2025 PWHL Entry Draft Recap: Toronto Sceptres

The Toronto Sceptres were one of the more active teams in the 2025 PWHL Draft, selecting five players and executing two player trades over the course of the night. The night has significantly changed the landscape of the Sceptres' roster, adding depth while opening things up in net.

Trade #1: Acquiring Shelton

The first trade of the night saw the Sceptres acquire pinnacle New York Sirens defender Ella Shelton, in exchange for the third-overall pick and 27th overall pick.

Shelton is one of the top defenders in the PWHL, and was an alternate captain in New York. She is a steady, reliable defender who produces offensively while also playing strong on the backend, with a known leadership pedigree and penchant for success. On a struggling Sirens team, she had 37 points and 110 shots on goal in 48 games over two seasons.

"Going into the draft, I think there's a lot of different scenarios that could have happened," said GM Gina Kingsbury in her post-draft media availability. "We were well aware that we would be in talks with other teams on potential moves. There was a lot of conversation ahead of the draft on what that could look like, and we were excited about the possibility of who we could draft in that [third overall] spot for us."

"We always would have liked Ella Shelton in Toronto," she added. "I think anyone would want Ella Shelton in their lineup. Once we saw [Sirens GM Pascal Daoust] was having more and more signings on the D side, we felt that he would be more willing to let go of one of his big Ds... I think both teams won in that trade, which is great."

The Sirens used the third-overall pick to select Wisconsin forward Casey O'Brien. With the 27th overall pick, they drafted Ohio State forward Maddi Wheeler.

Round 2, Pick #11: Emma Gentry, F, St. Cloud State (NCAA)

Gentry was one of Giselle's top PWHL draft prospects flying under the radar. Here's what she had to say:

"What stands out about Gentry is how smart she is on the ice, how she can read plays, her reliability, and her drive. She's always putting pucks on net and finding ways to score even against the best defense. She's a great skater, and those skills can amount to a great addition in the league."

During her five years with the Huskies, Gentry registered 90 points, including 59 goals, in 152 NCAA games. She was second on the team in scoring this season. Her collegiate career also saw her rack up 144 penalty minutes. Her alma mater describes her as a 'physical, scoring-minded power forward' and a 'dynamic scoring threat.'

"Emma Gentry brings a whole lot, and a really, really high ceiling to develop," Kingsbury said, also calling one of the newest Sceptres players "a great human being."

Trade #2: Shipping Out Campbell

There's been word for several weeks that the Sceptres were looking to move goaltender Kristen Campbell, but I'll be honest: I was still surprised when it happened. As soon as the team signed Elaine Chuli, it seemed a Campbell move was inevitable, but it's still one of those things that I wasn't expecting.

The Sceptres sent Campbell and the 19th overall pick to PWHL Vancouver, in exchange for picks #16 and #23. Campbell, 27, registered a 25-14-3-1 record with a 2.12 GAA and .919 save percentage in 43 regular season games with Toronto over two seasons. She also went 3-4-1 in eight playoff games, garnering a 2.29 GAA and .908 save percentage.

"They kind of had to happen simultaneously," Kingsbury said of the Sceptres' two draft-night deals. "They were connected in some ways, right? We were in discussions of potentially moving Soupy (Kristen Campbell) somewhere, and Vancouver was always of interest for her as well."

"It was important for us as well to be able to be in communication of what that could look like for her," Kingsbury added. "Moving her, and having the opportunity to pick again in the second round, gave us more courage to give up our first round pick."

"That gave us the courage to go, okay, it makes perfect sense to go after a D where you possibly were thinking forward if you look at our lineup. The two picks in the second round gave us the courage of going, this is the right choice for us," she said.

PWHL Vancouver used the 19th overall pick to select Minnesota-Duluth defender Nina Jobst-Smith, who is also a native of Vancouver.

Round 2, Pick #16: Kiara Zanon, F, Ohio State (NCAA)

When Kingsbury spoke about the team acquiring this pick, she specifically mentioned being able to be more selective about choosing forwards, in her words, "to fill some holes that expansion had created up front."

"Kiera Zanon is just very dynamic, offensive, smart, high IQ," Kingsbury said. "I think she described herself in our interview as a rink rat. She's always around the rink. She's gonna love our coaches that talk hockey all the time, and I think that's a really, really good fit."

Zanon is another player that appeared on Giselle's top prospects list. She noted:

"Even on a high scoring, national championship bound team, Zanon still finds ways to stand out and put up high numbers. She was a Top-10 Patty Kaz Finalist in 2021 and 2023 while at Penn State, She was also named the 2021 HCA National Rookie of the Year. She finished her career ranked third among active NCAA players in career assists with 116 and fourth in career points with 191."

Zanon spent three seasons at Penn State, captaining the team in her last year before two seasons with Ohio State. She averaged over a point-per-game in the NCAA, with 75 goals and 116 assists for 191 points in 171 games over five years.

Round 3, Pick #23: Clara Van Wieren, F, Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)

Van Wieren just finished five seasons with the Bulldogs, serving as captain in her graduate season and alternate captain in her senior year. In 174 NCAA games, she registered 125 points, including 55 goals and 70 assists.

Kingsbury highlighted Van Wieren's leadership as one of her key assets.

"Just a great human being, great center," she said. "Responsible, always in the right position. A lot of size."

The league noted Van Wieren as one of the top draft prospects in their preview:

"23-year-old from Okemos, MI, scored a career-high 40 points (17G, 23A) in 39 games as a Bulldogs captain to earn 2024-25 All-WCHA Third Team honors... Coach Laura Schuler describes her as a relentlessly driven two-way center who is fiercely competitive and physically dominant. For Team USA, she won gold in 2020 and silver in 2019 at the U18 Worlds."

Round 5, Pick #35: Sara Hjalmarsson, F, Linköping HC

Kingsbury noted that Hjalmarsson's international play does mean there's a little bit more unknown regarding the player than someone who's been in North America, but it's clear the Sceptres think she'll be a good fit.

"We've watched her internationally quite a bit," she said. "She brings some experience, at age 27, and brings some size. She can be very offense, a pretty good skater... really excited about what she can bring as well."

As J Gray noted in our mock draft:

"Sara Hjalmarsson has shown she can play with and against tough competition in the NCAA, in the SDHL, and internationally."

If you're a paid subscriber of The Ice Garden, check out Sally Hoerr's interview with her amid Women's Worlds earlier this year here. (And if you're not a paid subscriber, perhaps consider subscribing for more high-quality women's hockey coverage!)

Round 6, Pick #43: Hanna Baskin, D, Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)

The recurring theme of Sceptres draft picks being "great human beings" continues with Baskin, as Kingsbury noted.

"They're great. They're going to be great in the community," she said. "I think Toronto is going to absolutely love them. They're going to embrace the city. All of those players were really, really excited about Toronto. They wanted to be in Toronto, and in a lot of ways we were one of their top picks. We're bringing in players that want to be here, excited to be there, and that will be a big part of our culture."

At 21, Baskin is the youngest of the Sceptres' draft picks and the fifth-youngest player selected in this year's PWHL draft. She brings four years of experience at Minnesota-Duluth with her to Toronto, a tenure that saw her offense increase every year. She totaled 55 points, including 48 assists, in 144 games, including a career-high 22 points in her senior season. She was also an alternate captain.

Like several others on this list, Baskin also made Giselle's top prospects list:

"Baskin has a great shot and works to find space to shoot from too. There's something about a lane right down the middle of the ice that tends to lead to a Baskin goal. See for yourself."

Expansion Effects on the Draft & Player Development

Kingsbury was open and honest in speaking about how expansion, and losing several top players, can impact how teams look at the draft and overall player development.

"It's important to have success right away," she said. "We're going to compete for a Walter Cup next year, and I do think development's still massive."

Kingsbury said in one of the team's draft interviews, a player asked if the GM's philosophy has changed with the league's expansion.

"I think the first instinct for us as GMs is yeah, development doesn't matter," she said. "If there's another expansion, you might lose your players still, and I think that's a normal reaction or feeling to start with. But my answer back to her was, even though that was my first instinct, I still want us to be competitive and compete for a Walter Cup."

"I still think, in the women's game, in this league, in our market, it's still very important for us to develop athletes and to grow the next generation of athletes in this league," Kingsbury added. "Hopefully, they stay in our market, and we reap the benefits of having them in consistent years, and continuing to build the building blocks of their careers."

"But at the very least, when they leave our market, if they leave our market, they can look back and say, being in Toronto for my first year as a pro gave me the foundation to be successful for the rest of my career," she added. "We're in a small league. Reputation is really important, and athletes speak and talk a lot. If they're going around saying, I had a great first year in Toronto, the standards were high, coach was demanding on me, but now I'm a better pro for it, we'll take that any day."