Sirens stock up on offense in PWHL draft. Choose Kaltounkova at No. 1, trade up to pick O'Brien 3rd

Sarah Fillier has offensive reinforcements joining her in New York, after the Sirens restocked their expansion-depleted roster by adding two of college hockey’s top scorers in the first round of the PWHL draft Tuesday night.

The Sirens used the No. 1 pick to select rugged, and hard-shooting Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova. Minutes later Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust completed a trade with the Toronto Sceptres to acquire the No. 3 pick and choose Wisconsin center Casey O’Brien, women’s college hockey’s MVP last season.

“Watching who’s on the roster, I’m just really excited to get started,” said Kaltounkova, who is from the Czech Republic and became the first European-born player selected No. 1 in the PWHL draft. “I’m happy to jump in and help out as much as I can and make an impact immediately.”

Daoust traded top defensema Ella Shelton to acquire Toronto’s first and fourth-round pick (27th overall) in the eight-team, six-round draft.

The two forwards fill a major offensive hole after New York lost two of its three leading scorers — Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge — as well as starting goalie Corinne Schroeder to Seattle in the PWHL expansion draft and signing process earlier this month. Carpenter and Eldridge combined to score 20 of the Sirens' league-low 71 goals last season.

“Now we have more tools to play,” Daoust said. “We just felt that it was an opportunity for us to gear up and cover a new angle and we’re very happy with it.”

Kaltounkova and O’Brien join a team in need of star power after finishing last in the standings in each of the PWHL's first two seasons and lags in attendance playing out of New Jersey. And they join a lineup deep at defense and features Fillier, last year’s No. 1 pick, who finished tied for the PWHL lead with 29 points.

“Sarah is one of those players who I grew up hearing her name, and I’ve always been a really big fan of her game,” O’Brien said. “I think we have similar vision and so I’d be honored if I got the opportunity to be her teammate.”

The Sirens also acquired two-way forward Kristin O’Neill and the 28th pick in trading forward Abby Roque to the Montreal Victoire.

Two Clarkson defenseman rounded out the top four picks with the Boston Fleet choosing Haley Winn at No. 2, and Montreal drafting Nicole Gosling at No. 4.

For Boston GM Danielle Marmer, Winn's versatility fills several needs on a team that lost four-time Olympian Hilary Knight to Seattle, as well as defensemen Emily Brown to Seattle and Sydney Bard to Vancouver.

“She can do absolutely everything and anything you need,” Marmer said of Winn, a U.S. national team player at 19 who finished her four-year career as Clarkson's second-leading scorer among defenders. “If you think about who's going to score goals for us, Haley Winn can be the answer. Who's going to defend against (Marie-Philip) Poulin, Haley Winn's the answer. ... She's someone who can do so much.”

The Ottawa Charge selected Cornell defenseman Rory Guilday at No. 5. The two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost followed by drafting Quinnipiac defenseman Kendall Cooper at No. 6. Cooper provides an offensive dimension to a blue line that lost Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques to Vancouver.

The PWHL’s two expansion teams went next with Vancouver selecting 35-year-old forward Michelle Karvinen, a four-time Olympian and Finland’s career leading scorer in world championship play. Seattle closed the first round by drafting Ohio State forward Jenna Buglioni.

The draft capped a significant day for women's hockey with former U.S. national team player Brianna Decker and Team Canada's Jennifer Botterill selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. And they were joined by former Canada women's coach and Victoire GM Daniele Sauvageau becoming the first female elected in the builders category — marking the first time three women were inducted in the same class.

“I couldn’t talk,” Sauvageau said of receiving word of her induction. “And more than they were talking to me and telling me why I was receiving this call, the less I was able to talk because I was very emotional.”

Overall, 23 Americans and 17 Canadians were among the 48 selections, which included two Russian players Anna Shokhina (No. 13) and Fanuza Kadirova (45th), selected by Ottawa. The 28-year-old Shokhina led Russia's ZhHL women's league in scoring six times.

Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld said the team did extensive scouting on both players. and he had Shokhina listed as the fourth-best prospect in the draft.

The Sirens’ first-round splash captured most of the attention of the PHWL’s third draft.

Kaltounkova is reunited with Sirens coach Greg Fargo, who previously coached her at Colgate. Kaltounkova leaves the Raiders after five seasons as the school’s career-leading scorer with 111 goals and second with 223 points.

The 23-year-old was honored in serving as a role model for girls in the Czech Republic, where she made her national team debut at the world championships in April.

“I just hope that those little girls that were watching see that it's not just Americans or Canadians that get drafted high or No. 1,” Kaltounkova said. “It's going to be hopefully motivation to all of them and shows that it is possible.”

O’Brien was this season’s Patty Kazmaier award winner after leading the nation with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists) for the NCAA-champion Badgers. In five seasons, the 23-year-old finished with 274 career points in 182 games to break the Wisconsin record held by Knight.

Toronto dealt starting goalie Kristen Campbell — last season’s PWHL goalie of the year — and their third-round pick (19th overall) to Vancouver, who previously added Ottawa starter Emerance Maschmeyer. In return, Toronto landed Vancouver's picks at No. 16 and 23.

In landing Shelton, a PWHL defender of the year finalist in 2024, the Sceptres improve a defense that already features Renata Fast. Fast and Shelton are teammates on Canada’s national squad and members of the 2022 gold medal-winning team at the Beijing Games.

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Haley Winn, center, poses for a photo after the Boston Fleet selected her during the first round of the PWHL draft in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Casey O'Brien, center, poses for a photo after the New York Sirens selected the forward with the third pick during the first round of PWHL draft in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Kristyna Kaltounkova, center, from Vlasim, Czechia, poses for a photo after the New York Sirens selected the forward during the first round of the PWHL draft in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Guineans are voting Sunday to elect a new president in the country’s first election since a 2021 coup, as analysts say a weakened opposition will result in a likely win for junta leader Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya.

Sunday’s election is the culmination of a transition process that began four years ago after Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Condé. The junta leader has proceeded to clamp down on the main opposition and dissent, critics say, leaving him with no major opposition among the eight other candidates in the race.

Despite Guinea’s rich mineral resources — including as the world’s biggest exporter of bauxite, used to make aluminum — more than half of its 15 million people are experiencing record levels of poverty and food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

“This vote is the hope of young people, especially for us unemployed," said Idrissa Camara, an 18-year-old resident of Conakry, who said he has been unemployed since graduating from university five years ago. "I’m forced to do odd jobs to survive. I hope this vote will improve the standard of living and the quality of life in Guinea," he added.

The election is being held under a new constitution that revoked a ban on military leaders running for office and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. That constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a September referendum despite opposition parties asking voters to boycott it.

The vote is the latest such election among African countries that have seen a surge in coups in recent years. At least 10 countries in the young continent have experienced soldiers forcefully taking power after accusing elected leaders of failing to provide good governance and security for citizens.

“This election will open a new page in Guinea’s history and mark the country’s return to the league of nations,” said Guinea political analyst Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité. “Doumbouya is undoubtedly the favorite in this presidential election because the main opposition political parties have been sidelined and the General Directorate of Elections, the body that oversees the presidential election, is under the supervision of the government,” he added.

In addition to a weakened opposition, activists and rights groups say Guinea has since the coup seen civil society leaders silenced, critics abducted and the press censored. More than 50 political parties were dissolved last year in a move authorities claimed was to “clean up the political chessboard” despite widespread criticism.

There was heavy security in Conakry and other parts of Guinea with nearly 12,000 police officers among security forces mobilized and checkpoints set up along major roads. Authorities had said on Saturday that security forces “neutralized” an armed group with “subversive intentions threatening national security” after gunshots were heard in Conakry’s Sonfonia neighborhood.

Across polling stations, long queues of mostly young voters waited to cast their ballot while police officers closely monitored the process.

A total of nine candidates are contesting the election, and Doumbouya’s closest challenger is the little-known Yero Baldé of the Democratic Front of Guinea party, who was education minister under Condé.

Two opposition candidates, former Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté and former government minister Ousmane Kaba, were excluded on technical grounds while longtime opposition leaders Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure have been forced into exile.

While Baldé has hinged his campaign on promises of governance reforms, anti-corruption efforts and economic growth, Doumbouya has built his around major infrastructure projects and reforms launched since taking power four years ago.

The junta’s most important project has been the Simandou iron ore project, a 75% Chinese-owned mega-mining project at the world’s largest iron ore deposit which began production last month after decades of delays.

Authorities say that a national development plan tied to the Simandou project aims to create tens of thousands of jobs and diversify the economy through investments in agriculture, education, transport, technology and health.

“In four years, he (Doumbouya) has connected Guinean youth to information and communication technologies,” said Mamadama Touré, a high school student wearing a T-shirt with Doumbouya’s image in the capital of Conakry, as he cited digital skills training programs put in place by the authorities.

About 6.7 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots at roughly 24,000 polling stations nationwide, with results expected within 48 hours. There will be a runoff if no candidate wins a majority of the votes.

In Conakry, 22-year-old student Issatou Bah said he is still undecided about whether to vote in the election.

“This is the third time I’ve voted in Guinea, hoping things will change. But nothing has changed,” said Bah, adding that he hopes the election will improve "this country that has everything but struggles to take off.”

FILE - Guinea's junta leader Col. Mamady Doumbouya watches over an independence day military parade in Bamako, Mali on Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo, File)