New York, NY – With the inaugural National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) Entry Draft set for June 20, the order of selection was announced by the league on Monday.

Following a lottery, the New York Riveters were selected to pick first. The Connecticut Whale hold the second pick, followed by the Boston Pride, while the Buffalo Beauts round out the order with the fourth pick.

The draft will be held in Boston, where the general managers of the four teams will meet to make their selections. All players who have completed their junior seasons at a four-year accredited college are eligible for selection in the draft.

“We’ve built the NWHL to serve as a league where women can continue to grow and train as world class athletes after college and are looking forward to the next wave of talent,” said NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan. “The response to the league has been extremely positive, and we’re looking forward to having all of our team rosters finalized and starting the season.”

Rosters are already well on their way to being built, as the NWHL’s four summer training camps were recently held by each team, and an international camp is scheduled for July 23-27 in Boston. But the draft will welcome in a wave of elite talent for the future.

After she completes her college career, a drafted player can then sign with the team that selected her. Or, she can opt into free agency, and sign with any of the other three teams. Still, Rylan sees that one year following the draft as highly beneficial to all those selected.

“The purpose of drafting players before they have graduated is that it gives them time to establish themselves in the city they’re drafted in, should they choose to play there,” Rylan said.

Teams will have plenty to choose from, with the sheer amount of talent available in the college ranks. 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner Alex Carpenter and 2015 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Hannah Brandt lead a very strong class this year.

“The college system, right now, is the best way for players to grow and develop and face quality competition regularly,” Rylan said. “The top college programs have historically produced the best talent in women’s hockey, which is exactly what we’re looking for.”

The NWHL’s Top 20 prospects will be unveiled over the course of the next few weeks. Profiles and player information are available atNWHL.co/players/draft-prospects.

The draft is slated to begin at 12 p.m. EST on Saturday, June 20. Each pick will be announced live by the NWHL on Twitter (@NWHL_), while information can also be found on the league’s Facebook and Instagram. The NWHL will also host a Draft Live page at NWHL.co.

More details on the inaugural Entry Draft as well as player registration and upcoming camps and dates can be found at NWHL.co.