A leading women’s hockey prospect has signed her first professional contract.
On Tuesday, PWHL Las Vegas announced the signing of forward Tessa Janecke to a two-year contract through the 2027-28 season.
Janecke was selected third overall by Las Vegas, one of the league’s newest franchises, in the 2026 PWHL Draft. General manager Dominique DiDia also chose University of Wisconsin standout Lacey Eden with the fifth overall pick.
Las Vegas’s acquisition of the No. 3 pick has generated some controversy, as the team traded Hilary Knight to Detroit for the selection. The move was widely viewed as a sign-and-trade ahead of the draft.
Although Janecke did not reach 50 points for a third consecutive year, she ended her college career on a high note. The Orangeville, Ill., native was named AHA Forward and Player of the Year for the third straight season. She scored 26 goals and 22 assists for 45 points in 31 games. As a result, she ranked 14th in NCAA scoring. She was also a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which honors the top player in women’s college hockey.
Janecke helped Penn State secure a fourth consecutive AHA championship and led the team to its first Women’s Frozen Four appearance, where they fell to the eventual national champion Wisconsin Badgers in the semifinals.
In 145 games with the Nittany Lions, Janecke scored 89 goals and 112 assists for 201 points.
In addition to her collegiate success, Janecke has excelled internationally. She was part of the United States teams that won gold at the 2023 and 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championships, scoring the game-winning goal in the latter, and also earned gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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Eric Butler is a Contributor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on Instagram and X via @ReportandOpine
