With another round of expansion expected in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, the league’s 2026 draft will be key to welcoming more talent.

For the PWHL, it’s a potentially generational draft. There will be strong players, like Finland’s Petra Nieminen, heading to the PWHL from international sources, but the bulk of that talent is coming from the NCAA.

The 2026 PWHL Draft class is headlined by senior national team members from top-ranked NCAA women’s hockey programs, such as Wisconsin and Minnesota. Here’s a look at the current top 10 NCAA women’s hockey prospects who will be high selections at the draft.

Top 10 PWHL Draft prospects playing NCAA hockey

1. Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey

Harvey is arguably the best defender on the planet. Already a two-time World Championship Best Defender, back-to-back WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-American. Her mobility, physicality, and ability to control the pace of play with the puck are elite. Harvey currently sits seven points up, leading the NCAA in scoring with 41 points in 20 games. She’s a generational talent.

2. Minnesota right wing Abbey Murphy

She’s a pest, walking the line between physical and penalty, and above all, she’s one of the best goal scorers in the world. Murphy combines speed, a wicked shot, and an agitator mindset into a highly effective package. Murphy, a star for USA’s national team, projects as a top-10 scorer for years.

3. Wisconsin right wing/defender Laila Edwards

Edwards is a versatile and unique prospect who transitioned to defense from forward after being named the 2024 World Championship MVP as a forward. She will have one of the most potent shots in the PWHL, and her 6-foot-1 frame is a unique attribute among women’s hockey players. Edwards sees the ice well, and while she can score from anywhere with her shot, she’s also an adept playmaker.

4. Penn State center Tessa Janecke

Power and speed are Janecke’s calling cards. She’ll be a top-line player in the PWHL as a rookie, and she is a key member of USA’s national team, scoring the golden goal in overtime at the 2025 World Championship. Janecke combines a two-way presence and high-end compete level to form a style that should meld perfectly into the PWHL. She’s helped build Penn State from a program toiling in a weaker AHA conference to a nationally ranked contender.

5. Minnesota defender Nelli Laitinen

In a league lacking defensive talent, Laitinen, already a longtime veteran of Finland’s senior national team, will be a welcome addition to any PWHL blueline. She plays a more conservative game than some prospects but is an intelligent transitional player, making smart puck choices at the offensive blueline and strong outlets from her zone. She’s shown significant offensive growth this season.

6. Wisconsin right wing Lacey Eden

A scorer at the NCAA level, Eden has mastered her role as a two-way checking line forward for USA’s national team. She’s effective on the forecheck, using her speed and willingness to engage in puck battles along the wall. Offensively, Eden should factor into a PWHL second line next season, but when games get tight, she can shift to a checking-line role to help maintain a lead.

7. Wisconsin left wing Kirsten Simms

A final-three candidate for the Patty Kazmaier Award, Simms is a wizard with the puck. She uses heel-to-heel skating to keep the ice open in front of her but can pivot on a dime and makes opponents look silly with deceptive stickwork. Last year, she scored the tying goal for Wisconsin with 18 seconds remaining on a penalty shot and the winner only minutes into overtime to secure a national title for the Badgers.

8. Ohio State defender Emma Peschel

Peschel uses her 5-foot-10 frame effectively in all three zones. She’s quietly been one of the best defenders in NCAA hockey, contributing on both sides of the puck and using her mobility to take away time and space while defending. Peschel earned recognition by winning a spot in USA’s 30-player Olympic pool ahead of dozens of American PWHL defenders.

9. Minnesota defender Sydney Morrow

One of the best offensive defenders in NCAA hockey, Morrow is a threat to join the rush and loves to slide in from the blueline to find soft space as a shooting option. Unafraid to use her body, Morrow’s physicality will translate well to the hard-hitting PWHL. Morrow is scoring at a point per game this season with the Golden Gophers and does a lot of her damage at 5-on-5.

10. Princeton center Issy Wunder

Wunder is a power forward overlooked by Canada’s national program despite being one of the top scorers in NCAA women’s hockey the past two seasons. Wunder uses her 5-foot-11 frame and is equal parts playmaker and power forward, attributes that will lend well to the PWHL game. Has immense upside.

OK, so that first bowl game was a gutter ball. They won’t all be that way, right?

Well, we’ll try again Tuesday. College football bowl season rolls on with an all-Alabama matchup, fittingly taking place in the state capital. It’s a bit of a consolation prize for both participants, each of whom came up short in its respective conference championship game, but it should be a competitive contest between two schools with a lengthy, if not particularly recent, history.

There was even a trophy associated with it for a time, though there’s no word on whether it will be on hand. Here are the particulars.

Salute to Veterans Bowl

Matchup: Jacksonville State vs. Troy in Montgomery, Ala.

Time/TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN.

Why watch: These conference runners-up get a chance to close on a high note, and thankfully don’t have to travel far for this in-state postseason meeting. Jacksonville State fell 19-15 to Kennesaw State on its home field in the Conference USA final, while Troy was outscored 31-14 in the Sun Belt title game at playoff-bound James Madison. As a result, both teams arrive here with 8-5 records. This is the 64th meeting all-time between the schools, though they haven’t met since 2001 when Troy made the first move to the Bowl Subdivision level. In a nod to their origins as teachers’ colleges, the programs used to compete for the ‘Ol’ School Bell trophy, which Troy claimed for the last seven meetings before the series was discontinued. The Gamecocks, much more recently elevated to FBS, will look to get their high-powered ground attack with RB Cam Cook and QB Caden Creel back on track. Trojans QB Goose Crowder looks to shake off a rough passing night in the team’s loss to James Madison, but his status is uncertain after an injury in the game.

Why it could disappoint: Troy has been at this level a bit longer, so there might still be a bit of a talent gap. But hopefully the effort will be there on both sides as these programs renew acquaintances.

The San Antonio Spurs shocked the basketball world on Dec. 13, taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals. Now, they are just one win away from earning the NBA Cup title and earning an additional $530,933 each.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, and their opponent in the championship game, the New York Knicks, are no push-over. The Spurs know they can’t take it easy against the Knicks; they’ll have to pull out all the stops once again in order to emerge victorious. But could that actually mean keeping their best player out of the starting lineup?

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama played limited minutes during the semifinal victory over the Thunder. Now, head coach Mitch Johnson has expressed that the team is considering employing a similar strategy in the NBA Cup final.

‘It’ll be something that Victor and I will continue to talk through,’ Johnson said Monday, Dec. 15, according to ESPN. ‘It’s hard. He wants to play. He wants to start. He wants to finish. … We still have to think about what’s best for the team, unfortunately. That decision can’t be made in a vacuum, even though it’s a very impactful and influential decision.’

How did Wembanyama do in the semifinal game?

Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence on Saturday to participate in the semifinal against Oklahoma City. Wembanyama came off the bench for the first time in his career. Still, the third-year pro played 21 minutes and racked up 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. The rest of the Spurs compiled just 18 points combined in the fourth.

‘I trust in Mitch 100 percent. They had the perfect plan,’ Spurs guard Devin Vassell told ESPN. ‘I know they talked about it over and over, and we executed it. As soon as Vic came in, he had the impact that we needed.’

Despite the success, the Spurs might limit Wembanyama again, promoting his long-term health above winning the NBA Cup.

‘It’s going to be a mix of different opinions,’ Wembanyama said Monday, according to ESPN. ‘But I’m ready. Even I will have my own opinion [about what to do]. It will also be based on my thoughts and the thoughts of the staff. But basically, we’re going to discuss it.’

Will Wembanyama be limited to 21 minutes again?

Head coach Mitch Johnson says that the team cannot afford to be ‘uninentional’ with Wembanyama’s minutes right now. Having learned from Wembanyama’s past injury struggles, the team has already worked on finding a path for Wemby to play as many minutes as possible with as little stress on his body as possible as well.

Although Johnson never offered a plan for Wemby Monday, it stands to reason that his minutes will be dictated by the flow of the game. On Saturday, Wembanyama did not check-in until the start of the second quarter. He only played seven minutes in the first half, before tallying nearly 13.5 minutes in the second half. The Spurs were trailing by 11 before Wembanyama came in and were still trailing at the start of the third quarter. Should the Spurs struggle to keep pace with New York, it’s likely that Wembanyama’s minutes could increase as the game wears on.

Wembanyama’s on/off court splits

Wembanyama’s presence can be felt on the floor. This year, when Wembanyama is on the court, opponents are averaging 105.4 points per 100 possessions, compared to 120.6 when Wembanyama is on the bench.

The Spurs have managed a stellar 9-3 record without Wembanyama this year, but it’s obvious that the team would rather have the DPOY frontrunner manning the glass tomorrow.

Tyler Adams, a U.S. men’s national team midfield mainstay, sustained a knee injury Monday, Dec. 15 that could severely impact his availability heading into a World Cup year.

Adams, playing for Bournemouth in a Premier League match at Manchester United, got hurt in the second minute during a challenge with Matheus Cunha and exited the game.

After the contest ended in a 4-4 draw, Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola said of Adams, ‘He’s the worst news from the game, definitely. The knee twisted, I think the MCL. We’ll have to check and see if it is a small sprain or bigger.

‘To lose a player like Tyler for us is massive, especially when you don’t have Lewis Cook (who is suspended). Alex (Scott) has to play in that holding midfield position, and he has done it really well, but it’s bad news for us because Tyler is massive for us.’

Adams, 26, was just days removed from being honored for scoring the Premier League’s goal of the month. He lobbed a shot from the center circle over the head of Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs and into the net in Bournemouth’s 3-2 road loss Nov. 29.

The tally was just Adams’ second in three seasons with Bournemouth and four seasons in the Premier League. He played for Leeds United in 2022-23.

Adams was the captain on the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the squad lost to the Netherlands in the round of 16. He has been in and out of the U.S. team in the current World Cup cycle due to injuries, but he is viewed as a near-lock to start in a holding midfield role if healthy next summer when the World Cup is played in North America.

The full U.S. team is next scheduled to assemble for friendlies against Belgium on March 28 and against Portugal on March 31, both in Atlanta. The USMNT kicks off World Cup play against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, California.

Ha-Seong Kim and the Atlanta Braves each got what they wanted: Kim received an extra $4 million after turning down his 2026 player option, and the Braves get Kim back to play shortstop.

Kim and the Braves agreed to a one-year, $20 million contract Dec. 16, reuniting after Kim played well enough in a one-month audition in Atlanta that he felt confident enough to opt out of a $16 million guarantee.

The Braves clearly wanted to retain him, even if they got just a 24-game glance at Kim in September, a period in which he hit five home runs and offered the promise of production at shortstop that’s been missing since Dansby Swanson signed with the Chicago Cubs after the 2022 season.

Kim, 30, was a versatile and valuable infielder for the Padres, notching a career high in home runs (17), WAR (5.3) and on-base percentage (.351) in 2023. But a shoulder injury dampened his outlook for free agency a year ago and the Tampa Bay Rays signed him to a one-year deal with a player option.

But Kim managed to play in just 24 games for the Rays and after they placed him on waivers — wary of being on the hook for the $16 million 2026 option — the Braves pounced.

His reacquisition continues a busy winter for the Braves, who signed All-Star reliever Robert Suarez and re-upped closer Raisel Iglesias, and added outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year, $23 million deal.

The NFL’s playoff races are quickly heating up as December football kicks into high gear.

Yet there’s a flip side to the best teams jockeying for postseason position − quite a few other clubs have been and will continue to be officially eliminated from playoff consideration. Heading into Week 15, nine of the league’s 32 teams already knew their seasons would conclude with their Week 18 games. Others joined their ranks Sunday, as the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs did for the first time since 2014.

Here’s a look at which clubs are already playing out the string, and which ones could soon be doing exactly that:

Which NFL teams have been eliminated from playoff contention?

These are the teams that have already seen their postseason chances for 2025 extinguished:

 New York Giants (2-12, eliminated in Week 12)

 Arizona Cardinals (3-11, eliminated in Week 13)

 New Orleans Saints (4-10, eliminated in Week 13)

 Tennessee Titans (2-12, eliminated in Week 13)

 Las Vegas Raiders (2-12, eliminated in Week 13)

 Washington Commanders (4-10, eliminated in Week 14)

 Atlanta Falcons (5-9, eliminated in Week 14)

 New York Jets (3-11, eliminated in Week 14)

 Cleveland Browns (3-11, eliminated in Week 14)

 Cincinnati Bengals (4-10, eliminated in Week 15)

 Minnesota Vikings (6-8, eliminated in Week 15)

 Kansas City Chiefs (6-8, eliminated in Week 15)

 Miami Dolphins (6-8, eliminated in Week 15)

NFL teams outside projected playoff bracket but not yet eliminated going into Week 16

 Baltimore Ravens (7-7, 47% chance to make playoffs, per NFL’s Next Gen Stats)

 Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1, 1%)

 Carolina Panthers (7-7, 23%)

 Indianapolis Colts (8-6, 17%)

 Detroit Lions (8-6, 41%)

Michigan football interim coach Biff Poggi said it’s been a ‘complicated’ past few days for staff members and players since the firing and arrest of ex-Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore during an availability on Monday, Dec. 15 ahead of the Citrus Bowl.

Poggi’s remarks were his first public comments since he was elevated to interim head coach on Wednesday, Dec. 10 by Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel after Moore was fired — with cause — by the university after it found ‘credible evidence’ through an investigation that Moore had been ‘engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.’

‘Unique and complicated,’ Poggi said at an availability on Dec. 15 in Orlando, Florida. ‘Multiple levels of complexity that our young people are dealing with, our university is dealing with, our athletic director, Warde Manuel, is dealing with and our team, our coaches and our kids.’

Poggi even went as far as saying there’s nothing in a playbook to prepare a team for what Michigan has experienced the past handful of days.

‘I don’t know that you can prepare for something like this,’ Poggi said. ‘It’s been complicated.’

Moore was detained and booked on Dec. 10 by police after the Pittsfield Township Police Department responded to an incident at 4:10 p.m. ET on Dec. 10 ‘for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault.’ It was learned during Moore’s arraignment on Friday, Dec. 12 that the incident occurred at the home of the Michigan staff member he had an ‘intimate relationship’ with.

He was officially charged on Dec. 12 with home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering. As noted by USA TODAY, the home invasion is a felony count charge, while the charges of stalking and breaking and entering are both misdemeanors.

He was released from the Washtenaw County Jail in Michigan shortly after his arraignment after posting his $25,000 bond.

‘It has been a tumultuous time,’ Poggi said. ‘A lot of … first disbelief, then anger, then really, what we’re in right now is the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed, and we’re trying to work through that.’

Michigan is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET, Dec. 31 kickoff against Texas in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

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How did an undefeated Nebraska volleyball team lose to Texas A&M? What’s next for the nation’s most popular team? Those are the questions Huskers head coach Dani Busboom Kelly must answer heading into the 2025 offseason.

‘I think we maxed out,’ Busboom Kelly said after Nebraska’s stunning loss to the Aggies. ‘That’s always the goal … As a coach, I don’t feel upset. I know we didn’t make the Final Four. We’re not winning a national championship, but we maxed out today.

‘And when we can walk away from the last game of the season and feel like we gave it our all, and look back and have no regrets, that’s what I’m really proud of and hope that these players don’t have any regrets either.’

Nebraska, which hadn’t been down two sets since late August, fought as hard as it could. The Huskers survived being pushed to 10 set points and three Aggies match points during fourth set of the match, with help from Harper Murray (career high 25 kills on .255 hitting, three aces, nine digs) and Rebekah Allick (15 kills on .480 hitting, four blocks).

It wasn’t enough as Busboom Kelly’s team ran out of steam when it mattered most. Making matters worse, setter Bergen Reilly wasn’t 100% playing with an illness, backup setter Campbell Flynn broke a finger just days before and was out for the season, and opposite hitter Allie Sczech hurt herself in warmups and was out for the match.Afterwards, Allick, a senior, was so overcome with emotion she could barely speak through her tears. That’s when Murray stepped.

‘[Rebekah Allick] has put her heart and soul into the program. You can tell by her face how much she cares,’ Murray said, fighting back tears herself. ‘I don’t even care if we win or we lose because what I tried to tell [her] in the locker room is she’s going to take away the memories and the relationships that we made. Winning and losing ― yeah, it’s a part of volleyball and it sucks, but ― she put her heart and soul into this program for four years, and she’s leaving behind a great legacy.’

Eventually, Allick did speak, sharing a message for the players that will return. She revealed that she wanted them to ‘lead by example’ and referenced a relationship with former Huskers libero and 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year finalist Lexi Rodriguez. According to Allick, Rodriguez may not have always had the answers but she was intentional with how she showed up for her teammates, down a ‘random’ handhold or hug.

‘Never feel like you have to bear it all,’ Allick said. ‘It’s not all on you. Just go do your thing. You don’t [have to] make it a big show. Just go be yourself.’

Nebraska has four seniors, including Allick, who will be moving on from the program. Allick has a student-athlete partnership with League One Volleyball (LOVB), so she could sign a deal to play with LOVB. Outside hitter Taylor Landfair and Sczech are headed to Major League Volleyball. Landfair was drafted with the 28th overall pick in the 2025 MLV Draft by the Indy Ignite, and Sczech, drafted a pick laters, is staying in Nebraska to join the Omaha Supernovas. Nebraska middle blocker and libero Maisie Boesiger has not revealed if she will keep playing.

Assuming the team keeps its core next season, it will return four seniors, one junior, one redshirt sophomore and seven true sophomores. Nebraska will have six players from its starting lineup back, leaving the Huskers with more than enough pieces to make another run toward a sixth program title. What’s more, Nebraska volleyball will be boosted by the roaring sounds of 10,000 fans next season. The university announced plans earlier this month to expand John Cook Arena by 2,000 seats.

‘We played our hearts out and had a lot of things against us this week,’ Busboom Kelly said, ‘and we still were that close.’

Close enough to have another championship in its sights for 2026.