PWHL Vancouver Signs First Overall Pick Michelle Karvinen

PWHL Vancouver announced Monday that they had signed first overall pick, Michelle Karvinen, to a one-year standard player agreement. The 35-year-old was selected seventh overall in the 2025 PWHL Entry Draft.

Karvinen is a seasoned vet on the ice, having played at the top level of international hockey for 18 seasons.

"Michelle is a proven winner and hockey veteran with a wealth of experience," PWHL Vancouver General Manager Cara Gardner Morey said in the news release, "Her leadership on and off the ice is going to be immensely important to the success of our team this season."

Karvinen has extensive experience playing in Europe, including the Auroraliga, the Swiss SWHL, and the SDHL in Sweden, as well as in Russia's ZhHL with the KRS Vanke Rays. Across these leagues, she's won six championships.

As a key piece of Team Finland, Karvinen has won three Olympic bronze medals and eight world championship medals. Now she returns to North America, where she played her college hockey with the University of North Dakota.

Vancouver is also where Karvinen got her first Olympic medal.

"Joining Vancouver is like a full circle moment," she said. "Vancouver, you made my dream come true at the 2010 Olympics. Today you have once again made my dream come true."

While we have seen many of the first-round draft picks get three-year deals, the one-year deal for Karvinen does make the most sense for both the player and the team. Her wealth of hockey experience makes her a formidable player, but her age is likely the biggest liability for the team.

Currently, Jocelyn Larocque and Hilary Knight are the oldest players in the league at 36 years old, and Knight has announced that this will be her final Olympics with Team USA. Now, that doesn't mean that she will retire after this season, but we will likely see retirements from these older players in the next couple of seasons.

Without knowing Karvinen's level of play in the PWHL and how the smaller ice will affect her game, a one-year deal is a safe bet. If all goes according to plan, the team will win the Walter Cup with her in year one anyway, and then be in a great position heading into a potential extension or retirement.

The team bet big on taking her as their first overall pick; now it's time to see if it'll pay off.