The declaration period for the draft opened on March 1, 2024, and closed on May 8. Undrafted players will become free agents; players must declare for the draft to reach free agency. Selected players may re-enter the draft if they are not signed to their draft club after two years. No player may declare for more than two drafts.[1] Players ineligible to play in the 2024–25 season are not eligible to be selected.[2]
On May 25, 2024, the PWHL released the full list of eligible players. In total, 167 eligible players declared for the draft, of which 93 were forwards, 48 were defensemen, and 26 were goaltenders.[3]
The six teams will pick in each of seven rounds for a total of 42 selections. The top two selections in the draft were determined by the gold plan, where standings points accumulated by a team that can no longer make the playoffs count as draft order points, and the team with the most draft order points will receive the first overall selection. Picks three through six will belong to the four playoff teams, in reverse order of regular season standings. The draft order will be the same in each subsequent round.[6]