A pair of Nipissing Lakers women's hockey players have declared for the upcoming PWHL Draft.

Both forward Katie Chomiak and defender Kara Den Hoed are on the list of the 167 eligible players who are hoping to hear and see their names called in less than two weeks.

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) recently announced the eligible players that have declared for the second annual PWHL Draft. PWHL teams will select 42 players from the eligibility list throughout the seven-round process scheduled for Mon., June 10 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, MN, beginning at 6pm CT / 7pmET.

"The global interest in the PWHL continues to grow and the depth of talent across the women's hockey player pool will raise the level of play in the league's second season," said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. "Fans are going to see stars from collegiate and international programs selected by their favourite PWHL teams, which makes the draft one of the most exciting events of the year."

Chomiak and Den Hoed are coming off outstanding season, being recognized at the OUA level, as well as Chomiak earning USports/national honours.

Chomiak was named a First Team All-Star, Forward of the Year and Player of the Year, while Den Hoed was named a First Team All-Star and Defender of the Year.

For Chomiak, the accolades didn't stop there, as she was named a USports First-Team All-Canadian.

The skilled forward was dominant all season, finishing tied for the team and OUA lead in points, she led the team and OUA in goals, power play goals and sat tied for the OUA-lead in game-winning goals.

A force on the blueline for the Lakers, Den Hoed had a monster year as well, earning the single season goal scoring record for defenders.

Her six goals and nine assists placed her tied for third in the OUA in scoring by a defender with 15 points and the six goals had her tie for third as well.

All 167 eligible players officially declared for the draft prior to the May 8 deadline. The group consists of 93 forwards, 48 defenders, and 26 goaltenders. There are 19 different countries represented in the player pool including 86 Canadians, 46 Americans, and 35 international players. A total of 42 players have Senior National Team experience competing for Austria, Canada, China, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United States.

During the 2023-24 season, 96 of the players were collegiate athletes including 61 from NCAA women's hockey programs and 35 from U SPORTS, and another 55 players in various professional leagues around the world.

New York will select first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft after earning the most 'Draft Order Points' upon elimination from playoff contention. Ottawa will select second overall as the other non-playoff team. Based on the inverse order of the regular-season standings among the four playoff teams, Minnesota will select third overall, Boston fourth, Montréal fifth, and Toronto will select sixth.

The draft will utilize the same order of selection in all seven rounds.

Undrafted players from the eligibility list will become free agents. PWHL teams can sign free agents from the 2024 and 2023 eligibility lists to Standard Player Agreements starting June 21, 2024.

A total of 268 players were eligible for the inaugural PWHL Draft with 90 selections in the 15-round process held on Sept. 18, 2023, in Toronto. Taylor Heise was selected first overall by Minnesota, with legendary sports icon Billie Jean King announcing the historic pick.