U Sports is the next developmental step to the PWHL
The Pandas have the chance to become the next developmental step for athletes as they head to the PWHL.
Jason YuenIt’s no secret that the University of Alberta Golden Bears play some excellent hockey, but don’t sleep on the Pandas. They might start feeding to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
Since its creation in 2023, the PWHL has been looking at U Sports as a developmental step — and we’re already seeing how this could work.
Four U Sports athletes were selected in the 2023 inaugural PWHL draft, adding to the 11 former college athletes already playing professional women’s hockey.
How we’re going to see U Sports athletes enter the PWHL
When looking at recruitment pools for the National Hockey League (NHL), there’s a few major ones that come to mind. Such as major juniors, college hockey in the United States, European National Leagues, and very rarely, U Sports. But the PWHL doesn’t have as many options, making the top performers in U Sports pretty desirable.
Their biggest competition though? The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Aside from the inaugural draft in 2023, the PWHL selects 42 players in seven rounds. Not a lot compared to the 250 players drafted every year into the NHL. But in the 2024 PWHL draft, Emmy Fecteau — the only U Sports draft pick — became the first player to make the jump from university straight to the PWHL. Keep in mind that 28 players from the NCAA were drafted in 2024.
Any more draft picks with U Sports roots will come in the form of active university players, not alumni. But with 35 U Sport draft eligibles and only one picked, that might even be a stretch.
Instead, U Sports athletes will enter the PWHL through free agency. This includes former college players who joined other leagues after graduation, and had more time to develop on a professional stage before being considered for the PWHL.
What this means for Canadian players is that U Sports is a promising developmental step for those not ready to play professional hockey at 18 to 21. Keep in mind that PWHL players will have a longer professional career than those in the NHL.
Alberta shockingly slides under the radar
When looking at where former U Sport athletes are signing to the PWHL, there’s a heavy concentration near the Ontario-Quebec area. Pretty odd, but there’s a few reasons for this.
First, not all programs are created equally, and we see this with men’s and women’s hockey. The traditionally successful programs are McGill University, the University of Concordia Stingers, and the University of Alberta sitting on top. Interestingly enough, the Pandas lead U Sports in national wins and appearances, but have no draft picks.
A big setback the Pandas face is that they don’t participate in the International University Games — a hotspot for talent in women’s hockey. By not attending, the Pandas lose a chance to standout on an all-star team and most importantly, in front of scouts.
If the Pandas wont appear on an international stage, real recognition will come from national and conference titles — a goal that’s a few years away.
But that doesn’t mean the Pandas aren’t getting any attention. Former goalie for the U of A, Halle Oswald, was a top 15 U Sports prospect entering the PWHL draft. With a career goals against average of 1.22, it’s not hard to see why.
