The only person who isn't saying the Vancouver Goldeneyes are going to use their No. 1 pick in Wednesday's PWHL entry draft on American defender Caroline Harvey seems to be Goldeneyes general manager Cara Gardner Morey.
Harvey Expected to Be Top Pick
Various pundits and prognosticators predict it. Harvey's draft profile on the PWHL website even states the 23-year-old from Pelham, N.H., is the "clear headliner of the class."
Gardner Morey has stayed coy about whose name she'll call for that opening choice shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Fox Theatre. She has said the draft is loaded with instant impact players and she'll consider all options as she looks to set up the Goldeneyes for season 2 and beyond.
This class is clearly stacked. The PWHL is heading into its fourth season and it's easy to suggest already that Wednesday's draft could be one of the circuit's best ever, with the American trio of Harvey, forward Abbey Murphy, and defender/forward Laila Edwards leading the way.
And the consensus seems to be that Harvey is steps before the very talented pack. She will be a rookie in the PWHL next season but comes in with two appearances in the Olympics and five in the world championships already.
Harvey, in fact, was named the most valuable player of the women's tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. The MVP on the men's side? That Connor McDavid fellow from the Edmonton Oilers.
Harvey's Impressive Resume
Harvey was part of three NCAA national championships with Wisconsin and this season won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best collegiate player in the country. She scored 18 goals and recorded 64 points in 33 games with Wisconsin this time around, leaving her second in points per game (1.94) in the NCAA to only Murphy (2.13), the skilled and crafty forward with Minnesota.
The Hockey News did a piece in February ranking the best women's players in the world. The much-celebrated Marie-Philip Poulin topped the list. Harvey was second, winding up before the likes of Alina Muller, Hilary Knight and Sarah Fillier. Edwards was slotted at No. 5, Murphy pegged No. 11.
Harvey is built for this generation of hockey. She's a blue liner with wheels, allowing her to activate and join the offence at the same time as having the speed to get back and defend.
"Over time, obviously the idea of a modern D has changed where you're not just a defender," the 5-foot-8 left-handed shooting Harvey told the CBC recently. "You're a fourth attacker and you produce offence as well. I just like feeling I can be a part of every aspect of a game, whether that's killing penalties, being on the power play, being the fourth attacker or being the start of a rush."
Goldeneyes' Draft Position
Vancouver (9-3-4-14) finished sixth in the then eight-team PWHL last season as an expansion team, but they won Gold Plan standings, which awards the first pick to the team that finishes with the most points after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The Goldeneyes won their final four games of the campaign.
The last-place Seattle Torrent (8-1-5-16), who joined the league last year with Vancouver, have the second pick. This year's expansion quartet of Detroit, San Jose, Las Vegas and Hamilton were awarded the next four selections, and Detroit traded No. 3 overall to Las Vegas for the rights to Knight.
Vancouver has the first pick of all six rounds.
Local Talent: Sara Swiderski
A name to know with B.C. players is Langley's Sara Swiderski, 21, a blue liner who helped Ohio State get to the NCAA championship game this season, where they fell 3-2 to Harvey, Edwards and their Wisconsin teammates.
Kyle Cushman of the Score slots Swiderski as the first Canadian player off the board, going No. 10 overall. Ian Kennedy at the Hockey News predicts she's going No. 14, or one pick after Vancouver's second selection.
Cushman pegs Swiderski as a "very impressive skater," and says "she's a strong defensive player because of her skating." She had eight goals and 27 points in 33 games with Ohio State this past season.
Swiderski played for the Fraser Valley Rush and Greater Vancouver Comets before going to Kelowna's Rink Academy for two seasons.
"Honestly, growing up, like a lot of girls my age, being drafted wasn't a goal because we didn't have a professional league. My aspirations have changed. There's a lot more opportunities in sport," the 5-foot-9, right-shot Swiderski said last week before leaving for Detroit.
"I'm not sure how it's going to feel being drafted. I don't think anyone's going to know until you're in that moment. It's definitely going to be an experience to remember. I think I'll feel a little bit on edge, a little bit nervous, but I'm excited to have the experience and to get the chance to be there in person."
Swiderski did get a chance to see the Goldeneyes play when she was home over Christmas break. Despite their modest success in the standings, Vancouver won over fans, with their announced attendance average of 11,235 at the Pacific Coliseum coming in second in the league, behind only the 12,875 put up by the Torrent.
"The environment was awesome," Swiderski said of the Pacific Coliseum. "Great fans, really good vibes in the arena. Being from Vancouver, it's cool to see, with your hometown and your community rallying around the team and supporting women's sports. Women's hockey is growing in the Lower Mainland and there's a market here for a team and Vancouver has proven that."
She says that being part of the new 12-team PWHL is particularly exciting.
"And I especially like that the expansion has included more teams in the west," she added. "Growing up, it felt like a lot of hockey was on the east cost on the women's side and I think the west coast has been growing, and I think the expansion is only going to keep it growing."
