PWHL Announces Draft Declaration Process

The PWHL announced on Tuesday the declaration process for the second annual league draft that will be held in June. Online registration for the draft will be open March 1 through May 8, 2024.

All prospective players interested in competing in the 2024-25 PWHL season must declare for the draft to be eligible for selection and subsequent free agency.

“The draft is the primary gateway to the PWHL and number one source of new talent,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “The majority of the league’s founding players were selected in the inaugural PWHL Draft, and we anticipate the level of play will continue to be raised across the league as teams make their picks in June.”

The draft will consist of seven rounds and 42 picks in total and will follow a traditional draft structure. There will be a window following the completion of the season that will allow teams the ability to trade draft picks.

Teams will be able to sign free agents, or players who did not get drafted but were declared eligible, to Standard Player Agreements beginning on June 21, 2024.

Selected players may go unsigned for two years before becoming eligible to enter the draft again. No player can declare for more than two drafts. A total of 268 players were declared eligible for the inaugural PWHL Draft, last September, with 90 selected through 15 rounds.