In 2024, PWHL New York was eliminated from PWHL playoff contention on April 24. At the time, New York had three games remaining in the 24 game schedule.
Despite an expanded schedule in year two, New York, or whoever finishes last in the PWHL standings, will have far less time to accumulate points in hopes of acquiring the first overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft.
The PWHL adopted the Gold Plan for deciding who earns the first overall pick in year one. The Plan states that the team earning the most points after being mathematically eliminated from playoffs will pick first overall in the PWHL Draft.
Heading into the international break, every team in the PWHL will have three games remaining, and no teams are mathematically eliminated. If New York is the team eliminated first, they will have, at most, two games left to earn points. Last year New York earned the first overall pick prior to playing their last game of the season.
Will the Gold Plan even matter this season?
While the Gold Plan was an innovative method adopted by the PWHL, it might hold little to no bearing on the 2025 PWHL Draft order. First, if the PWHL expands, it's almost certain the first (and second) overall pick(s) will go to the PWHL's expansion teams.
While New York certainly will want an impact upgrade to their top grouping, it's unlikely they'll have their pick of players at the top.
The PWHL also implemented a 3-2-1 point system in year one. The ability of teams to earn three points for a regulation win has also slowed the impact of the Gold Plan keeping more teams in the playoff race longer.
The future of the Gold Plan is safe
Just because the Gold Plan hasn't resulted in exciting post-elimination battles for the first overall pick yet, doesn't mean it won't. The PWHL devised a player distribution model ahead of year one that created competitive parity in the league.
As more teams are added to the league, and once the initial three-year guaranteed contracts for some of the league's top players expire, movement within the league, and the parity of the league, will begin to evolve. It will be almost impossible for an expansion team, or teams, to be immediately competitive in the PWHL. The 2026 PWHL Draft is loaded with star power, and teams will be able to add impact players in that draft, which will be a significant boost to the expansion teams. Similarly, when inaugural three-year contracts end, 36 players will be looking for teams willing to pay them close to what they've been earning. The best place for that to occur may be in expansion markets.
Once the shuffle happens, and talent is dispersed, it's likely there will be more clear tiers of the league's top teams and bottom teams, and there's a potential the Gold Plan system will kick in sooner.
As for this year, earning the first, second, or third overall pick, depending on how the league chooses to apply the Gold Plan in a potential expansion year, will come down to one or two games at most, meaning it could be a winner takes all situation for a better draft pick.
