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PWHL DRAFT

Woodland gets last chance at PWHL Draft; agents, local hockey community persistent in push

Jun 23, 2025 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kendra Woodland has been more tenacious this time around in her approach to the Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft (PWHL), as she’s being more proactive in touting to management and coaches.

“My agents are on top of it,” said Woodland, a 25-year-old goaltender from Kamloops. “They’ve been amazing, pestering and everything – in a good way. I have huge community backing here and it’s quite touching.”

PWHL hopefuls can enter the draft a maximum of twice.

Woodland, who is one of 26 goaltenders who declared for this year’s draft, was passed over last year, so the 2025 spectacle on Tuesday (June 24) in Ottawa marks her last chance to enter the league via the draft.

“Indescribable,” Woodland said when asked what it would mean to hear her name called.

“It’s super exciting to think of, obviously without getting the hopes up too high, but yeah, it would be a dream come true. Just having the phone on to make sure you can answer any calls [and] to hear my name with my family and friends beside me would be a dream come true.”

The community backing she speaks of on her draft quest goes beyond messages of support and encouragement.

Prominent pro hockey players – including current and former NHLers – and junior coaches and managers submitted testimonial videos that were shipped off to PWHL teams.

“I had a lot of guys from training in the summer, a lot of the pro guys that come back [to Kamloops in the off-season], or coaches that I’ve had over the years and people from the community, kids that I’ve coached and I’ve actually had an impact on without even knowing,” Woodland added.

“They’ve come together and they made a video and something that I could send off to some people to kind of vouch for me a little bit more.”

Woodland helped the New Brunswick Reds win three consecutive Atlantic University Sport (AUS) titles.

She was named the U Sports women’s hockey player of the year for 2022-2023, with exploits during that campaign that earned her AUS MVP honours and runner-up for the U Sports Female Athlete of the Year Award.

Woodland has donned the Maple Leaf on multiple occasions and backstopped Canada to gold at the 2023 Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, New York.

PWHL expansion is bolstering her hopes of finding a home in the league this year, with Vancouver and Seattle joining the eight-team circuit.

“Being a goalie, there are just less spots and it’s always a bit of a dogfight trying to get in there,” Woodland said. “But, with that expansion, six to eight more spots for goalies is huge and definitely a better percentage for me to be able to step into the league and get that opportunity.”

Vancouver on Monday (June 23) named its head coach, Brian Idalski, who was head coach of the University of North Dakota women’s hockey team when it signed Woodland in 2014.

The university nixed the program before Woodland – a Westsyde secondary graduate – reached the post-secondary ranks.

“A bit of a connection there,” Woodland said. “I’m not looking to get my hopes up. The hockey community is pretty small, so everyone kind of runs into each other here and there. So, just really cool to have connections all over the league.”

TSN will carry the first three rounds of the draft and all six rounds will be streamed on the PWHL’s YouTube channel, with the broadcasts slated to get underway at 4 p.m.

Woodland will pursue joining the league via free agency if not selected on Tuesday.

“I love hockey,” Woodland said. “I love to play. I love to win. And, yeah, I love to be part of a team. Playing professional hockey has been a dream of mine, especially in a women’s league, for my whole life. It definitely would be amazing and I really want to get in there.”