Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Colgate’s Kaltounková Goes No. 1 Overall in PWHL Draft

2025 Patty Kaz Winner O’Brien Taken With Third Pick

Colgate’s Kaltounková Goes No. 1 Overall in PWHL Draft
Kaltounková was a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist for Colgate (Photo: Dylan Rippe/Colgate Athletics).

Colgate graduate forward Kristýna Kaltounková was selected first overall by the New York Sirens on Tuesday at the 2025 PWHL Draft in Ottawa, beginning a run of 12 straight college hockey players to begin the draft.

In all, 45 of the 48 players selected during the six-round draft came from NCAA Division I hockey, including all eight first-round picks. Kaltounková was the first overall choice after closing out her decorated collegiate career with a 26-goal, 48-point season and a second-team All-America nod. She was also a finalist for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey.

Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien, who captured this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award, went third overall to the Sirens. A pair of Clarkson defenders, Haley Winn (Boston Fleet) and Nicole Gosling (Montreal Victoire), went second and fourth overall, respectively.

Cornell captain Rory Guilday rounded out the top five when she was drafted by the host Ottawa Charge.

Twenty-two different schools had at least one former player drafted, led by Ohio State (six) and Minnesota Duluth (five). Minnesota, Penn State, Quinnipiac and Wisconsin each had four alumnae selected, while Clarkson and St. Cloud State had three each.

Also of note:

  • New York drafted a PWHL-leading nine NCAA alumnae, following by Boston (six), Montreal (six), Seattle (six), Montreal (five), Toronto (five), Ottawa (four) and Vancouver (four).
  • Expansion franchises Vancouver and Seattle both used their first-ever draft picks on former NCAA stars, taking Michelle Karvinen (North Dakota) and Jenna Buglioni (Ohio State) seventh and eighth overall, respectively.
  • At least six NCAA alums were taken in all six rounds, including four rounds in which all eight picks came from college hockey: the first, third, fourth and fifth.
  • The positional breakdown of NCAA players drafted included 28 forwards, 12 defenders and five goalies.

For a complete list of NCAA alumnae selected in the 2025 PWHL Draft, visit CollegeHockeyInc.com.