PWHL picks Ottawa to host 3rd draft in June, with Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien among top prospects

The PWHL will hold its third annual entry draft in Ottawa on June 24, the league announced on Tuesday, with University of Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien anticipated to be one of the top selections following her MVP senior season.

What’s yet to be determined is how many teams will be participating in the draft with the six-team league having yet to announce its decision on whether to expand by as many as two franchises.

The draft will take place at Ottawa’s newly expanded Hard Rock Hotel and Casino set to open this spring, and serve as the first event held in the facility’s theatre.

O’Brien is among the prospects who have already met the May 8 deadline to declare being eligible for the draft.

The 23-year-old from Massachusetts is coming off winning her third national title with the Badgers, and was this season’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner. The second-year captain led the nation with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists), and set a school record with 274 career points (97 goals, 177 assists) in 182 games.

The draft order has yet to be set with the second-year league’s announcement coming during a three-week break coinciding with the women’s world championships being held in the Czech Republic.

Each of the six teams have three games remaining following the break, with league-leading Montreal the only one to have already clinched a top-four playoff berth. Toronto sits second and is a regulation win from clinching.

Two points separate the next three teams, with Boston sitting third, Ottawa fourth and defending champion Minnesota fifth. New York sits last, six points out of contention and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for a second straight season.

Other top U.S. prospects declaring themselves as eligible include Clarkson’s Haley Winn, currently competing in her third world tournament, and Cornell’s Rory Guilday.

Top Canadian draft-eligible prospects include Boston College’s Abby Newhook and the Clarkson tandem of Anne Cherkowski and Nicole Gosling, who’s cousin Julia was selected by Toronto in the first round of last year’s draft. Colgate’s Hannah Murphy, who is from Kingston, Ontario, is regarded as the top goalie prospect after setting a school record with 15 career shutouts.

Among the top European draft-eligible prospects are two members of the Czech Republic national team: Natalie Mlynkova, who completed her senior season at Minnesota, and Colgate’s Kristyna Kaltounkova.

This story has been corrected to indicate Nicole and Julia Gosling are cousins.

AP Women’s Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Czech Republic's Kristyna Kaltounkova, top, and Canada's Brianne Jenner in action during the IIHF Women's World Championship, Group A, match between Czech Republic and Canada, in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Monday, April 14, 2025. (Vaclav Pancer/CTK via AP)

United States' Haley Winn, right, challenges Blayre Turnbull of Canada during the group A match between United States and Canada at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

DETROIT (AP) — Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a pinch-hit single in the ninth to end the game and give the Detroit Tigers a 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Aroldis Chapman (2-2) walked Andy Ibáñez to start the inning. Connor Wong threw the ball into center field as Ibáñez stole second, putting a runner on third. Malloy hit for Akil Baddoo and lined a single to center.

Alex Bregman homered in the fourth to put Boston up 2-1, but Detroit tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

Riley Greene's two-run homer helped the Tigers take a 5-2 lead in the sixth, but the Red Sox drove Tarik Skubal out of the game with a three-run seventh.

Nick Sogard started the rally with a one-out single, then took second when Carlos Narváez snapped Skubal's streak of 27 innings without a walk. Ceddanne Rafaela ended Skubal's night with an RBI single, and Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers tied the game with RBI singles off Tyler Holton.

Tommy Kahnle replaced Holton and got pinch-hitter Wilyer Abreu to hit into a double play.

Boston had runners on the corners with one out in the ninth, but Will Vest (3-0) struck out Devers and Bregman grounded into a force at second.

It appeared Kerry Carpenter had given the Tigers a 6-5 lead in the seventh, but Abreu reached over the right-field fence to rob him of a home run. The ball deflected off the heel of his glove and into Rafaela's for a rare 9-8 putout. The last 9-8 putout before today was on Sept. 14, 2003, when the Twins’ Michael Ryan lost the ball in the sun and it hit off his head and Dustan Mohr caught it.

Skubal has struck out 61 batters and walked two in his last seven starts, covering 43 1/3 innings.

Boston goes home for a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, who could start Chris Sale on Friday. That would make the Red Sox the first team in MLB history to face both defending Cy Young winners in back-to-back games.

Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (1-5, 4.61) is expected to start Friday in Toronto.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tyler Holton throws against the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene slides safely into home plate ahead of the tag of Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez in the second inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Boston Red Sox pitcher Justin Slaten throws against the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler slides safely into home plate ahead of the tag by Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez (75) in the sixth inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)