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New York Sirens select Kristýna Kaltounková with No. 1 pick in 2025 PWHL Draft
OTTAWA – The New York Sirens selected Czech forward Kristýna Kaltounková with the No. 1 pick in the PWHL Draft on Tuesday night.
Kaltounková, 23, is a physically dominant forward with the hardest shot in the draft class.
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At Colgate this season, she finished top-10 in goals in the nation and set a program record in goals (111) and game-winning goals (19). She finished her career just six points shy of the Colgate record in points, which is held by Danielle Serdachny, who was drafted second overall last season.
Kaltounková is a pro-ready forward who already has experience at the senior international level; she was tied for the scoring lead for Czechia in her women's world championship debut in April.
She has a solid frame (5-foot-9) and strong skating with a physical style of play that will benefit her in the PWHL. Kaltounková has a heavy and accurate shot that makes her a consistent threat in the offensive zone and off the rush. She wins puck battles along the wall, plays through contact, and does well to get to the netfront, where she has good hands and uses her size to take away goalies' sightlines.
In New York, Kaltounková could center her own line, giving the Sirens a one-two punch up the middle behind Canadian star Sarah Fillier. Or one of the two could move to the wing to load up the top line. Last season, Fillier was excellent on the wing beside Alex Carpenter. But after Carpenter was left unprotected in expansion and signed in Seattle, there's a major hole at the top of New York's lineup. Kaltounková could fill that position either at center or on the wing with her shot and nose for the net.
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Defender Haley Winn and forward Casey O'Brien were other potential No. 1 picks, but with seven defenders currently on the roster it makes sense that New York opted for a forward. O'Brien was the No. 1 prospect in 's pre-draft ranking, but Kaltounková has history playing for New York coach Greg Fargo at Colgate, which made her an easy selection.
Kaltounková is New York's second-straight No. 1 selection after drafting Fillier first in 2024. The Sirens have finished last in the PWHL standings in back-to-back seasons and won the Gold Plan — the league's innovative approach to determining its draft order — and the No. 1 pick in both years.
The hope for the Sirens is that with Fillier and Kaltounková at the top of the lineup, the team can climb out of the basement of the standings for the first time in 2025-26. But a Fillier contract extension looms large — she only signed a one-year contract and is a restricted free agent — and is the single-biggest item on Daoust's to-do list this offseason.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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