New York selects Sarah Fillier first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft

It might not have been a surprising choice, but it could be a franchise-changing one.

On Monday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, PWHL New York selected Princeton star Sarah Fillier with the first-overall pick of the 2024 PWHL Draft.

Fillier was near the top of many draft boards prior to heading to Minnesota, and there are many reasons why. Her speed is tough to stop, and her outstanding offensive ability allows her to create and finish scoring chances. She is widely expected to immediately jump onto New York’s top line and top power-play unit.

The Georgetown, Ontario native had a stellar career in New York for a Tigers team that was mediocre for most of her time in the NCAA. She was a three-time finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best female player in college hockey. In four years at Princeton, Fillier scored 93 goals and 194 points in 120 games, the most by a single player in program history since 1995, fourth all-time in Tigers’ scoring.

Fillier really made a name for herself on the international stage. After scoring six points in helping Canada with gold at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship, she scored eight goals and 11 points as Team Canada won it all at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. In 40 games with the senior national team, Fillier has registered 30 goals and 51 points.

She comes to a New York team that really struggled for most of the season. Despite having a good start, the team suffered a couple of costly losing skids that sent them to the bottom of the standings. New York ended up being the first team eliminated from playoff contention, finishing nine points out of a playoff spot. However, thanks to a couple of wins late in the season, they earned enough “draft points” to secure the No. 1 pick in the draft.

With a new head coach in Greg Fargo, and a generational talent in Sarah Fillier, New York is hoping year two is better than its inaugural season.

Stay tuned for the full list of picks on DFO