New York takes Canadian national forward Sarah Fillier first overall in PWHL draft

New York filled a necessary need on offence by selecting Princeton and Canadian national team forward Sarah Fillier with the first pick in the Professional Women's Hockey League draft on Monday night.

New York filled a necessary need on offence by selecting Princeton and Canadian national team forward Sarah Fillier with the first pick in the Professional Women's Hockey League draft on Monday night.

Regarded by PWHL scouts as a "generational player," Fillier is a three-time Patty Kazmaier college player of the year finalist. She graduated with a degree in psychiatry and completed her four-year career at Princeton ranking sixth on the school list with 93 goals and fourth with 193 points in 120 games.

Fillier also won gold at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she finished second in the tournament with eight goals, and was also a member of three Canadian world championship teams.

Fillier, who turned 24 on Sunday, was projected to be the No. 1 pick and joins a New York franchise in flux, with Colgate's Greg Fargo taking over as coach after the team went 9-12-3 to finish last in the standings. Fargo replaces Howie Draper, who reached a mutual agreement to stay on as a special adviser while returning to coach at the University of Alberta.

"It's an amazing sports city and the fans have been amazing this whole season," Fillier said. "I went to school just down the road, so it feels like a bit of a homecoming to me and so many friends and teammates in the New York area. So it'll be really exciting to play in front of them."

The six-team, seven-round draft is being held in St. Paul, Minn., with league co-founder and tennis icon Billie Jean King announcing and greeting the selections on stage.

"It's hard to find words," Fillier said of meeting King. "When you think of someone like that and being up on stage and getting to shake her hand and give her a hug was a surreal moment and something I'll remember forever."