More investment in women’s hockey means players peak later. What does that mean for this year’s PWHL draft class?

The growth of women’s hockey in the past decade has elevated the skill level in college, and the PWHL is reaping the benefits.

It used to be that, on the whole, incoming college freshmen outperformed their senior teammates, as a lack of investment and development opportunities meant players peaked earlier.

But about 10 years ago, heightened training expectations, higher quality of play, and a focus on continued development through college flipped the script. More often than not, players now improve over the course of their college careers — and beyond.

A group of five Olympic gold medalists reared in that system — Caroline Harvey, Abbey Murphy, Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, and Tessa Janecke — highlights a stacked prospect class for the 2026 PWHL Draft.

“These players were going to be this good in this draft regardless of if this league existed or not,” Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer said. “But everyone’s going into college now and even choosing where to go to college because they have a history of professional development.”

Wisconsin product Harvey — a native of Salem, N.H., and this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner whose offensive ability from the blue line has earned comparisons to Bobby Orr — is the favorite to go first overall in this year’s draft.

Then comes Murphy, who had 40 goals and 26 assists while leading the nation in points per game (2.13) with Minnesota this season. Marmer insisted Murphy has a case to be No. 1.

“If you don’t pick Abbey Murphy, she’s going to make you pay for it,” Marmer said.

There’s some debate over the order of the rest of the top five. Edwards, who has played defense and forward, brings size and versatility. Simms is an elite scorer who thrives in high-pressure situations. And Janecke finished her career at Penn State as the Nittany Lions’ all-time leading scorer with 201 points.

Even Marmer and her senior advisor, Paul Nemetz-Carlson, disagree on the order of who comes next, but ultimately, it comes down to a team’s needs.

The Fleet brass doesn’t yet know when the draft will be or how many teams will be involved as the league looks to add up to four teams. Also uncertain is whether free agency will come before or after the entry draft, which would factor into draft-day decisions.

Last season, when the league expanded by two teams, Seattle and Vancouver had from June 4-8 to sign up to five unprotected players from existing teams. Then came the expansion draft on June 9, followed by the opening of free agency. The entry draft fell a week later.

That order allowed the Fleet to use the draft to fill out areas of need, rather than simply selecting the best available player. The Fleet signed all six of their selections to contracts, and five have recorded points (goaltender Amanda Thiele, picked in the sixth round, won her PWHL debut Sunday).

“That’s one of the reasons why we were so successful — we were drafting with a purpose,” Nemetz-Carlson said.

Should that order change, as Marmer suspects it could, Edwards’s already high stock may rise because of her positional versatility. Though a team would likely draft her with one position in mind, her proven ability to play multiple positions would be a boost, particularly at this point in the season when injuries have ravaged rosters across the league.

“I would be shocked if next year you don’t see Laila being used in both capacities at some point,” Marmer said. “This would be the time where it’s like ‘Okay, Laila’s going back on D now, or Laila’s going up front.’ ”

While the top 20 players in this year’s draft class — give or take a few — look poised to make an immediate impact in the PWHL, the next group of 20 may face a widening talent gap.

The existence of the PWHL as a consistent, full-time development center for the best players in the world means many athletes continue to improve well into their 20s and early 30s. The byproduct is a league that gets tougher every year, and Nemetz-Carlson said that fact could make the jump more difficult for mid- to late-round draftees.

Ottawa’s Rebecca Leslie, who made a massive leap in production this season, is a prime example of that trend. After four seasons at Boston University, Leslie played a couple years each in the CWHL and PWHPA before the PWHL’s advent in late 2023.

It was until this season that the 29-year-old really found her game. She has 12 goals — tied with Kelly Pannek for the league lead — and seven assists through 22 games after totaling 12 points across her first two seasons.

“I think you’re going to see that become more apparent, or that’s going to happen for players in a different way, because they didn’t peak in college,” Marmer said. “The 26- or 27-year-old might become one of the best players in the league that you didn’t consider.”

“That’s the goal,” Nemetz-Carlson agreed. “That’s why this league was created in the first place.”

Marmer and Nemetz-Carlson are keeping that possibility in the back of their minds as they narrow down their draft lists. As it stands, the first-place Fleet are unlikely to land one of the marquee names in this year’s draft, so they want to focus on players with high ceilings.

Those players aren’t usually the stars on top programs like Wisconsin, which had four Olympians and won the national championship. Marmer and Nemetz-Carlson are likely to give a second look to the grinders who had to learn how to operate within a system and had to understand every phase of the game.

“There are going to be people who have surprising success in this league,” Nemetz-Carlson said. “There’s more opportunity for surprises and comfort in making different decisions and taking risks. Part of [draft success] is a little bit of timing, a little bit of knowledge, and a little bit of luck.”