PWHL Detroit grabs goalie Andrea Brändli with top pick in PWHL Draft

At least, that’s what fans of PWHL Detroit are likely hoping, after the expansion franchise used its first pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft on goalie Andrea Brändli, from Swedish team Frölunda HC and Ohio State at No. 15 overall at the Fox Theater in Detroit on Wednesday, June 17.

The pick was announced by Detroit general manager Manon Rheaume, the trailblazing goalie in the women’s game who was the first woman to play men’s professional hockey and led Canada to its first women’s hockey medal in the 1998 Olympics.

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The impact of Rheaume wasn’t lost on the 29-year-old Brändli, who sounded awestruck during her post-pick interview on the PWHL YouTube channel, describing the picture taken of her and her new GM.

“Oh, [I’m] probably gonna put it on my wall at home, ’cause, like, this is it,” Brändli  said. “She was one of my role models, obviously, I’ve been following her career as a goalie, and it’s incredible to be on the stage for her.”

Though she was drafted out of the Swedish Women’s Hockey League, Brändli is no stranger to the Midwest, having spent four seasons playing for Ohio State from 2018-22. She then spent a season with Boston University before heading overseas.

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Most recently, she starred for Switzerland in February’s Olympics in Milan, posting a 1.94 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage in leading the Swiss to Olympic bronze.

With the franchise’s second pick of the second round, at No. 22 overall (via Boston), PWHL Detroit selected defender Casey Borgiel, a Port Huron native, out of Colgate.

Ryan Ford is deputy sports editor for the Free Press and has been with Freep Sports since January 2006. Contact him at rford@freepress.com or follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford and on BlueSky at @theford.bsky.social.