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Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Lily Delianedis PWHL 2025

Lily Delianedis ’25 Selected by Seattle in Third Round of PWHL Draft

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With the 24th overall pick in the 2025 Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft, PWHL Seattle selected Lily Delianedis ’25 of women’s hockey. The Tuesday night draft held in Ottawa, Ontario has so far decided the fate of two Cornellians — the first being Rory Guilday ’25 in the first round, before Delianedis heard her name called in the third round.

It is the second straight PWHL draft where a Cornellian has been selected in the third round, as Izzy Daniel ’24 was selected 18th overall in last year’s draft.

After a slow start offensively, Delianedis finished the 2024-2025 season with 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points. Although that point total was the lowest among her four seasons at Cornell, Delianedis’ scrappy — and clutch — game resulted in two game-winning goals, none bigger than her triple-overtime tally against Clarkson in the ECAC semifinals.

In total, Delianedis amassed 53 goals and 57 assists in four years. Those 53 goals land her in 10th place all-time on the Cornell career goals scored list. The forward plays a hard-nosed game, and can create offense from above and below the goal line. She has the ability to work from behind the net and score from just atop the crease, but showcased a new dimension in her game this past season by converting more frequently with her wrist shot from distance.

Delianedis will take her talents from Ithaca to Seattle, one of the newest teams in the league. Added alongside PWHL Vancouver back on April 30, both teams began building their rosters on June 9, when the league held its first-ever expansion draft.

Draft experts were torn by Delianedis' fate — The Hockey News had Delianedis ranked 36th among all eligible skaters, which would have placed her just beyond the fourth round. Daily Faceoff had Delianedis as the first pick of the fourth round. Experts believe Delianedis’ two-way game can translate nicely to the professional game, but concerns over her size (5’ 4”) and lack of offensive production may have caused teams to be wary.

But despite that, Delianedis went earlier than most draft analysts expected, much in part due to her strong number analytically. Delianedis ranked sixth among PWHL draft declared forwards in Corsi — an advanced stat that measures the difference in shot attempts for or against a player’s team when they are on the ice.

“Being a PWHL prospect is both exciting and surreal. Growing up, there was no professional women's league, so the dream was to become the first female NHL player,” Delianedis told Cornell Athletics before the draft. “As a child, that goal felt possible but as I got older, it gradually shifted to simply playing college hockey. Now, with the rise of the PWHL, it's incredible to potentially have the opportunity to play pro hockey.”

The PWHL concluded its season on May 26, as the Minnesota Frost defeated the Ottawa Charge in four games to secure its second Walter Cup in as many years. The 2024-25 season — the second season of action in the league’s history — saw significant growth from its inaugural season, drawing a total of 737,455 fans across 102 games, a 52.5 percent increase from 2023-24.


Jane McNally

Jane McNally is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the sports editor on the 142nd editorial board. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow her on X @JaneMcNally_ and reach her at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.


Eli Fastiff

Eli Fastiff is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can follow him on X @Eli_Fastiff and reach him at efastiff@cornellsun.com.


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