Five PWHL Players Who Are Guaranteed Hall of Famers
Taking a look at several current PWHL players who are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.
Last week for The IX Newsletter, I wrote about five women who are eligible for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and who should be given their rightful recognition in history.
There are already a wealth of eligible women who should be considered, but we can't forget those who are still actively playing, several of whom are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame someday.
The five players listed below are all currently active in the PWHL, but as you'll see, their careers and accomplishments extend far beyond the scope of a single pro North American league.
Marie-Philip Poulin
What can you say about Marie-Philip Poulin? Captain of the Canadian national team since 2014, Poulin's resume speaks for itself. She's the clutch player of all clutch players, scoring the gold-medal winning goal in three separate Olympic games. Add to that: four World Championships gold medals, an Olympic silver medal, eight Worlds silver medals and a bronze Worlds medal. Oh, and a two-time U18 silver medalist, too. There's a reason she was honored as the IIHF Female Player of the Year in 2025, a well-deserved recognition.
Poulin has scored 35 points in 22 Olympic games and 89 points in 72 Worlds games. But it's not just her international achievements that stand out; she's long been a face of the women's game in Canada, even while playing domestically. Poulin joined the CWHL's Montréal Stars at the age of 16 and later spent four seasons with the Montréal Canadiennes.
She continued playing in Montréal with the PWHPA and is heading into her third season with the PWHL's Montréal Victoire. To date, she has 49 points (29-20) in 51 PWHL games. This past season, she won the Billie Jean King MVP Award and Forward of the Year recognition.
Hilary Knight
If Marie-Philip Poulin is the face of the game in Canada, Hilary Knight is the face of women's hockey in the United States. After graduating from Wisconsin, Knight has been playing professionally since 2012, whether in the CWHL, the NWHL, the PWHPA or the PWHL. Much of her playing career has been spent in Boston, where she's become a household name.
The IIHF Female Player of the Year in 2023, Knight is one of the most decorated athletes in American women's hockey history. She has 10 gold medals and five silver medals at Worlds, along with one Olympic gold medal and three Olympic silver medals. Previously, she was also a two-time NCAA champion, a two-time CWHL champion and won the Isobel Cup in her the inaugural NWHL season.
She's now preparing to take her talents to a new market, becoming the face of the new PWHL Seattle franchise when it begins play later this year. She was one of the top scorers in the league this past season, with 29 points in 30 games, following a line of success throughout her pro career.
Natalie Spooner
We've already covered two winners of the IIHF Female Player of the Year award - naturally, we can't forget the other: Natalie Spooner. Like the aforementioned players, Spooner has had great success at various levels, from Ohio State to the CWHL, PWHPA and PWHL, as well as internationally.
Spooner was the best player in the PWHL's inaugural season, putting up 27 points - including 20 goals - in just 24 games. She missed the beginning of the second season, returning to action in February - nearly 11 months after being placed on long-term injured reserve after tearing her ACL.
Historically, Spooner spent her entire CWHL career with the Toronto Furies before joining the PWHPA. She averaged over a point-per-game in the CWHL, with 117 points in 115 games. (In the NCAA, she had an impressive 163 points, including 100 goals, in 128 games.)
With Canada, Spooner has won two Olympic gold medals and three Worlds gold medals, along with one Olympic silver and seven Worlds silver medals. Add to that a bronze Worlds medal and a bronze at U18s, and you've got quite a nifty collection. Spooner has 20 points in 17 Olympic games and 58 points in 62 Worlds games over the course of her career.
Kendall Coyne Schofield
Alongside Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield is another incredibly decorated American women's hockey player. A captain for the national team, she's served as a proven leader both on and off the ice, playing a critical role in the founding of the PWHPA and the push for a better professional women's hockey league. She now serves as president of the executive committee for the PWHLPA.
Coyne Schofield spent five seasons at Northeastern, including two as captain, and won the Patty Kazmaier Award in her senior year. She registered 249 points in 133 games and is the school's all-time career goals leader (141). She also holds the single-season goals and points records.
She then spent two years with the Minnesota Whitecaps, staying in Minnesota through the PWHPA era, and is now captain of the PWHL's Minnesota Frost. The team has won the Walter Cup in both years of the league's existence; she also won the Isobel Cup in her lone season in the NWHL with the Whitecaps.
Among her international achievements: three Olympic medals (one gold), 11 Worlds medals (seven gold) and three U18 medals (two gold). She's registered 15 points in 17 Olympic games and 80 points, including 49 assists, in 65 Worlds games. At the U18 level, she had 33 points in 15 games.
In 2019, she became the first woman to compete in the NHL's All-Stars skills competition. She serves as a development coach for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, a position she's held since 2020.
Ann-Renée Desbiens
Desbiens' international acclaim includes an Olympic gold medal and three Worlds gold medals, along with an Olympic silver and three Worlds silver medals. She also won a silver medal at U-18; a year later, she won the Clarkson Cup with the CWHL's Montréal Stars.
She spent four years at Wisconsin, serving as an alternate captain in her senior season and winning the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2017. During her time with the Badgers, she was a three-time WCHA champion and was also named WCHA Goaltending Champion three times.
Here's a 2017 (!) look at Desbiens as one of The Ice Garden's then-top 25 under 25, highlighting just some of the records she broke during her time at Wisconsin.
After graduating from Wisconsin, Desbiens joined the PWHPA for three seasons. Since the PWHL's formation, she's played the lion's share in net for the Montréal Victoire, with 37 appearances across two seasons and a combined 22-11-2 record.
She was honored as the Goaltender of the Year by the PWHL this past season, leading the league with 15 wins. She had an impressive 1.86 GAA and .932 save percentage and was also named a first-team all star.
What other current players do you think are destined for the Hockey Hall of Fame?
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