Vancouver Goldeneyes secure No. 1 pick in 2026 PWHL Draft, right to select Caroline Harvey

Vancouver Goldeneyes secure No. 1 pick in 2026 PWHL Draft, right to select Caroline Harvey

The Vancouver Goldeneyes have won the first overall pick in the 2026 Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft, securing the right to draft generational defender Caroline Harvey.

Instead of a lottery system like the one the NHL uses, the PWHL determines its draft order using the “Gold Plan.” Adopted in the league’s first season, the alternative system sees teams ranked based on how many points they accumulate after being eliminated from the playoffs.

The Seattle Torrent got a head start as the first team eliminated from PWHL playoff contention on April 14, but the team still had to win its way to the No. 1 pick, as the Vancouver Goldeneyes were also eliminated just a few days later.

With a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday, the PWHL’s final day of the regular season, Vancouver won the Gold Plan after collecting a total five draft order points. Seattle, which lost to the Montreal Victoire 2-1 in a shootout late Saturday night, finished second with five points; Vancouver won the tie-breaker with more regulation wins after elimination. The New York Sirens and Toronto Sceptres were third and fourth.

Montreal, Boston, Minnesota and Ottawa all clinched spots in the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs, which begin on Thursday, April 30 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. Montreal clinched the No. 1 seed in the league standings and will now have a 24-hour window to select its semifinal opponent – choosing between the third- or fourth-place teams. The selection will be unveiled on Sunday, followed by full playoff schedules, according to the PWHL.

The league’s full entry draft order – between non-playoff teams and potential expansion franchises – is still to be determined, but the league has confirmed the winner of the Gold Plan will earn the No. 1 pick.