How PWHL’s Gold Plan Takes Tanking Off the Table

The Goldeneyes and Torrent were eliminated from PWHL playoff contention last week. But they won’t be able to tank for a shot at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.

In most major leagues, the worst teams are rewarded with the top draft slot, or at least high lottery odds to secure the best pick. Tanking to get the best shot at the first overall pick has particularly been a problem this year in the NBA, where several bottom-tier teams are sitting out their stars in the back stretch of the season.

But in the PWHL, the top pick is awarded through the “Gold Plan,” which awards the No. 1 pick to the team that earns the most points after mathematical elimination. Introduced ahead of the 2024 PWHL draft—the second in league history—the system ensures teams remain competitive even after being eliminated from postseason contention.

If two teams are tied in points, the league determines the winner through various tiebreakers in sequential order, including: most regulation wins after elimination; most combined overtime and shootout wins after elimination; and fewest regular-season overall standings points. If a tie remains, the league uses the same criteria as it does for its playoff qualification tiebreakers. 

During the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, only the Sirens were eliminated before the final game of the season, so there was never a race for the top pick among the league’s then-six teams. 

With Seattle and Vancouver already both out, this season is more interesting. The Torrent, which were eliminated first, have a one-point head start over the Goldeneyes, but both teams conclude their seasons with games against the playoff-bound Victoire and Frost.

The Sceptres, Charge, and Sirens are all still in playoffs contention, but two of the three teams will be eliminated when the regular season ends. All three teams have two games remaining, though only the Sirens and Sceptres have opportunities to earn Gold Plan points.

The PWHL draft order beyond No. 1 will be determined by Gold Plan standings of other eliminated teams, and postseason results of the four teams that make the playoffs. 

One additional factor will be possible expansion teams, which the league teased at the April 4 game between the Torrent and the Sirens at Madison Square Garden, which set a PWHL attendance record. Expansion has been a top priority ahead of the 2026–27 season. 

Seattle and Vancouver, the two expansion teams added ahead of this season, picked last in each round of the 2025 draft. In past seasons, when PWHL had just six teams and two teams missed the playoffs, the team with the second-most Gold Plan points earned the second overall pick. The league has not yet confirmed if the same procedure will be in place should it add another crop of expansion teams.

Teams that select early in the 2026 PWHL draft will select from a strong, largely American pool of draft prospects. Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey, women’s hockey MVP in the 2026 Winter Olympics, is widely projected to be selected first overall. Other draft-eligible members of the gold-medal–winning U.S. women’s hockey team include Laila Edwards, Abbey Murphy, Tessa Janecke, and Kirsten Simms.

A date for the 2026 draft has not been announced, but the previous two drafts took place in June. The PWHL regular season ends April 18.