The PWHL’s upcoming draft class is made up of a 235-player pool and, as highly anticipated, headed by five members of the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning team, including defender Caroline Harvey.
The league on Tuesday revealed its player-declaration list, which represents its largest prospect pool since the PWHL’s inaugural draft totaled 268 in 2023. And this year’s group features 23 players who competed at the Milan Cortina Games in February.
The quality and quantity of talent represents one of the reasons why the eight-team league elected to add as many as four expansion franchises for next season. Detroit, which will host the draft on June 17, has already been announced as a new team, with more to be added in the coming days.
Vancouver holds the No. 1 pick followed by Seattle, New York and Toronto. The rest of the order is unclear because of the ongoing playoffs and the league having yet to reveal where its new teams will select. It's also unclear how many total selections will be made, though the PWHL has already informed players not all will be drafted.
Harvey is regarded as the top prospect after leading the University of Wisconsin to its second straight NCAA championship and fourth in six years. The 23-year-old is a two-time Olympian and completed a season in which she earned Olympic tournament and college hockey MVP honors as this year's Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner.
Harvey's American teammates are expected to fill many of the top selections. The group includes forward/defender Laila Edwards and forward Kirsten Simms, who also played for Wisconsin, University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy and Penn State forward Tessa Janecke.
The top non-North American talent includes Sweden’s Thea Johansson (Minnesota-Duluth), Finland defender Nelli Laitinen (Minnesota) and Switzerland’s goalie tandem of Andrea Braendli and Saskia Maurer, who are making the jump from playing in Europe.
There are also several veterans in the mix, including four-time Canadian Olympian Meghan Agosta, who is seeking to resume her playing career at 39.
A majority of the prospects are North American with 32 players representing 13 other countries, including six from both Finland and Germany. Russia follows with five players declaring for the draft.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
FILE - United States' Laila Edwards (10) poses after United States' women's ice hockey team was presented with the gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, FIle)
FILE - United States' Caroline Harvey celebrates with teammates after scoring her side's first goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
BALTIMORE (AP) — Prosecutors announced criminal charges Tuesday in the deadly 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, accusing a Singapore-based ship operator of intentionally relying on an improper fuel pump that contributed to the ruinous crash and then lying about it to investigators.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called it a “preventable tragedy of enormous consequence.”
The indictment names Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India. Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who was technical superintendent for the Dali container ship, was also charged.
Synergy Marine expressed disappointment and accused the U.S. Justice Department of turning an accident into a crime.
“This was a maritime casualty that should be assessed through the full factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than through selective mischaracterizations in a criminal indictment. ... Synergy will vigorously defend itself against these inaccurate allegations," the company said.
Nair's lawyer, David Gerger, had a similar response, saying his client “thinks about this accident every day, but he certainly did not cause it.”
The Dali, bound for Sri Lanka, lost power twice in a four-minute span as it moved to sea from the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024. Investigators say a loose wire in a switchboard likely caused the first power loss that led to its steering failure.
After regaining power, the ship found itself in trouble again. The Dali turned to a certain pump to supply fuel to two generators but the pump was not designed to automatically restart after the first blackout, so a second blackout occurred, the indictment says.
If the Dali had used the proper fuel pumps, according to the indictment, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely get under the bridge. Instead, it crashed into a supporting column of the bridge, killing six construction workers who had been filling potholes.
“As alleged, the bridge was struck and collapsed because those who were responsible for the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety,” said Jimmy Paul, head of the FBI’s Baltimore office.
The government alleges that the same problem occurred with same type of pump on two of the Dali's sister ships.
The companies and Nair are charged with conspiracy, misconduct causing death, failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition, obstructing the National Transportation Safety Board and making false statements.
The Synergy companies are also charged with misdemeanors for the release of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents.
The FBI's investigation focused on the vessel’s operations and whether the crew knew of critical systems issues before leaving port. The NTSB found that the two electrical blackouts disabled the controls of the huge cargo ship before it crashed into the bridge.
The ship had experienced two blackouts in port a day earlier, but Synergy didn’t investigate or report those as required and provided false information to the NTSB, the government alleges.
Maryland officials estimate it could cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion to replace the bridge, which is expected to be open to traffic in late 2030.
“The altered skyline is a constant reminder of this tragedy,” Paul said.
But the true cost of the collapse was far greater, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. It halted shipping at the Port of Baltimore, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands, rerouted road traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens and triggered economic problems statewide.
The indictment follows a $2.25 billion settlement between the state of Maryland, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean Private Limited, the Singapore-based ship owner. The deal was announced in April but the amount was not disclosed until Tuesday.
That lawsuit claimed the crash was the result of negligence, mismanagement and the reckless operation of a vessel that was not seaworthy and should never have left port. Plaintiffs included the owners of cargo aboard the ship and local governments seeking damages for economic losses. Some portions of the lawsuit remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, there's civil litigation pending on behalf of people who died while on the bridge. Trial is scheduled for June 1, though the indictment could cause a delay.
“The biggest takeaway is: ‘Will we get justice now?’ That's the common question we get from our clients daily,” said attorney L. Chris Stewart, who represents four families and a man who survived the bridge crash.
He described the indictment as a “bombshell.”
The bridge, a longstanding Baltimore landmark, was a vital piece of transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to easily bypass downtown. The original 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) steel span took five years to build and opened to traffic in 1977.
White reported from Detroit.
EPA Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall , left, updates reporters about the investigation of the Dali container vessel and Francis Scott Key Bridge during a news conference Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson updates reporters about the investigation of the Dali container vessel and Francis Scott Key Bridge during a news conference Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes, center, updates reporters about the investigation of the Dali container vessel and Francis Scott Key Bridge during a news conference Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes, center, updates reporters about the investigation of the Dali container vessel and Francis Scott Key Bridge during a news conference Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
FILE - The cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
