Generational American defender Caroline Harvey is a member of the Vancouver Goldeneyes.
The 23-year-old was selected first overall by Vancouver at the PWHL draft in Detroit on Wednesday night.
It caps off a stellar season for Harvey. Earlier on Wednesday, she won the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Female Player of the Year Award by a landslide, receiving more than 77 per cent of the votes.
She was the MVP of the 2026 Olympic tournament as a member of the dominant American team that defeated Canada for gold.
She was also named the Patty Kazmaier Award winner as the top player in U.S. women’s college hockey, as she led the University of Wisconsin to an NCAA championship, the third of Harvey’s career.
And now Harvey enters the PWHL, where she will be a face of the league for years to come.
She’s an intelligent defender whose strong skating gives her the ability to lead the rush or get back quickly to defend. She’s one of the most deceptive defenders in the game, largely thanks to her solid edgework.
At the Olympics, she tied teammate Megan Keller for the tournament scoring lead with nine points in seven games.
“I’ve worked in the NHL and technically, she’s the best skater I’ve worked with,” Harvey’s long-time skating coach, Dave Breen, told CBC Sports last week. “It’s forced me to come up with different things and better ways to coach and teach her.”
Harvey joins Canadian Sophie Jaques on Vancouver’s blue line, giving the Goldeneyes two of the most talented offensive defenders in women’s hockey.
Harvey is the first of several U.S. Olympic team stars expected to be taken in the PWHL draft’s first round.
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“What excites me most is just it’s going to be a totally different experience and I’m super excited for that change,” Harvey said in an interview before the draft. “I embrace change and I take it as a challenge.”
Wednesday’s draft will see all 12 PWHL teams select players over six rounds. Vancouver secured the first-overall pick by earning the most Gold Plan points. Teams earned Gold Plan points by winning games after being eliminated from playoff contention.
Who’s going to be the top pick of the 2026 PWHL draft?
PWHL Hamilton will select sixth in the draft order, while the Toronto Sceptres will pick eighth, the Ottawa Charge will draft in the 11th spot, followed by the Walter Cup-champion Montreal Victoire at 12.
More to come.
