Canada's Sarah Fillier headlines talented crop available in 2024 PWHL draft
CBC
Sarah Fillier is a bit nervous.
Over the last six years playing at Princeton University and for Canada's national women's hockey team, Fillier has had her life mapped out. But as she approaches her 24th birthday on Sunday, Fillier isn't sure where she'll be living in the fall.
That answer will come on Monday, when Fillier is chosen in the 2024 PWHL draft in Minnesota.
Most expect she'll be packing her bags for New York, which owns the first-overall draft pick.
Fillier has found a way to score at every level, from the NCAA to the international stage, where she was the MVP of the 2023 Women's World Championship. She's won three world championships and an Olympic gold medal while wearing the maple leaf, and is now poised to become a face of the PWHL.
"She's a winner," said Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury, who is also Team Canada's GM.
"She wants to score. She wants the pressure. She wants to be the best athlete in the world."
WATCH | Previewing the 2024 PWHL draft on CBC Sports' Hockey North:
Fillier leads a group of more than 160 players who are eligible to be selected. Declaring for the draft is the only way to play in the PWHL, which means it's the entry point both for young talent coming from college and university, and for veteran players who'd like to come to North America from Europe.
The seven-round draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Monday and will be broadcast on the PWHL's YouTube channel.
Ottawa picks second after New York, followed by Minnesota, Boston, Montreal and Toronto. The order will repeat over each round.
Here's a look at what each team needs going into the draft, and a prospect who could fill that need:
After an inconsistent season, GM Pascal Daoust said last month that he's looking for a player who will compete for 60 minutes every night.
Enter Fillier, who has spent years soaking up lessons on work ethic from Canadian teammates Brianne Jenner and Marie-Philip Poulin, focusing on how they're always trying to get better.
