Vancouver takes Karvinen, Seattle snags Buglioni for teams' 1st picks

Vancouver drafted Finnish veteran Michelle Karvinen, and Seattle snagged Ohio State center Jenna Buglioni for the PWHL expansion teams' first-ever draft picks Tuesday.

Karvinen is Finland's all-time leading scorer at the World Championship. She played last season with Frolunda in Sweden and ranked third in goals (21) and sixth in points (35) in 32 games. She helped the team win its first Swedish league title before declaring for the PWHL draft.

The 35-year-old has won three Olympic bronze medals and seven at the World Championship. She has a lone silver at the Worlds, which came in 2019.

Vancouver's head coach, Brian Idalski, coached Karvinen at the University of North Dakota and in China with the KRS Vanke Rays.

Buglioni notched 42 points in 38 games last season with the Buckeyes. The 5-foot-3 center hails from British Columbia and has scored more than a point per game in three of her five collegiate campaigns.