Olympic Gold Medalist Caroline Harvey Headed to Vancouver as Goldeneyes Secure PWHL's First Pick
The Vancouver Goldeneyes are about to land a generational defensive talent. With a 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Frost on Saturday night, coupled with the Seattle Torrent's 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal, Vancouver locked up the first overall pick in the 2026 Professional Women's Hockey League Draft. And everyone already knows who's coming: Olympic gold medalist Caroline Harvey.
How the Gold Plan Works (and Why It Matters)
Here's what makes the PWHL different from every other pro league. Instead of handing the top pick to the team with the worst record or running a lottery, the PWHL uses what they call the Gold Plan. The team that racks up the most points after getting eliminated from playoff contention gets rewarded with the No. 1 choice. Saturday was the final day of regular season play, which means Vancouver clinched this the moment the Torrent fell to Montreal. The full draft order is still being finalized, and the draft itself is expected to go down in June.
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At 23 years old, Harvey is walking away from Wisconsin after an absolutely bonkers four-year run with the Badgers. She helped lead them to three NCAA championships with one runner-up finish along the way. In 150 games, she put up 201 points on 54 goals and 147 assists, added 15 power-play markers, and chipped in 12 game-winning goals. Not bad for a defenseman.
But her college resume is just the warm-up act. Harvey won Olympic gold with Team USA at the Milan-Cortina Games, adding to the silver medal she earned at Beijing in 2022 when she was just 19. At the Olympics, she was named tournament MVP with nine points in five games, which is an American defenseman record. She's also been named Best Defenseman at the 2003 and 2005 World Championships, both victories for the United States. Harvey is from Salem, New Hampshire.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.