇫🇮 | C, Lulea (SDHL), 5’7’’

Nieminen is the second best center in the draft and Boston already has Finnish teammate Susanna Tapani signed. After losing Müller, why not capitalize on their existing team chemistry?

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Petra Nieminen.

Emma Peschel 🇺🇸 | LHD, Ohio State (WCHA), 5’10’’

Peschel is a star defender out of Ohio state, and she was on the short list to make the Olympic team before she got injured.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Emma Peschel.

Nelli Laitinen 🇫🇮 | LHD, Minnesota (WCHA), 5’7’’

Laitinen represented Team Finland in the Olympics and joins a Montreal team who just lost two of their top defenders in Ambrose and Gosling.

Read Kyle Cushman’s draft profile on Nelli Laitinen.