The NWHL announced on Thursday that they are having their draft this week on April 28th and April 29th on Twitter. It’s been since 2018 since the last time the NWHL had a draft. Let’s take a look at the previous number 1 overall selections.
2015 #1 Overall Pick Alex Carpenter
The first overall pick in the 2015 NWHL draft belonged to the Metropolitan Riveters, and they selected forward Alex Carpenter from North Reading, MA. Carpenter played her college hockey at Boston College, where she played for 4 years. She would not play a game for the Riveters, however she did play a year in the NWHL for the Boston Pride. In the 17 games she played for the Pride, she scored 9 goals and added 20 assists for 29 points. She led the team in assists and was 2nd on the team in points, behind Brianna Decker. She would leave the NWHL for the CWHL and would play for the Kunlun Red Star. Later, the team would be renamed Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays, where she would play her second season in the CWHL. Upon the closure of the CWHL, the Vanke Rays would join the Russian league, where she currently plays.
2016 #1 Overall Pick Kelsey Koelzer
The first overall pick in the 2016 NWHL draft once again belonged to the New York Riveters, and they selected defender Kelsey Koelzer from Horsham, PA. Koelzer played 4 years of college hockey at Princeton University, and would join the NWHL after college. She would play for the Metropolitan Riveters, where she would be on the team for 3 seasons. She was a member of the 2017-2018 Metropolitan Riveters who won the Isobel Cup that year. Her last season in the NWHL was 2018-2019 where she would play 14 games for the Riveters and did not register a point, but was stellar on the back end for the Riveters before they were bounced by the Whitecaps in the playoffs. Currently she is a member of the PWHPA for the Tri-State roster.
2017 #1 Overall Pick Kaitlin Burt
The first overall pick for the 2017 NWHL draft belonged to the Boston Pride, where they would select goalie Kaitlin Burt. Burt, who hails from Lynn, MA played 4 years of college hockey at Boston College. After college, she would play 1 season in the NWHL for the Boston Pride. She would play 16 games for the Pride and would record a 2.26 GAA and a .920 Save Percentage. She was named an NWHL All Star that season, which was played in Nashville, TN. Currently, Burt is a member of the PWHPA as a member of the New England roster.
2018 #1 Overall Pick Annie Pankowski
The first overall pick in the 2018 NWHL draft once again belonged to the Metropolitan Riveters. With that pick, they would select Annie Pankowski from Laguna Hills, CA. Pankowski played 4 years of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin. Pankowski never played a game for the Riveters. Currently, she is a member of the PWHPA as a member of the Minnesota roster.
Looking forward to seeing many of the talented college athletes and where they’ll go in the draft! Who’ll be the number 1 overall selection this year?
*Feature Graphic courtesy of the NWHL.
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