Previous Ranking: #16 (+7)
2026-27 team: Toronto Sceptres
Kirsten Simms is an offensive force; creative, intelligent, and with the puck skills to match. She is equally deadly as a playmaker and a finisher. In her junior year at Wisconsin, Simms had 72 points, second only to future PWHL third overall pick Casey O’Brien. Perhaps most memorably, Simms was the clutch performer in the 2025 National Championship game, scoring on a penalty shot to send the Badgers to overtime, where she would score again to defeat Ohio State.
Simms returned to Wisconsin for her senior year, with tremendous confidence in what she and the team could accomplish. Despite missing some time both with a minor injury and to join Team USA at the Olympics, Simms finished with a 59-point season and solidified her legacy at Wisconsin with a second NCAA title. She finished the year third in points only to Lacey Eden and KK Harvey, and closed her collegiate career as fourth all-time for the Wisconsin program in points per game.
A Michigan native, Simms joined Team USA at the 2026 Olympics. On a star studded lineup she mostly occupied a depth role, but did manage to record her first goal. As a whole, Team USA captured the gold medal, adding yet another accolade to Simms’ already impressive trophy case. She was also later a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, annually given to the top female player in college hockey.
At the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft this spring, Simms was drafted eighth overall to the Toronto Sceptres. Many projected her to go in the 4-6 range, but a run on defense dropped her right into the lap of a Sceptres team in dire need of offensive weapons. She is projected to break into the league in the Sceptres’ top-six and be a cornerstone of the offense for years to come. While the depth of the Sceptres remains a question, Simms is sure to entertain and provide some highlight-reel moments as soon as this season.
