With the 2026 PWHL draft approaching, we are taking a look at all the top prospects here at The Ice Garden. There are 235 players who declared for this year’s draft, with 127 of them from the NCAA. Today, we’ll take a look at the top players from the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance.
NEWHA only had four players declare for the draft, but these two players were some of the best in the conference and in the NCAA.
Jill Hertl, Franklin Pierce | Highland Park, Ill.
You may not be familiar with Jill Hertl, but the Franklin Pierce goaltender had an incredible final season of college hockey. She finished in the top 10 in the NCAA in goals against average with a 1.71. She also started in 29 games and won 18 of them. The 22-year-old’s save percentage was incredible at a .953, good for best across the NCAA. She also added six shutouts on top of that, including one in the NEWHA title game. Hertl won NEWHA Goaltender of the Year and was part of the All-NEWHA First Team. In the conference playoffs, Hertl was named to the NEWHA All-Tournament Team and was recognized as the NEWHA All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player. That’s a lot of recognition in one season.
Hertl helped the Ravens win the NEWHA conference championship before appearing in the NCAA playoffs. Though Hertl isn’t a known name, she was able to lead the Ravens to the NCAA tournament. In the first round, they faced a strong Quinnipiac team and lost. That was not an easy feat, and neither was making it to the NCAA tournament. This season showed that Hertl can face challenges and is ready for another in the pros.
You can read more about Jill Hertl here.
Gracie Sacca, Stonehill | Manotick, Ont.
The Stonehill forward recorded 29 points in her final season in college hockey. She scored 10 goals and added 19 assists—the most in her collegiate career. Sacca’s playing ability has grown each season as a Skyhawk. She’s gained more offensive output along with honing key skills, such as having great puck control and making great passes as well.
Sacca is a great player to take the next step in her career in the PWHL, especially with an expansion team. She was part of a Skyhawks team that was one of only six teams to score at least two goals against top-ranked Wisconsin. She scored against them in the Smashville Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend.
Sacca was also part of the first Stonehill women’s hockey team and helped build the program from the start. She also helped lead the Skyhawks to their first NCAA tournament appearance ever in the program’s second season in 2024.
Hannah Saunders of Post and Cora Webber of St. Anselm also declared for the draft.
You can check out more draft coverage by checking out the best Hockey East forwards here and best ECAC forwards here.
The 2026 PWHL draft is June 17.
