PWHL
Monday was momentous for women's hockey as the Professional Woman's Hockey League conducted its first-ever draft.
The draft consisted of 15 rounds in a snake draft format where the last team of one round would have the first pick in the next.
For example, after Montreal picked last in the first round with the sixth overall pick, they then had the seventh overall pick and the first pick of the second round.
After the draft was completed, 90 players from the PWHPA, PHF, NCAA, U Sports, and international circuits were picked and seven players from Oakville.
Kristin O'Neill - Seventh overall to Montreal
With the first pick in round two, Montreal selected Oakville-born forward Kristin O'Neil from the PWHPA.
O'Neil spent her youth playing for the Oakville Hornets, then moved to the Stoney Creek Sabres in the 2012-13 season.
O'Neil spent four years with Stoney Creek before committing to Cornell University in 2016, where she played for four years and served as the team's captain in her senior year.
Once she finished at Cornell, she joined the Professional Woman's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), played for Montreal, and has stayed there since 2020.
O'Neill has also played for Canada in many tournaments, including three World Championships, where she won two golds and a silver.
Joining Montreal will be an excellent fit for O'Neill as she has played hockey in the market for three years.
Jaime Bourbonnais - Ninth overall to New York
Two picks later went Oakville Hornets alumn defender Jamie Bourbonnais of the PWHPA to New York.
Bourbonnais spent three years with the Hornets before committing to Cornell University, just like O'Neill.
Bourbonnais and O'Neill were even teammates at Cornell for four years.
At Cornell, Bourbonnais totalled 110 points in 127 games as a defender.
Once her career at Cornell ended, Bourbonnais followed teammate Kristin O'Neill to Montreal of the PWHPA, where she played for two seasons.
Bourbonnais has also represented Canada at three different World Championships, winning two golds and a silver.
Last season, she played for PWHPA's Team Scotiabank.
Emma Maltais - 11th overall to Toronto
At pick 11, Toronto selected Oakville Hornets alumna forward Emma Maltais from Ohio State University.
Maltais played for the Oakville Hornets from 2012-2017 and was the captain of the team in her final year.
Maltais committed to Ohio State University and scored 199 points in 169 games for the Buckeyes and served as the team's captain during the 2020-21 season.
She also played for Canada at three World Championships, winning two golds and a silver and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where Canada won gold.
Maltais now looks to enter a new chapter in her life as she will now be playing professional hockey for the first time.
Jessica Digirolamo - 34th overall to Boston
In the sixth round, Boston selected another Oakville Hornet alumni, Jessica Digirolamo, from the PWHPA.
Digirolamo is a defender who spent three seasons with the Oakville Hornets organization from 2014-2017 and was an assistant captain in her final year.
She then committed to Syracuse University and spent five seasons as a member of the Orange Crush.
Digirolamo scored 95 points in 163 games with Syracuse.
Once she left school, Digirolamo played for Team Addidas of the PWHPA.
She now goes to an incredible hockey market with a great history of women's hockey.
Victoria Bach - 38th overall to Toronto
In the seventh round, Toronto selected forward Victoria Bach. Bach played in the Oakville Hornets organization for two seasons and then played for the Mississauga Chiefs for two seasons after her time in Oakville.
She then committed to play at Boston University, where she played with the Terriers for four years. She scored 198 points in 145 games and was an assistant captain in her final year.
Once she finished with the Terriers, Bach played in the Canadian Woman's Hockey League for Markham. Once that league unfortunately dissolved, she played in Toronto with the PWHPA.
Bach has also played for Canada at two World Championships, winning gold both times.
Mellissa Channell - 59th overall to Toronto
In round 10, Toronto returned to the Oakville pool of skill and selected defender Meillissa Channell from the PWHPA.
Channell started playing in the Michigan hockey program through Little Caesars hockey.
She played there in the rep levels for four years, then for the Burlington Barracudas for two seasons.
Channell committed to play at the University of Wisconsin and played for the Badgers for four seasons, where she scored 64 points in 147 games as a defender.
After her time in Wisconsin, she played for the Toronto Furries of the CWHL. After that league disbanded, she played for the PWHPA.
Lexi Adzija - 65th overall to Ottawa
The final Oakville player selected was forward Lexi Adzija from Quinnipiac University in the 11th round.
Lexi spent two seasons with the Oakville Hornets after coming from the London Devilettes.
After her time in Oakville, she committed to Quinnipiac University, where she was a Bobcat for five seasons. There, she scored 109 points in 154 games and served as the team's captain in the 2022-23 season.
