Ottawa Charge add big American defender, high scoring Russian with first picks in PWHL draft
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The Ottawa Charge focused on size and character with their first pick in Tuesday’s PWHL draft.
Selecting fifth overall, the Charge took Rory Guilday, a 5-foot-11, left-shooting defender who was the captain of Cornell last season.
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Ottawa Charge add big American defender, high scoring Russian with first picks in PWHL draft Back to video
As expected, Guilday was welcomed not just with a rousing roar but chants of “Rory” by the 600 mostly Charge fans attending the draft in the sparkling Hard Rock Live theatre at Ottawa’s new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
“I think I might have blacked out for a second, it was quite surreal,” Guilday, a native of Chanhassen, MN, said of the moment. “I needed to take a breath and hug my parents … and my agent, as well. It takes a village, and sharing that moment with them was very special.”
Guilday didn’t have to think long when asked if she had ever heard so many people chant her name,
“I can’t say that I have,” she said. “It’s a pretty cool feeling. If you ask me.”
Guilday isn’t expected to bring a lot of offence to the Charge — in 30 games last season, she had five goals, four assists and 22 penalty minutes, along with a plus-18.rating — but she is known as strong defender who anchored the blue line of a Cornell team that was one of the best defensive teams in the NCAA.
She also won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2024 women’s world championships.
“I like to play a physical and fast game and shut down (opponent’s defensively,” she said. “I like to be reliable.”
Guilday’s character was evident at a young age when she overcame a serious life obstacle.
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“In eighth grade, I found out I had a tumor on my optic nerve that was impacting my vision in my right eye, and they didn’t want it to affect my other eye and wipe out my vision completely,” she said. “So I did nine months of chemotherapy, when I was playing hockey and soccer at the time, and I kind of had to put those on hold and take the year off and try to take care of myself. I think I came out stronger on the other side. I lost some of my vision in my right eye, but it’s pretty incredible what the body can do. I don’t even notice it these days, my left eye just took over.”
In the second round, the Charge took Anna Shokhina, a 27-year-old forward regarded as one of Russia’s premier hockey players. Playing with the Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg ‘A’ team last season, Shokhina had 30 goals and 43 assists in 42 regular-season games, and nine goals and seven assists in 16 playoff games.
Shokhina, who doesn’t speak English, did not attend the draft.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe took the stage in a Charge jersey to make the team’s third pick, University of Wisconsin forward Sarah Wozniewicz.
A 21-year-old native of Cochrane, Alta., Wozniewicz played for Charge coach Carla MacLeod in high school for four years and with Team Alberta.
“She’s a great coach, and I can’t wait to play for her again,” said Wozniewicz, who admitted being greeted on the stage by MacLeod was emotional. “It’s a full circle moment. She just made me such a better player already, so I can’t wait to grow more with her.”
Wozniewicz, who scored nine goals and 12 assists in 41 games last season with the Badgers, described her style as “very fast, physical and hard working.”
The New York Sirens opened the draft by taking Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova with the first overall pick.
The Boston Fleet followed by taking defender Haley Winn out of Clarkson University.
“It’s everyone’s dream to play in this league and do this as a career,” said Winn. “I’m pumped to go to Boston.”
The Sirens doubled up in the first round by trading top defender Ella Shelton with the Toronto Scepters for the third pick.
The move allowed the Sirens to take 2025 Patty Kazameir Award winner Casey O’Brien, a centre out of Wisonsin who scored 88 points in 41 games last season.
“I’m ecstatic New York traded up for me,” said O’Brien, who along with 2024 first overall pick Sarah Fillier will give the Sirens a tremendous 1-2 scoring punch. “This caps off a great year.”
The Montreal Victoire took Nicole Gosling, who was Winn’s D-partner at Clarkson, with the fourth pick.
A star is born?
If Charge forward Gabbie Hughes ever decides the hockey thing is no longer for her, she did a fine job accompanying Canadian singer Jamie Fine in a duet on the Hard Rock Live stage minutes before the draft.
A few minutes later, Hughes, who is a Minnesotan, was hugging and congratulating Guilday.
“I’ve had the honour of playing with her a handful of times now and getting to know her not only as a teammate, but also as a human being,” said Guilday. “She’s spectacular, and such a character and someone I’m really looking forward to spending more time with.”
Guilday admitted she had no idea Hughes was such a good singer.
“That one caught me off guard,” said Guilday. “The charisma on stage was amazing. I need to learn some of that from here.”
Earlier in the evening, a special tribute was paid to the three women who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame — former Canadian national team forward Jennifer Botterill, former U.S. national team forward Brianna Decker and, in the builder’s category, former Canadian team coach, general manager and coaching consultant Daniele Sauvageau, who is now the GM of the Victoire.
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