2025 PWHL Draft: The Four NEWHA Names to Keep an Eye Out For

We’ve made it, everyone! It’s Draft Week in the PWHL, and with 199 players entering this year, there’s a lot of talent contending to join the league moving forward. 

Today we’re looking at players from the youngest of the NCAA Division I conferences. The conference has yet to see one of their alumni drafted to the PWHL, but has their highest number of entrants so far in 2025. Four players, three forwards and one goaltender, from the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance are eligible to be selected this year, and I’m breaking down what stands out about each of them. Will one of them be the first to crack into the league? 

Here’s why I think each one should get some attention from the eight teams selecting on Tuesday. 

Tyra Turner 

College: Saint Anselm
Position: Forward 
Age: 22
Hometown: Andover, Minnesota 

Over four seasons in the NCAA, Turner was integral to the success of the Hawks. Consistently she was in the top five in scoring, highlighted by a career high as a sophomore in 2022-23, where she collected 19 goals and 38 points in 38 games. For her point per game effort, she was named to the conference second team, following up the season where she was named the NEWHA Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 (14-14-28 in 31 games played). 

Her junior campaign wasn’t her best, as she saw a drop in her productivity, with just six goals across 33 games. However, that productivity was back at her usual clip this last season, with 12 goals and 26 points to lead St. Anselm in scoring, and to come in fourth overall in the conference. 

What I believe helps Turner stand out is her willingness and ability to get shots on net. As a freshman and a sophomore, the forward led the conference in total shots on goal with 133 and 177 respectively. During the aforementioned junior season where she struggled at times, one of the biggest things that jumped out from her stat line was her lack of shot generation, as she dropped to just 98 total. This past season her total was back up to 144, and it showed in her increase in point production once again. 

Turner is a whole package, with 12 power play goals and five short handed ones as well during her four seasons. And while the offensive numbers in NEWHA aren’t as high as in some of the other conferences, she can still provide a depth role for teams looking to round out their forward group. 

Abbie Thompson 

College: LIU (also played three seasons at Bemidji State)
Position: Goaltender 
Age: 21
Hometown: Forest Lake, Minnesota

It’s no secret I enjoyed Thompson’s game this past season, especially while she saw the most minutes and the most productivity out of any of her years in the NCAA. And in a goaltending class that maybe isn’t as strong as the last two Entry Drafts, I think there’s a chance Thompson gets a look or two from the squads that have seen their goaltending plans change drastically over the last few weeks due to expansion and other factors.

In 33 games this season, the Michigan-born netminder posted a .936 save percentage, one of the best marks in the conference — and she made the second most starts of anyone in NEWHA altogether. Her 1.69 goals against average is the lowest such mark of her career, but what stands out most is the seven shutouts she recorded over the course of the season. 

Now yes, her numbers from when she played in the WCHA are definitely a little lackluster, but that was when she wasn’t playing consistent minutes, and when she was on the younger side. Thompson will turn just 22 in August, and if there’s one thing I know about goaltenders it’s that their development sometimes takes a little bit longer than in other positions. I think Thompson is a perfect candidate for a flier pick, and if her development continues on the path that it started on this year, it spells good things for her — and whichever team takes her — in the future.

Jeannie Wallner 

College: LIU
Position: Forward
Age: 21
Hometown: Kings Park, New York

Wallner is a name I’ve had an eye on for awhile, and anyone who has been watching NEWHA since she started as a freshman back in 2021-22 I think has too. A three-time All-NEWHA First Team, and an All-Rookie Team honoree for both the conference and USCHO back in 2022, Wallner has been a complete package for the Sharks. 

Across 144 career games, Wallner registered 120 points, including 62 goals — 10 of which came on the power play. With 20 goals in 2023-24, Wallner was tied alongside three other players for the most in the conference, including former teammate Mikayla Lantto, who most recently saw success in the SDHL with Skellefteå AIK. 

While Wallner doesn’t register as many shots on goal as Turner, she excels at the faceoff dot, with 379 wins this past season alone. In total over her career, Wallner averaged a faceoff win percentage over 56%, consistently helping the Sharks be one of the better teams in the conference at the circle. Combine her versatility on the offensive side of the puck with her defensive versatility, and it speaks highly of Wallner's ability to slide into any role easily. Her height is also a factor here: at 5’10”, the forward is taller than the averages of all the teams from last season, which could help in a variety of scenarios when the eight squads return to the ice. 

Julia Wysocki 

College: Post 
Position: Forward
Age: 23
Hometown: Argyle, Texas

If we’re talking about players that increased their capital with a career season during their draft year, Wysocki fits that mold to a T. The 23-year-old forward led the conference in scoring this past year, more than doubling her career point total with 18 goals and 27 points in 36 games. Her success offensively was one of the main reasons why Post had such a historic season, which should have her standing out on draft boards this week. 

After not playing as a freshman in 2020-21, Wysocki went on to play 135 games over her career at Post, and is now the all-time leader in program history in a host of categories: goals (32), assists (22) total points (54), power play goals (5), and more. This is a player that helped drive the entire offense for her team this past season, factoring in on 44% of the goals the Eagles tallied during 2024-25. 

Wysocki was the first player in Post program history to be named an All-Star by the New England Hockey Writers Association after her success in her senior campaign. She was the only player from NEWHA to even make the list, and the accolade goes along with her conference Player of the Year honor, which she was awarded at the end of February. 

Sure, there may be some concern that this level of success can’t be sustained, but I’d honestly be surprised if Wysocki doesn’t continue her productivity wherever her hockey career goes next. I’d be taking a long look to see if she can fit into the plans for the teams in the league, especially based on how solid this past season was. 

Draft Order:

1. New York Sirens (Gold Plan Winners)
2. Boston Fleet (Non-Playoff Team)
3. Toronto Sceptres (Lower Playoff Semifinalist) 
4. Montréal Victoire (Higher Playoff Semifinalist) 
5. Ottawa Charge (Finalists)
6. Minnesota Frost (League Champions)
7. PWHL Vancouver (Expansion Franchise)
8. PWHL Seattle (Expansion Franchise) 

The 2025 PWHL Entry Draft is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 24th in Ottawa, Ontario. The Ice Garden will have live coverage from the draft at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at 7 PM, as well as plenty of remote coverage on our website. For more pre-draft insight, be sure to look through the reporting already published here.