Gopher hockey is losing a big chunk of its roster to the pros. Five players off last season's team were selected in the 2026 PWHL Draft, and The Minnesota Daily's Gold Standard podcast broke down where each of them landed.
Forward Abbey Murphy went second overall to the Seattle Torrent. Murphy leaves Minnesota as the program's all-time leading goal scorer, with 143 goals over her five-year college career. Defenseman Sydney Morrow will join her in Seattle after going 14th overall in the second round.
Defenseman Nelli Laitinen went sixth overall in the first round to PWHL Hamilton, becoming the expansion franchise's first-ever draft pick. Forward Jamie Nelson was taken 20th overall by the Toronto Sceptres, and forward Josefin Bouveng went 29th overall to PWHL Las Vegas.
It's the latest sign of how deep the PWHL's talent pipeline now runs through the Twin Cities, with Minnesota natives and college products spread across the league's rosters. The exodus leaves the coaching staff replacing a huge amount of scoring and experience heading into next season.