Vancouver Goldeneyes Adds Generational Talent, Caroline Harvey

The Vancouver Goldeneyes continued to make history, taking defender Caroline Harvey first overall in the 2026 PWHL Draft. This is the first time in league history a defender has been taken first overall, but it was no surprise as she entered the draft as one of the most decorated women’s hockey players. 

Caroline Harvey was drafted from the University of Wisconsin where she won 3 NCAA National Titles with the Badgers. Over the course of her collegiate career Harvey played 147 games, scoring 54 goals, 12 of which were game-winners, along with 147 assists, totaling 201 points. This past season, Harvey recorded 63 points in just 32 games, averaging 1.97 points per game.

But her resume doesn’t end there as she has continued to stack up the awards throughout her time with the Wisconsin Badgers, ending with the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is presented to the top D1 women’s hockey player. This was Harvey’s third time being a finalist for the award, showing how consistent she’s been throughout her collegiate career. She also won defender of the year, three seasons in a row, becoming the first player to win three and doing it consecutively. In her rookie season, Harvey won Rookie of the Year and was named a WCHA Defender of the Year Finalist. 

Her awards also extend to the international level, most recently being announced as the 2026 IIHF Female Player of the Year off the heels of her gold medal performance at the Olympics with the USA. In her second Olympic appearance Harvey came to life, leading the tournament in points and assists with a +14, which led to her bringing home tournament MVP and Best Defender. 

Caroline Harvey is on a championship run winning the IIHF Women’s Worlds, Rivalry Series, Olympic Gold, and back-to-back NCAA titles in the last year. And with Claire Thompson debating her future in the PWHL, it is very possible that we will see Caroline Harvey paired with Sophie Jaques, the Goldeneyes top defender last season.

Harvey has already sung her praises saying, “she’s such a stud like, it’s been so great to watch her and what she has done for that team and then on the international level and she’s such a great player, so composed, her IQ is off the charts and it would be honestly be an honor to play with her I hope that I get the opportunity to be her D partner at some point,” adding, “I feel like her reads for the game and just her ability to make split second decisions is very good so and her shot is pretty unbelievable so, yeah, it would be cool to maybe get the chance to play with her and I think we compliment each other well and I would love that.”