From Olympic Gold medalist to first-round draft pick, Laila Edwards is the newest member of PWHL San Jose. The defender headlined the first-ever draft class for PWHL San Jose, bringing the total number of players for San Jose’s team to 16.
A few days ago, the rumors started swirling that Edwards might fall to fourth overall because PWHL Las Vegas was interested in taking a center with the third pick in the draft. Those rumors were confirmed when the team selected Tessa Janecke at number three. That’s when PWHL San Jose Head Coach and General Manager Troy Ryan wasted no time in choosing Edwards.
LAILA EDWARDS IS HEADED TO SAN JOSE 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/vea6vCAqs6
— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) June 17, 2026
Edwards is a versatile player who won gold with Team USA as a defender, but until recently, she played as a forward. Ryan has not ruled out playing her at either position. No matter what position she plays, she’s already setting records. She’s the highest drafted black woman ever drafted in the PWHL, and she’s about to be the tallest woman to play in the league at 6’1″.
And then there’s the star power that she brings with her. Remember that Edwards had some huge support to help her family get to Milano-Cortina in February. Jason and Kylie Kelce donated to Edwards’ travel fund and then made sure to show up to the women’s games at the Olympics. Who knows, maybe they’ll make a special trip to see a game at SAP Center and maybe they’ll bring some of their other famous family members with them.
PWHL San Jose selects Sloane Matthews 16th overall
But Edwards wasn’t the only player to get excited about. In round two of the draft, PWHL San Jose added a dynamic scoring forward in Sloane Matthews at 16th overall. The Ohio State University center continues with the tradition of two-way play that Ryan is bringing to PWHL San Jose, but with some offensive pop. She finished her fourth year at Ohio with 44 points in 41 games and 20 goals.
“A leader and two-way standout, Matthews is the type of player who can center a third line and contribute secondary offense while also competing against top opponents,” wrote The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy in his Draft Primer. “Great habits on ice, incredible national championship tournament.”
San Jose chooses goaltender Tia Chan in round 3
Then, in round three, San Jose opted to find a suitable backup goaltender for Corinne Schroeder. UConn netminder Tia Chan isn’t as big as some of the other goaltenders in the draft, she’s only 5’6″, but the 23-year-old put up excellent stats with the Huskies. In her fourth season, she had a 27-8-2 record to go with her 1.55 goals against average and .951 save percentage.
She captained the team last season and has been remarkably consistent in all four of her seasons with the Huskies. This past season, she was the Women’s National Goalie of the Year, becoming the first player in UConn women’s hockey history to win the award.
“Hockey East Goaltender of the Year and the only PWHL eligible goalie named a top three finalist for the NCAA Goaltender of the Year, Chan made 57 saves for UConn in the Hockey East final. She is on the small side, but similar to Aerin Frankel or Gwyneth Philips, she makes it work. She could climb another 10 spots based on positional need,” wrote Kennedy in his pre-draft analysis.
Northeastern forward Lily Shannon selected 40th overall
San Jose then went back and picked up another forward, selecting Lily Shannon with the 40th overall selection. Shannon played all 39 games for Northeastern this past season and scored a career high 43 points (19 G, 24 A). She was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star. Kennedy says her size will be an advantage.
“Shannon’s 5-foot-11 frame is an asset. She can score, she was a leader as Northeastern’s captain this season, and she brings more to a team than simple production,” wrote Kennedy.
Plus, she has a great story. Shannon has faced adversity all of her life. She was born with hearing loss and has worn hearing aids. In college, Shannon wasn’t automatically offered a spot on the team. She was a walk-on red-shirt player as a freshman. But she worked hard and, by her fourth season, she had earned the role of captain.
Cornell’s McKenna Van Gelder selected 52nd overall
The forwards kept coming after that, with PWHL San Jose selecting McKenna Van Gelder. The forward was fifth on Cornell last season with 23 points (10 G, 13 A) in 33 games, but she led the team with 34 blocked shots.
“Van Gelder played a positive possession game at Cornell and has learned to be responsible in the two-way game on a defensively conscious Cornell program,” wrote Kennedy. “She’ll be a great addition to any bottom six and still has untapped offensive potential that stylistically could come out in the PWHL.”
Last but not least, PWHL steals forward Reichen Kirchmair
And PWHL San Jose got a steal with its final pick in the draft, forward Reichen Kirchmair. The forward was 41st on Kennedy’s rankings leading into the draft, so the fact that PWHL San Jose grabbed her at 64th overall is great value.
Kirchmair had 25 points (14 G, 11 A) in 35 games with Providence College last season, but there’s no reason to think she can’t get back to her performance in the 2024-25 season when she scored 37 points (19 G, 18 A) in 35 games and was named the Hockey East Player of the Year.
There’s a lot of potential upside that could make her a steal for San Jose.
“Kirchmair has played a top line role for years, giving her ample time get on the ice in every situation,” wrote Kennedy. “This year, that involved less time in the offensive zone, and more time defending as Providence struggled. Former Canadian U-18 national teamer, and the reigning Hockey East Player of the Year.”
Conclusion
PWHL San Jose still has some work to do. The team needs ten more players to make a full PWHL roster (23 active players and up to three reserve players). Some of that work will happen with the remaining free agents. That said, what they’ve put together so far looks good, and Ryan is happy with what he has.
“We are very excited about the caliber of players and people that we were able to select in the draft,” said Ryan after the draft. “I was so impressed with how thrilled our draft picks were to be selected by PWHL San Jose and it was incredible to watch each of them celebrate with their families and friends. I can’t wait to get to work with our newest players as we continue to build this organization together.”
