Eight Buckeyes Selected in 2024 PWHL Draft
6/10/2024 10:39:00 PM | General, Women's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eight Ohio State women's hockey alumnae were selected in the 2024 PWHL Draft, held Monday evening at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, Minn. The players comprise the 42-player draft class, which was selected from a pool of 167 draft-eligible players.
Ohio State's 2024 PWHL Draft class is:
- Hannah Bilka (Fourth Overall / First Round / Boston): Bilka led Ohio State with a career-high 48 points on 22 goals and 26 assists. She tied for the team lead with nine power play points and four power play goals. The Coppell, Texas native earned First Team All-WCHA honors in 2023-24 for the Buckeyes.
- Cayla Barnes (Fifth Overall / First Round / Montreal): Last season for the Buckeyes, Barnes led the country with a +71 and blocked a team-high 62 shots. She finished the season with 11 goals and 25 assists. The Second Team All-American and Frozen Four All-Tournament Team member helped the Buckeyes to top five marks in scoring defense, goals against average and scoring margin.
- Jenn Gardiner (11th Overall / Second Round / Montreal): Gardiner captained the Buckeyes to a national championship this past season and was a member of the 2022 national championship team and two WCHA regular season and conference tournament championship squads. In 2023-24, Gardiner finished second on the team with 45points. The 2023 Patty Kazmaier Top 10 Finalist was a Third Team All-WCHA selection for Ohio State last year and finishes her Buckeyes career as the program record holder for games played.
- Gabby Rosenthal (19th Overall / Third Round / New York): Rosenthal spent the 2023-24 season as a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes as she finished her master's degree in speech-language pathology. She is a two-time captain for the Buckeyes and helped guide the team to its first WCHA Final Faceoff and regular season titles and the first national championship in program history. In her final two collegiate seasons, she was one of the top centers in the country and dominated the faceoff circle.
- Stephanie Markowski (20th Overall / Third Round / Ottawa): Markowski closed her collegiate career with a graduate season at Ohio State. In one season as a Buckeye, Markowski finished the year with 27 points and a career-best 24 assists from the blue line. She was second on the team with a plus-51 and blocked 24 shots.
- Lauren Bernard (24th Overall / Fourth Round / Toronto): Bernard finished her fifth season, and third as a Buckeye, with eight goals and 15 assists. She was plus-47 and blocked 27 shots for the Ohio State defensive effort and added a shorthanded goal on the penalty kill.
- Hadley Hartmetz (40th Overall / Seventh Round / Boston): Hartmetz was a Second Team All-WCHA honoree for the Buckeyes in 2023-24. She finished the season with nine goals and 24 assists from the blue line. She was plus-42 on the season and added 30 blocked shots. The Phoenixville, Pa. native tallied a goal in two of the Buckeyes' three NCAA tournament games this year on the way to the national title game.
- Raygan Kirk (42nd Overall / Seventh Round / Toronto): The 2024 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player, Kirk closed her collegiate career with a record-breaking season for the Buckeyes. The Women's Goalie of the Year Finalist earned a .945 save percentage and 1.05 goals against average. She only allowed one goal in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and recorded a 26-save shutout in the national championship game.
Draft Notes
- Hannah Bilka is the Buckeyes' first first round draft pick. With Barnes and Bilka being selected in the first round, Ohio State is just one of two NCAA programs to have two or more picks in the opening round of the draft.
- Eight of Ohio State's nine draft eligible players, the most of any NCAA school in this year's draft, were selected Monday.
- Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall has now coached 16 draft picks selected over the last two years.
- Of Ohio State's players drafted, seven played on the 2024 national championship team.
- The group is comprised of four defenders, three forwards and a goaltender.
Ohio State PWHL Players by Team
Boston – Hannah Bilka ('24), Hadley Hartmetz ('24)
Minnesota – Sophie Jaques ('23), Clair DeGeorge ('22), Liz Schepers ('22)
New York – Paetyn Levis ('23), Gabby Rosenthal ('23)
Toronto – Lauren Bernard ('24), Raygan Kirk ('24), Emma Maltais ('23), Natalie Spooner ('12)
Ottawa – Stephanie Markowski ('24), Jincy (Dunne) Roese ('20)
Montreal – Cayla Barnes ('24), Madison Bizal ('23), Jenn Gardiner ('24)
Ohio State Women's Hockey PWHL Draft History by Overall Pick Number
4. Hannah Bilka – Boston (2024)
5. Cayla Barnes – Montreal (2024)
10. Sophie Jaques – Boston (2023)
11. Jenn Gardiner – Montreal (2024)
11. Emma Maltais – Toronto (2023)
17. Jincy (Dunne) Roese – Ottawa (2023)
19. Gabby Rosenthal – New York (2024)
20. Stephanie Markowski – Ottawa (2024)
23. Natalie Spooner – Toronto (2023)
24. Lauren Bernard – Toronto (2024)
36. Clair DeGeorge – Minnesota (2023)
40. Hadley Hartmetz – Boston (2024)
42. Raygan Kirk – Toronto (2024)
43. Madison Bizal – Montreal (2023)
57. Paetyn Levis – New York (2023)
73. Liz Schepers – Minnesota (2023)
82. Tatum Skaggs – Boston (2023)
84. Minttu Tuominen – Minnesota (2023)
Buckeyes in the Professional Women's Hockey League
During the PWHL's inaugural season, eight former Ohio State women's hockey players were rostered. Winning the league's first championship and hoisting the Walter Cup for the first time with PWHL Minnesota were Clair DeGeorge, Sophie Jaques and Liz Schepers. Also playing in the playoffs were Madison Bizal with PWHL Montreal and Emma Maltais and Natalie Spooner with PWHL Toronto. Paetyn Levis and Jincy (Dunne) Roese skated with PWHL New York and PWHL Ottawa, respectively.
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