Six Buckeyes Selected in 2026 PWHL Draft
6/17/2026 9:29:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the 2026 Professional Women's Hockey League Draft Wednesday night in Detroit, all six draft eligible players from the Ohio State women's hockey program heard their names called.
Defenders Emma Peschel and Sara Swiderski were selected in the first round, followed by a pair of second round picks in goaltender Andrea Braendli and forward Sloane Matthews. Defender Brooke Disher and goaltender Hailey MacLeod were drafted in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
Ohio States' 2026 PWHL Draft Selections
4. Hannah Bilka – Boston (2024)
5. Cayla Barnes – Montreal (2024)
7. Emma Peschel – New York (2026)
8. Jenna Buglioni – Seattle (2025)
9. Sara Swiderski – Minnesota (2026)
10. Sophie Jaques – Boston (2023)
11. Jenn Gardiner – Montreal (2024)
11. Emma Maltais – Toronto (2023)
15. Andrea Braendli – Detroit (2026)
16. Sloane Matthews – San Jose (2026)
16. Kiara Zanon – Toronto (2025)
17. Makenna Webster – New York (2025)
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)
26. Riley Brengman – Boston (2025)
27. Maddi Wheeler – New York (2025)
32. Brooke Disher – Toronto (2026)
36. Clair DeGeorge – Minnesota (2023)
40. Hadley Hartmetz – Boston (2024)
42. Amanda Thiele – Boston (2025)
42. Raygan Kirk – Toronto (2024)
43. Madison Bizal – Montreal (2023)
44. Hailey MacLeod – Montreal (2026)
57. Paetyn Levis – New York (2023)
73. Liz Schepers – Minnesota (2023)
82. Tatum Skaggs – Boston (2023)
84. Minttu Tuominen – Minnesota (2023)
Defenders Emma Peschel and Sara Swiderski were selected in the first round, followed by a pair of second round picks in goaltender Andrea Braendli and forward Sloane Matthews. Defender Brooke Disher and goaltender Hailey MacLeod were drafted in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
Ohio States' 2026 PWHL Draft Selections
- Emma Peschel – First Round – Seventh Overall – New York Sirens
- Sara Swiderski – First Round – Ninth Overall – Minnesota Frost
- Andrea Braendli – Second Round – 15th Overall – Detroit
- Sloane Matthews – Second Round – 16th Overall – San Jose
- Brooke Disher – Third Round – 32nd Overall – Toronto Sceptres
- Hailey MacLeod – Fourth Round – 48th Overall – Montréal Victoire
- Ohio State had two players selected in the first round for the second time in program history. Peschel and Swiderski, Ohio State's top defensive pair in 2025-26, were selected seventh and ninth overall, respectively, in the opening round of the 2026 PWHL Draft. They join the team's 2024 first-round draft picks of Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka.
- The Buckeyes' four players selected in the first two rounds of the 2026 PWHL Draft are a program-best. The four picks – Peschel, Swiderski, Braendli and Matthews – were taken with the first 16 picks of the draft.
- Ohio State has now produced 30 PWHL draft picks in four years. Twenty-eight of those picks were coached by head coach Nadine Muzerall.
- Peschel is the Buckeyes' highest draft pick since 2024.
- Braendli was selected with PWHL Detroit's first draft pick in franchise history at 15th overall. Matthews, selected immediately after Braendli with the 16th pick, also went to an expansion team announced in 2026 (San Jose).
- Swiderski was the first Canadian drafted this year and Braendli was the first goaltender taken off the board.
- Emma Peschel played in 151 games as a defender in her four years as a Buckeye and captained the Buckeyes in 2025-26. She finished her career as a captain and totaled 108 points on 31 goals and 77 assists and was +118 on ice and blocked 137 shots. She is one of three Buckeye blue liners all-time to earn multiple All-America awards, picking up the first team nod in 2026 and a second team honor in 2025. A two-time First Team All-WCHA, WCHA All-Tournament Team and Frozen Four All-Tournament Team honoree, Peschel is a Big Ten Medal of Honor finalist and earned her degree in health sciences in May.
- Sara Swiderski joined the Buckeyes ahead of the 2024-25 season and in two years skated in 70 games and recorded 39 points, 67 blocked shots and a +48 on ice. She bested her previous season's goal, assists, points and plus/minus mark in each of her seasons at Ohio State. Swiderski is a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and All-Academic Team honoree earning a degree in psychology.
- Andrea Braendli, a four-year letterwinner, 2022 Ohio State graduate and three-time Olympian, holds the program career save percentage record (.929) A three-time All-WCHA honoree, she finished her Buckeye career as the program's then-winningest goaltender (57 wins). Braendli spent the last three seasons playing in the SDHL for Frölunda HC and MoDo Hockey. At the 2026 Olympic Games, she was named the tournament's best and helped her team to a bronze medal finish.
- Sloane Matthews is a two-time WCHA regular season champion and a WCHA Final Faceoff and national champion for the Buckeyes. She skated in every game of her collegiate career, totaling 161 games played and 104 points on 48 goals and 56 assists. A spring 2026 Ohio State graduate in biomedical engineering, Matthews served as an alternate captain for the Buckeyes in 2025-26 and was a key contributor in the team's postseason success with a goal in seven of the 12 NCAA Tournament games she played in for her career and points in five of eight Frozen Four games.
- Brooke Disher is a two-year letterwinner and skated in every game the last two seasons on the blue line, finishing her Buckeye career with five goals, 21 assists and 26 points with 30 blocked shots and a +50. She graduated from Ohio State in the spring with a degree in political science and was a WCHA All-Academic Team and Scholar-Athlete the last two years.
- Hailey MacLeod lettered two seasons at Ohio State and graduated with a degree in exercise science in May. She finished her Ohio State career with a 34-5-1 record and set a program record with 26 wins in the 2025-26 season. A WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team member and Third Team All-WCHA honoree was second in the conference with a 1.61 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in regular season conference games last season.
4. Hannah Bilka – Boston (2024)
5. Cayla Barnes – Montreal (2024)
7. Emma Peschel – New York (2026)
8. Jenna Buglioni – Seattle (2025)
9. Sara Swiderski – Minnesota (2026)
10. Sophie Jaques – Boston (2023)
11. Jenn Gardiner – Montreal (2024)
11. Emma Maltais – Toronto (2023)
15. Andrea Braendli – Detroit (2026)
16. Sloane Matthews – San Jose (2026)
16. Kiara Zanon – Toronto (2025)
17. Makenna Webster – New York (2025)
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)
26. Riley Brengman – Boston (2025)
27. Maddi Wheeler – New York (2025)
32. Brooke Disher – Toronto (2026)
36. Clair DeGeorge – Minnesota (2023)
40. Hadley Hartmetz – Boston (2024)
42. Amanda Thiele – Boston (2025)
42. Raygan Kirk – Toronto (2024)
43. Madison Bizal – Montreal (2023)
44. Hailey MacLeod – Montreal (2026)
57. Paetyn Levis – New York (2023)
73. Liz Schepers – Minnesota (2023)
82. Tatum Skaggs – Boston (2023)
84. Minttu Tuominen – Minnesota (2023)
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