Instead of a lottery system like the one the NHL uses, the PWHL determines its draft order using the “Gold Plan.” Adopted in the league’s first season, the alternative system sees teams ranked based on how many points they accumulate after being eliminated from the playoffs.
The Seattle Torrent got a head start as the first team eliminated from PWHL playoff contention on April 14, but the team still had to win its way to the No. 1 pick, as the Vancouver Goldeneyes were also eliminated just a few days later.
With a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday, the PWHL’s final day of the regular season, Vancouver won the Gold Plan after collecting a total five draft order points. Seattle, which lost to the Montreal Victoire 2-1 in a shootout late Saturday night, finished second with five points; Vancouver won the tie-breaker with more regulation wins after elimination. The New York Sirens and Toronto Sceptres were third and fourth.
Montreal, Boston, Minnesota and Ottawa all clinched spots in the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs, which begin on Thursday, April 30 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. Montreal clinched the No. 1 seed in the league standings and will now have a 24-hour window to select its semifinal opponent – choosing between the third- or fourth-place teams. The selection will be unveiled on Sunday, followed by full playoff schedules, according to the PWHL.
The league’s full entry draft order – between non-playoff teams and potential expansion franchises – is still to be determined, but the league has confirmed the winner of the Gold Plan will earn the No. 1 pick.
Vancouver now has a chance to add a transformational player to its roster after an inaugural season of struggles. Harvey, 23, is the No. 1 prospect on The Athletic’s PWHL prospect ranking, and already a bonafide star in the women’s game.
This season alone, Harvey won an Olympic gold medal, Olympic MVP, the Patty Kazmaier Award – which is given to the top player in women’s college hockey – and her third-career NCAA championship. As a senior at the University of Wisconsin, Harvey led all defenders in the nation with an absurd 64 points in 33 games; her 1.94 points-per-game finished second in the nation behind only Abbey Murphy, a forward. She also co-led the 2026 Olympic women’s hockey tournament in scoring with nine points in five games – the most ever scored at the Olympics by an American defender.
Harvey is a dynamic offensive defender, with deceptive puck skills and playmaking ability, but it’s her skating that really sets Harvey apart.
“I haven’t seen a player with Caroline’s speed at the blue line,” said longtime Wisconsin associate coach Dan Koch in February. “Then her ability to add the offensive side too is really unique. It’s hard to compare her to anyone else in the past.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, Vancouver Goldeneyes, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, NHL, Women’s Hockey
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