Anna Meixner ready for the 2024 PWHL Draft

“Competing against and playing with the best players in the world would be a dream come true for me,” says Anna Meixner about the prospect of her next career step.

In 2023, she was named MVP of the Swedish women’s ice hockey league, the SDHL, recording 54 points in 30 games and scoring 26 goals for Brynäs IF. The 29-year-old has been among Europe’s best players for years.

She now wants to showcase her skills in the North American professional league from the autumn onwards and was ranked 14th by The Hockey News in its 2024 April PWHL Draft rankings. “It really is a cool thing. I have followed the PWHL from the very beginning. Playing in front of these large crowds, with and against the best players in the world, would be an absolute honour for me. It would probably be the crowning moment of my career if I were to make it. I know there are still so many great players on the draft list. It is an exciting time ahead of me and, whatever happens, I will gladly embrace it. I am simply looking forward to this time,” says the national team captain.

After Theresa Schafzahl, Anna Meixner would become the second Austrian in the PWHL. Schafzahl was drafted by Boston with the 39th pick last year and scored her club’s first goal in the first game in January. Last April, the two Austrian figureheads battled side by side for promotion to the Top Division at the World Championship Division IA in Klagenfurt, narrowly missing out.

As captain, Anna Meixner led the national team: “It is something that fills me with pride. It is always a special week when you play at the World Championship, especially at home in front of family and friends. It is definitely something I will always remember. I also want to grow into this role, be a role model for the younger players, help them play the best ice hockey possible and try to give my best.”

Anna Meixner, like Theresa Schafzahl, can certainly be described as a role model, pursuing her sport as a full-time professional. Anna Meixner is convinced that there is enough talent in Austria to follow in her and Theresa Schafzahl’s footsteps: “I think we have a lot of talent in Austria. The young players work very hard, more and more are going to North America and playing in the NCAA or making the step up to a top European league.”