Finalists for PWHL Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and MVP Announced

The PWHL continued their announcement of the end of the year award nominees with the naming of the finalists for Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and the Billie Jean King MVP Award. The nominees were selected through a voting process from a committee complied of local and national media. The nominees who received the top three most points in the voting process were named finalists. The winners will be announced on June 25 during the PWHL Awards in Ottawa at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Coach of the Year

The Coach of the Year award is presented to "the head coach whose contributions most impacted their team’s on-ice success throughout the regular season.” The finalists are Montréal Victoire’s Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge’s Carla MacLeod, and Troy Ryan of the Toronto Sceptres.

Kori Cheverie (Montréal Victoire)

Cheverie is a finalist for the second season in a row after helping the Victoire finish the regular season in first place. The team finished with 53 points and a 12-7-3-8 record after finishing the previous season in second place. The Victoire offense scored the second-most goals in the league with a total of 77 and allowed only 67 goals against. They were the only team to have a six-game win streak and a four-game win streak this season. Their road and home records were both impressive with a .556 road record and a .622 home record which was tied for the top record in the league. Montréal also recorded 12 one-goal wins and did not lose more than two straight games in regulation all season.

Carla MacLeod (Ottawa Charge)

MacLeod helped lead the Charge to their first playoff appearance in their second season in the PWHL. Ottawa finished with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points in total. The team finished in third place after finishing in fifth last season. The Charge won 12 games in regulation which was tied for the most in the league and was four more than the previous season. They recorded two three-game winning streaks in regulation and a four-game win streak on the road at season’s end was the longest in the PWHL. They received contributions from all over the ice including having the highest percentage of points by defenders and also recorded four shorthanded goals this season.

Troy Ryan (Toronto Sceptres)

Ryan won the award last season and could become the first two-time winner. The Sceptres finished the season with 48 points and a 12-3-6-9 record and finished in the top two spots in the league for the second straight year. Toronto recorded a nine game point streak and also tied for the league’s longest win streak at six. They also recorded nine straight games with a power play goal. The Sceptres special teams shined as the power play unit was the best in the PWHL and their penalty kill finished in third with an 82.1% Toronto never gave up a shorthanded goal this season.

Rookie of the Year

The Rookie of the Year award is given to “the player who showcases the most outstanding ability throughout their first regular season of professional play.” The league annoucned the finalists as Sarah Fillier of the New York Sirens, Jennifer Gardiner of the Montréal Victoire, and the Ottawa Charge's Gwyneth Philips.

Sarah Fillier (New York Sirens)

The first overall pick from the 2024 draft, Fillier set rookie records in all offensive categories in her debut season. She tied the league with 29 points in 30 games and finished with 13 goals with five of them coming on the power play. Her 29 points are 10 more than any other rookie in the history of the PWHL. Her 16 assists are tied for most all-time in a season. She is the only player in the league to score in five consecutive games and to record multiple four-game assist streaks with one of those streaks starting in her first four professional games.

Jennifer Gardiner (Montréal Victoire)

The 23-year-old who was selected in the second round, 11^th overall in last year’s draft, finished second among rookies with 18 points in 30 games with 13 of those points coming from assists. She ranked fourth in power play points with six and finished third in shots on goal with 55. She also tied Fillier for the second highest plus-minus rating in the league at a +10.

Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge)

The Ottawa netminder is the first goalie to be named a finalist for the award. The Northeastern University alum led all rookie goaltenders with 15 games played, eight wins, and two shutouts. The 24-year-old finished with a goals against average of 2.11 which ranked third among starters. She also finished the season with a save percentage of .919 which tied for third best in the league. She was also the first rookie ever to record a shutout. That milestone was achieved in her third career start earlier this season. She finished the season starting all of the Charge’s final eight games helping Ottawa to their first playoff berth.

Billie Jean King MVP Award

The MVP is awarded to “the player considered most valuable to their team’s success throughout the regular season.” This year's MVP finalists are Renata Fast of the Toronto Sceptres, Hilary Knight of the Boston Fleet, and the Montréal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin.

Renata Fast (Toronto Sceptres)

The first defender to be voted as a finalist for the award, Fast led the league in minutes played with 739:45 and an average of 24:39 per game. She also recorded 12 games with multiple hits and blocked shots five more than any other player. She was also the first player ranked in the top three in both categories. Offensively she finished with 16 assists and finished eighth overall in the league with 22 points in 30 games. Thirteen of those 22 points came on the power play which tied for the most in PWHL history.  Fast was the only defender with three game-winning goals, a six-game point streak, and tied for the lead with four multi-assist games.

Hilary Knight (Boston Fleet)

The 35-year-old finished with the season tied for the lead in scoring with 29 points in 30 games. She was one of two players to lead their team outright in goals with 15 and assists with 14 within a season. She led all forwards with a 666:26 time on ice. She became the first player to record at least 15 goals and 10 assists in a season while also recording a league-high 18-point improvement between last season and this one. Knight also tied for third with seven multi-point performances, tied for second with three multi-goal games, and six games with at least one goal and one assist was tied for most in the league. She recorded an electrifying stretch where she had 11 points (7G, 4A) in five games. Those contributions helped the Fleet record their first nine-game point streak in team history.

Marie-Philip Poulin (Montréal Victoire)

Poulin is the first two-time finalist for the award. She led the league in goals and helped the Victoire finish first overall. She finished with 26 points in 30 games with 19 goals and seven assists. Her 26 points ranked fourth in the league. Poulin accounted for 25.7% of the Victoire’s goals this season. That is the highest share of a team’s offense by any player in the league. She never went more than two games without a point or three games without a goal. When she recorded at least one point in a game, the Victoire finished with a 10-4-0-4 record which accounted for a .704 win percentage. She also recorded six game-winning goals and led the league with five multi-goal games. Poulin’s offense shined with a record plus-minus rating of +17, the most shootout goals with five, 669 faceoff attempts, and 403 faceoff wins.