ST PAUL, Minn. — Fresh off becoming the league's first champion, PWHL Minnesota started its title defense by selecting blue-liner Claire Thompson with the No. 3 overall pick in Monday PWHL Draft at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.
The selection was announced by Billie Jean King, who has played an integral role in growing the PWHL brand. Thompson helped Team Canada win a World Championship and then a gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. She opted out of playing in the inaugural PWHL season to focus on her second year of medical school at New York University School of Medicine.
Described as a heady player who likes to jump into the rush, Thompson hasn't played a full season since 2019-2020 when she captained the Princeton Tigers but Team Canada teammate and number one overall pick Sarah Fillier said that won't be an issue.
“Nobody in the PWHL or international hockey plays like her. Claire thinks of the game like no one else,” Filler told The Athletic before Tuesday's draft. “She just plays four steps ahead of everyone and you might think plays look risky or what she’s doing is reckless, but it’s actually super calculated. And she rarely makes mistakes.”
As expected, New York selected Fillier with the No. 1 overall selection, a belated birthday present for Canadian-born center, who turned 24 years old Sunday. Ottawa picked forward Danielle Serdachny with the No. 2 pick before Minnesota selected Thompson.
Boston selected forward Hannah Bilka at No. 4, while Montreal picked her Ohio State teammate Cayla Barnes with the fifth pick. Toronto rounded out the first round by picking forward Julia Gosling at No. 6.
Minnesota went offense in the second round by selecting North Dakota native Britta Curl. Last season, Curl, 24, was the captain at Wisconsin where she finished with a career-high 62 points, including 22 goals.
In the third round, Minnesota selected St. Cloud State forward Klára Hymlárová, who is fresh off a 24-point campaign with the Huskies.
Minnesota selected forward Brooke McQuigge of Clarkson in the fourth round before picking her college teammate Dominique Petrie in the fifth. The team rounded out their draft by picking blueliner Mae Batherson of St. Lawrence and forward Katy Knoll of Northeastern in the sixth and seventh rounds, respectively.
Here's a recap of Minnesota's take in the 2024 PWHL Draft.
Round 1: Claire Thompson, Defense - Princeton University/Team Canada
Round 2: Britta Curl, Forward - University of Wisconsin
Round 3: Klára Hymlárová, Forward - St. Cloud State University
Round 4: Brooke McQuigge, Forward - Clarkson
Round 5: Dominique Petrie, Forward - Clarkson
Round 6: Mae Batherson, Defense - St. Lawrence
Round 7: Katy Knoll, Forward - Northeastern
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