Detroit nabs Michigander Casey Borgiel with 2nd pick in PWHL Draft
· Yahoo Sports
PWHL Detroit won’t have to worry if their second pick of the 2026 PWHL Draft knows her way to Little Caesars Arena, where the team will take the ice this winter for its inaugural season.
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Detroit stayed close to home in taking Port Huron native Casey Borgiel, a defender from Colgate, with the No. 22 overall pick in the draft at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, June 17.
Borgiel demonstrated her knowledge of metro Detroit when asked on the PWHL YouTube channel about her route to LCA.
“I mean, I've gotten to Red Wings games in Little Caesars Arena,” Borgiel said. “I used to play hockey there in the practice facility, so this is unbelievable.
“It was about an hour and five minute drive. I mean, people in Detroit drive pretty fast, so ... It's the Motor City.”
Borgiel, who played soccer at Port Huron Northern in addition to starring at hockey, was introduced by the Detroit City FC women’s soccer team. The impact of staying in her home state wasn’t lost on her.
“I mean, I'm gonna be honest, this is unbelievable,” Borgiel said. “I'm in shock right now, so, sorry if I say anything unbelievable, but, um, this is, this is amazing.”
Borgiel, who turned 22 on Sunday, starred in two seasons with Colgate, including last season, when she posted four goals and 17 assists in 36 games with the Raiders, with a minus-5 plus/minus. She also played her first two seasons with Holy Cross. The 5-foot-7 defender showed her toughness in her final season at Colgate, racking up 38 blocked shots in 36 games.
Regardless of how she fares with PWHL Detroit, Borgiel knows she’ll have one fan in the stands.
“I mean, my mom was hoping,” Borgiel said about staying in Michigan. “It's an hour down the road. She’ll probably show up to my practices every morning.”
The selection of Borgiel was PWHL Detroit's second of the evening. GM Manon Rheaume selected goalie Andrea Brändli, from Swedish team Frölunda HC and Ohio State at No. 15 overall.
Ryan Ford is deputy sports editor for the Free Press and has been with Freep Sports since January 2006. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford and on BlueSky at @theford.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: PWHL Detroit nabs defender Casey Borgiel with 2nd pick in PWHL Draft