Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin wins PWHL MVP, Forward of the Year
OTTAWA — Montreal Victoire forward Marie-Philip Poulin was named MVP of the 2024-25 PWHL season Wednesday afternoon, finishing ahead of former Boston captain Hilary Knight and Toronto's No. 1 defender Renata Fast.
The Victoire captain was the favorite to win the award — named the Billie Jean King MVP — after she led the league in goals (19) and finished fourth in points (26), just three off the lead. Poulin was critical to Montreal's success in the regular season, when she scored 26 percent of the team's goals and factored into 34 percent. She never went more than two games without a point this season, and no player scored more game-winning goals (six), first goals (five) or insurance goals (three) to put a game out of reach than Poulin.
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Poulin said it was an honor and a privilege to win MVP and to have the award announced by Billie Jean King. But, she's also never been one for individual milestones.
'This just makes me want to go back to work,' she said. 'I want to get better. I want to keep improving because I know it's a big year this year.'
She also won Forward of the Year, beating out Knight and New York rookie Sarah Fillier, who finished tied with the most points in the league's regular season (29).
Montreal coach Kori Cheverie said 2024-25 was one of the best seasons she's seen from Poulin.
'She's been the leader of our team, the heartbeat of our team, the workhorse. Everything you could want in a captain, she embodies it,' Cheverie said. 'I'm just so happy for her. I know she's a competitor, and I know that there's a couple of team championships that she would have liked to have this year. But the individual accolades are certainly remarkable.'
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Poulin was a runner-up for last year's MVP, which went to Toronto forward Natalie Spooner after a dominant inaugural season. She's the only two-time finalist for the award in the PWHL's two-year history.
Now, Poulin adds an MVP award to a trophy case that already includes three Olympic gold medals, four world championships, multiple MVP and scoring awards during her time in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League and a Canadian Athlete of the Year award, among many other accolades over a career destined for Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Poulin already won the league's goal title after the regular season. And Ottawa goalie Gwyneth Philips won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP after she led the Charge to the Finals and had an unbelievable .952 save percentage over the postseason.
The PWHL announced the winners of four other major awards at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Here are the results and the finalists.
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Rookie of the Year: Sarah Fillier (New York)
Fillier, 25, was one of the best forwards in the league this season after being selected first in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She finished her rookie season tied for the league lead in scoring. Her 16 assists were the most by a forward, and her 13 goals ranked fourth. Fillier led rookies in all three categories.
Coach of the Year: Kori Cheverie (Montreal)
Cheverie was a finalist for the award last season and beat out Toronto's coach, Troy Ryan (the inaugural winner), this year after leading Montreal to a first-place finish in the regular season.
Goaltender of the Year: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal)
Desbiens was the very best goalie in the PWHL this season. Her 15 wins, 1.86 goals against average and .932 save percentage led all starters and were critically important to Montreal's success in the regular season. The Victoire lost in the first round of the playoffs, but Desbiens was also excellent there with a 1.55 goals against average and a .943 save percentage that was only bested by playoff MVP Gwyneth Philips.
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Defender of the Year: Renata Fast (Toronto)
Fast became the first defender to be voted a finalist for MVP, a credit to her impact at both ends of the ice for the Toronto Sceptres. No defender had more points (22) or hits (63) this season than Fast. With almost 740 minutes of play, Fast was on the ice more than any player in the league, averaging 24:39 per game.
PWHL All-Rookie Team
Forwards: Sarah Fillier (New York), Jennifer Gardiner (Montreal), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota)
Defense: Cayla Barnes (Montreal), Anna Wilgren (Montreal)
Goalie: Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa)
PWHL Second Team All-Stars
Forwards: Daryl Watts (Toronto), Tereza Vanišová (Ottawa), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota)
Defense: Claire Thompson (Minnesota), Ella Shelton (New York)
Goalie: Aerin Frankel (Boston)
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PWHL First Team All-Stars
Forwards: Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal), Hilary Knight (Boston), Sarah Fillier (New York)
Defense: Renata Fast (Toronto), Sophie Jaques (Minnesota)
Goalie: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal)
The PWHL provides performance bonuses as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement:
Billie Jean King MVP: $5,000
Forward of the Year: $4,000
Defender of the Year: $4,000
Goalie of the Year: $4,000
Rookie of the Year: $4,000
'Hockey for All' award: $4,000
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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