The 2026 Penn State women’s hockey senior class won 113 games, won four straight conference regular season and tournament championships, and made the program’s first ever Frozen Four. Last night, seven members of the senior class heard their names called in the 2026 PWHL Draft, the most of any NCAA team.
The PWHL is in its fourth season of operation. With expansion teams in Las Vegas, Hamilton (ON), Detroit, and San Jose joining the league this season, the PWHL now has 12 teams. The league has quickly
become the preeminent women’s hockey league in the world. Average attendance has grown by 70% since the inaugural 2023-24 season.
Tessa Janecke
Penn State’s all-time leading scorer (including both men’s and women’s hockey), Janecke was drafted 3rd overall by Las Vegas. She had 153 points (63 goals, 90 assists) in 113 career games at Penn State and won the gold medal at the 2026 Olympics for the United States.
Leah Stecker
Defenseman and alternate captain Leah Stecker was drafted 27th overall by the Boston Fleet. Her offensive numbers never popped off the stat sheet, but she was a consistent force on defense. Her five blocks against Wisconsin in the Frozen Four helped keep Penn State afloat while the Badgers sustained long stretches of zone time.
Maddy Christian
Forward Maddy Christian was selected 33rd overall by the Minnesota Frost. She struggled offensively early in her Penn State career but found a solid rhythm in her final two seasons in State College. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, she tallied 68 points (40 goals, 28 assists) in 77 games, becoming one of the Nittany Lions’ most dangerous offensive threats. Christian was named second team All-AHA in 2025-26.
Katie DeSa
The most decorated goaltender in program history, Katie DeSa was drafted 37th overall by the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Her 12 shutouts in 2025-26 led the NCAA, and her 25 career shutouts is the most all-time at Penn State. She was named first team All-AHA in 2025-26 and was an integral piece of the Nittany Lions’ Frozen Four run.
Katelyn Roberts
Katelyn Roberts was drafted 44th overall by the New York Sirens. She became the sixth Penn State player to eclipse 100 career points and finished her Penn State career with 103 points (43 goals, 60 assists) in 152 games. She was named first team All-AHA in 2024-25 and second team All-AHA in 2025-26.
Kendall Butze
Defenseman Kendall Butze was drafted 48th overall by Las Vegas, joining Tessa Janecke. Her 33 points in 2025-26 ranked fifth among all NCAA defensemen and first in the AHA. She was named first team All-AHA in 2024-25 and 2025-26, winning the AHA Defenseman of the Year Award both years. She leaves Penn State with the program record for career points by a defenseman (94).
Mya Vaslet
Forward Mya Vaslet was the final Nittany Lion selected on Wednesday when Hamilton drafted her 66th overall. Her Penn State career was marred by injuries, including a devastating knee injury in 2024-25 that limited her to just four games. When healthy, she was a steadying force in the bottom six. She scored 26 points in 38 games in 2023-24 before her knee injury, and while her offensive production did not reach the same level in 2025-26, she still projects to be a strong third line center.
Jeff Kampersal has done an outstanding job building up the women’s hockey program at Penn State. We will see how quickly the program can reload after losing such a talented senior class, but the Nittany Lions have emerged as a rising power in the sport.
