Four U SPORTS student-athletes selected in 2026 PWHL Draft

Four current and former U SPORTS women's hockey student-athletes heard their names called Wednesday night at the 2026 Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Draft in Detroit, continuing the pathway from Canadian university hockey to the professional ranks. This ties the record for the most U SPORTS-connected selections in a single draft, matching the inaugural class in 2023.

For the third consecutive year, a player connected to the University of British Columbia was selected in the PWHL Draft, with Thunderbirds forward Grace Elliott becoming the first current U SPORTS player chosen in 2026. The Seattle Torrent selected Elliott with the 38th overall pick in the fourth round - the highest round of the draft to ever feature a U SPORTS player. The two-time reigning Canada West Player of the Year and the 2024-25 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Player of the Year, Elliott has cemented her status as one of the top players in Canadian university hockey.

The Montréal Victoire used the 60th overall selection in the fifth round to draft Erica Rieder, a former University of Manitoba Bisons defender who played the last two seasons with Luleå HF in Sweden's SDHL, where she has spent the last five campaigns since graduation. Rieder represented Team Canada at the 2017 Winter World University Games, helping the team capture silver, before winning a U SPORTS national championship with Manitoba in the 2017-18 season.

Two more former U SPORTS standouts were selected in the sixth round. Seattle chose former University of Calgary Dinos goaltender Gabriella Durante with the 62nd overall pick. Durante currently plays professionally with Real Torino in Italy and represented the nation on home ice at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

With the final selection of the draft, 72nd overall, Montréal selected Concordia Stingers forward Émilie Lavoie. Named the RSEQ Rookie of the Year in 2021-22, Lavoie helped Concordia capture two U SPORTS national championships, one in her rookie season and again in 2023-24.

The four were among a record 236 players who declared for the 2026 PWHL Draft (54 from U SPORTS), which featured 72 selections across six rounds following the league's expansion to 12 teams.

U SPORTS selections in the 2026 PWHL Draft

* Former U SPORTS student-athlete