It’s been a busy few days for PWHL San Jose as the team locked up five more players in the next phase of the expansion process, signing five more free agents to bring the total roster count to ten. That’s on top of learning today that the team will pick fourth overall in the upcoming PWHL draft on June 17. For PWHL San Jose fans, it’s time to get excited.
Who could PWHL San Jose draft with the fourth overall pick?
For the first ten players, San Jose worked hard to lock down defensively sound players who will keep the puck out of the net. But the team didn’t bring in a dynamic scorer. We’ll look at who the team signed in just a few moments. We expect that Head Coach/General Manager Troy Ryan will address the scoring issue at the draft, where he’s likely to get the dynamic offensive player he needs.
So, who could it be?
The Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl has Wisconsin’s Lacey Eden ranked fourth overall on his draft board, with Kristen Simms ranked fifth overall. Kuehl says Eden’s “awareness” is among the “best in hockey” and says that even after other Wisconsin players like Laila Edwards, Simms and Caroline Harvey went to Milan to play in the Olympics, Eden held down the fort for the college team. Eden finished the season with 77 points (29 G, 48 A) in 41 games.
The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy has Tessa Janecke ranked fourth on his draft list.
“She plays with power and speed, and is a big game threat,” writes Kennedy about the Penn State center. “Janecke may not light up the PWHL immediately, but she’ll be a top-line contributor on any team that picks her. There’s no question she’s built for the PWHL and will be an impact player for years to come.”
As for Simms, The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian and Scott Wheeler have her ranked fourth on their list of top PWHL draft options. They call Simms the second most skilled forward available in the draft this year, presumably behind Abbey Murphy.
“She has some of the best hands in the sport, a great shot and an incredible clutch gene,” write Salvian and Wheeler. “She also possesses great vision and hockey IQ, as well as quick feet, giving her game dimension. Simms might not be as complete a player as Tessa Janecke, who could very well be higher on some PWHL general managers’ draft boards. But her creativity and productivity make her a worthy option in the top five.”
PWHL San Jose will likely find itself drafting a top-end forward with the fourth overall pick, someone who will get defensive support from the strong two-way forwards Ryan has already signed to the team, so that she can focus on scoring goals.
Forwards Connors, Mlynkova, added to San Jose’s PWHL roster
Likely joining whichever dynamic forward PWHL San Jose drafts in the top six will be forward Maggie Connors. PWHL San Jose signed Connors to a two-year deal on June 11. In her third season with the Toronto Sceptres, the 25-year-old had five points (3 G, 2 A) in 30 games. She played in the top six with the Sceptres last season.
Then, on June 14, as the window to sign free agents started to close, PWHL San Jose locked down Natalie Mlynkova to a one-year contract. The 25-year-old scored 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in 30 games for the Montreal Victoire and appeared in all nine postseason games for the Victoire as the team went on to win the Walter Cup.
Mlynkova was selected 12th overall in the second round of the 2025 PWHL draft. Prior to entering the draft, she played four seasons for the University of Vermont and a fifth season at the University of Minnesota.
Internationally, she has competed in six IIHF Women’s World Championships for Czechia and won two bronze medals. She has represented Czechia twice at the Olympics, most recently in Milan.
Defenders Hartmetz, Keopple, Pejsova added to PWHL San Jose
On the backend, PWHL San Jose added three defenders. The team signed Hadley Hartmetz to a two-year deal on June 11. Hartmetz had seven assists in 27 games last season with the Boston Fleet. While the 25-year-old was drafted 40th overall in 2024, she has only played 29 games in the league over two seasons. She missed a majority of her rookie season with the Fleet because of a lower-body injury.
Before playing for Boston, Hartmetz played for Boston College for two seasons, then transferred to Ohio State for three seasons. She won two National Championships with the Buckeyes in 2022 and 2024. She skated in 118 for Ohio and scored 59 points (18 G, 41 A).
Internationally, she represented Team USA at the 2018 and 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, where she won gold and silver medals.
Then, on June 12, San Jose announced that Mariah Keopple agreed to a two-year deal. Keopple joins San Jose from the Seattle Torrent, where she had three assists across 29 games. The 25-year-old played the first two seasons of her professional career with Montreal before joining Seattle.
She is already familiar with some of her teammates. She played with Connors at Princeton and Kristin O’Neill (who signed with PWHL San Jose in Phase 2) in Montreal. Keopple played with goaltender Corinne Schroeder (who also signed with PWHL San Jose in Phase 2) in Seattle.
And the tenth player added to PWHL San Jose’s roster was defender Daniela Pejsova. The 23-year-old signed a two-year deal with San Jose and joins her fellow Czech national, Mlynkova.
Pejsova played for the Fleet last season, scoring four points (2 G, 2 A) over 27 games. She has 55 career PWHL games since she was drafted 7th overall in 2024.
Internationally, Pejsova competed in two Olympic Games for Czechia, including the most recent in Milan. She has also played in six IIHF Women’s World Championships, winning bronze in 2022 and 2023. She was named Best Defender and an All-Star in the 2022 tournament.
When is the PWHL Draft?
Up next is the PWHL draft. It happens on Wednesday, June 17, in Detroit. It starts at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET. The PWHL draft will live broadcast on Scripps Sports in the U.S., TSN2 in Canada and YouTube worldwide.
The complete draft order is as follows:
- Vancouver Goldeneyes
- Seattle Torrent
- PWHL Detroit
- PWHL San Jose
- PWHL Las Vegas
- PWHL Hamilton
- New York Sirens
- Toronto Sceptres
- Minnesota Frost
- Boston Fleet
- Ottawa Charge
- Montreal Victoire
As for the other draft picks, PWHL San Jose offered up this handy guide.
San Jose, it’s our turn 🧡
— PWHL San Jose (@PWHL_SanJose) June 15, 2026
Here’s when we will make our picks at the 2026 PWHL Draft! The order of the four expansion teams was determined by a randomized draw in the presence of all General Managers.
📰 https://t.co/VXSXIeLSAz pic.twitter.com/o9WBQR3wfa
Fear the Fin will also have post-draft coverage of all the players drafted by PWHL San Jose once the draft is complete.
